Meet Emma Loftus
I experienced my first Craniosacral session with a Cranial Osteopath around 12 years ago. I was (at the time) working within the horse racing industry and had been having some nasty falls and felt quite unbalanced. At the time, I don’t remember feeling much during the sessions, but it was the subtle effects that were felt some days and weeks afterwards were profound.
Apart from feeling more physically comfortable I also felt for the first time in my life, more connected to myself and to the world around me. I felt more grounded in my body. Around the time of these sessions, I was keen to study a therapeutic modality to help horses and came across a demonstration of Equine Craniosacral Therapy at Equitana and signed up for the workshops immediately as what was being spoken and shown deeply resonated.
During my practice, I began to observe the deep stillness that Horses would access during a session, the experience of witnessing and holding space felt deeply reverent. I felt myself wanting to learn how to explore this within myself in order to grow further in this work. It was in 2013, that I began to receive Biodynamic Craniosacral therapy sessions; the results of which were the key to a door of deeper exploration and learning. The orientation to a wider field of function and of the deeper and more stable forces that support the system enabled me to re-access and remember what was already there, within me. My body began to resolve deeply held patterns that I had forgotten about, and I began to understand that our bodies hold the stories of our lives.
The study of Embryology and the embryological forces that are present throughout life is key to the Biodynamic work, and key to understanding the ever-present field of function within and around us. I found this intriguing which led me to then want to explore this work further. I was then committed to gaining a qualification in the Biodynamic work. I travelled to London in 2017 to study with the Craniosacral Trust, graduating in 2019.
The roots of Osteopathy, Cranial Osteopathy, and Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy have Shamanic resonances, whose origins go back as far as the First Nations of Turtle Island, to the tribe of the Shawnee. At its core, there is a deep Nature-centred belief, a knowing that we have the answers to our own problems, and that we are self-healing, self-regulating beings.
My role as a practitioner is to create and hold a neutral and receptive listening space for my client, allowing the Intelligence within their system to do the work. Shamanic principles hold a deeply nature-centred belief, and a knowing that we have the answers.
I am based in Seaford, as I love being near the water. When I am not seeing horses and humans for sessions, you will find me on my paddleboard! Time in stillness and in nature is my resource.
“Safety is not the absence of threat, it is the presence of Connection" (Mate)
“We look at the Body in Health as meaning perfection and harmony. Not in one part, but in the Whole.” (Dr AT Still).
Emma – Qualifications and CPD Training
Emma is a qualified and registered Biodynamic Craniosacral practitioner and is fully insured by AJ Gallagher for both Equine and Human Craniosacral Therapy. Emma is a member of the Pacific Association of Craniosacral Therapists (PACT).
Emma has also been trained in CPR and Emergency First Aid. (UK and Australia).
Equine CranioSacral Workshops Levels I, II, III, IV (UK & Australia 2011, 2012).
Equine Cranium Dissections (UK & Australia 2011, 2012).
Craniosacral Therapy Educational Trust, London: Introductory Workshop on Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy (2015)
Horses Inside Out, UK: Equine Pelvis, spine, head and neck dissections Gillian Higgins (2015).
Equinology EQ900 Progressive Anatomy Discovery Course (Debranne Patillo, Australia 2016)
Eco-Somatics Equine Workshops Level 1 and 2 (Australia 2016)
Equine Dissection workshops (Sharon May-Davis). (October2013, October 2014, October 2016, April 2017, October 2017, April 2019. April and May 2021).
Craniosacral Therapy Educational Trust, London: Living Anatomy (January - September 2018).
Craniosacral Therapy Educational Trust, London: Jaap Van Der Wal, The Embryo In Us, UK. (May 2018).
Michael Shea: Ignition and the Midline, Germany, (June 2019).
Emergency First Aid in the Clinic, UK. (June 2019).
Craniosacral Therapy Educational Trust, London: Foundation in Craniosacral Biodynamics: 2 Year Practitioner Training (October 2017 - July 2019).
Dr Christian Torp: Acupuncture Oriented energy workshop. (Nov 2019).
SCTFANZ: Brian Freeman Embryology Series: The Musculoskeletal System October 2019. The Orofacial Structure February 2020.
Equinology EQ100 – Equine body worker certificate, EEBW (2019-2020)
Equusoma: Fundamentals I July 2020 (Online, in progress)
Equusoma: Fundamentals II October 2020 (Online, in progress)
Biostillness: Michael Shea – Deep Fluid body and the Immune system (October 2020).
Biostillness: Michael Shea – Biodynamic practice with the five elements in Tibetan medicine (February 2021).
PACT: Simon Gosling - Trauma, Embodiment and the Holistic Shift August 2021
Neurophysiology: Nociception, Proprioception and Motor Control Mechanisms in Horses with Professor Kevin Haussler. Nov 2021. (Centaur Biomechanics).
A Pain in the Neck: Diagnosis and Management of Equine Cervical Dysfunction With Dr. Nicole Rombach (March 2022). (Centaur Biomechanics).
Equuscience (Peters, Schlote) – November 2021 – June 2022.
BCTA: Michael Shea – Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy for Concussions (May 2022).
Ellen Collinson Equine Iridology (Online with Assessment) - In progress
Stillness and The Heart (Ian Wright) CTET, UK October 2022
Prue Jeffries: Advanced Primer The Glymphatic System of the CNS February and March 2023
Potency, Perception and Presence (Ian Wright), CTET UK March 2023
Brian Freeman Embryology Lecture Series, SCTFANZ, Gold Coast July 2023
Calming Signals and Scentwork, Rachael Draaismer and Sarah Schlote JUly 2023
‘The Flowering of Potential: Working with Neurodiversity in the Developing Child, Adolescent and Adult’, Ian Wright. October 2023.