Gillespie Approach Testimonials

A Mother Tells Her Family’s Story

In the fall of 2020, my six-month identical twin girls were diagnosed with hydrocephalus and chiari 1 malformation. Their heads were rapidly growing, and we were running out of time to do something.

We were told that there was no cure and that they would either need a shunt for the rest of their lives or we could try something called an endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV), which is a minimally invasive procedure that creates an opening in the floor of the third ventricle in the brain. This allows cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) trapped within the brain’s ventricles to escape into its normal pathway.

We were told there was no guarantee that this procedure would help. We agreed to have this surgery, but I was not going to give up trying to find the root cause and healing my girls. I immediately started looking for possible holistic therapies out there. That was when I was led only by God to find Dr. Barry Gillespie and learned about the Gillespie Approach.

I explained to him that my girls were a rare set of MoMo twins, which is short for monoamniotic-monochorionic, which refers to twins who develop in a single amniotic sac and share a placenta. I learned about sustained, prolonged in-utero compression. In addition to the hydrocephalus and chiari 1 malformation diagnoses, we were already dealing with constipation, tongue tie, torticollis, and plagiocephaly.

Since we were from Oklahoma, Dr. Gillespie recommended that we see Gillespie Approach practitioners, Jake and Jordan Chambers, in Kansas City, MO. On our first visit, our girls had zero-second brain cycles and displayed lots of arching. We continued making trips to Kansas City and saw improvements with everything we were dealing with. Our girls now have brain cycles in the upper 200s.

Over the past year, we have had two follow up MRIs which showed that there was no hydrocephalus present. Our most recent MRI showed that one of our twin’s chiari 1 malformation is gone. We are hopeful that a future MRI will show that our other twin’s chiari is gone also.

In addition, one of our twins was diagnosed at the eye doctor with Brown Syndrome. We have already seen a huge improvement in her eye.

We now have two happy and healthy girls and are so blessed to be where we are today. God answered our prayers.

Infant With Brain Injury Experiences Rapid Transformation With the Gillespie Approach

An Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE) aka brain injury Gillespie Approach story from the Dallas TX infant course:

I was in labor with E for 36 hours at home before I transferred to a hospital. I was only at the hospital a few hours before the discovery of meconium while breaking my water. Within two hours, I was septic and my baby’s heart rate was going downhill. We went in for an emergency Cesarean Section (C-Section), and E was born dead.

They suctioned his lungs, resuscitated him and then intubated him. They immediately called a more equipped hospital to have him transferred. They had to put him on an extremely aggressive ventilator for 3 days. He was treated for sepsis and pneumonia.

The hospital fed him through an NG tube for the first 4 days. When attempting to bottle-feed him, we realized he was aspirating. That’s what led us to the diagnoses of his brain injury. HIE.

The neurologist said his motor skills would be affected. He said, best-case scenario, he wouldn’t be able to kick a soccer ball. Worst case he won’t be able to feed himself. He mentioned cerebral palsy is highly likely. We had to thicken E’s breast milk to the consistency of honey. Otherwise, he would choke so badly.

The hospital finally sent us home on day 20. They sent us home and scheduled us so many appointments. Follow-up swallow studies, neurology appointments, physical therapy, and occupational therapy.

We had so many people praying for healing. I prayed very specific things for God to show me what to do.

All the therapist and doctors we had seen were not helping at all. Our son wasn’t gaining weight. He was stiff as a board. He was in obvious pain all the time. He screaming and would arching his back if he had to be in a sitting position. I was researching and continued praying.

I had heard of Gillespie Approach before. Though I wasn’t familiar yet. I saw someone mention how it helped their child. I started reading about it. There were so many confirmations from the Spirit, I was bawling reading through the information. I totally felt God’s presence.

I told my husband and showed him, and he said we will do whatever it takes to get him this therapy. We drove an hour and a half to get the therapy.

Our son’s face shape changed after a one-hour session. His jaw became more square and his chin stuck out more. Also, I had never seen my son be able to stick his tongue out. He had severe oral ties that hadn’t been released yet.

When we got home that day, we were able to get him completely off his thickened milk. We had been trying for weeks and nothing worked until Gillespie Approach.

■ We had a lot more [Gillespie Approach] therapy done on E.
■ He was finally able to sit comfortably.
■ We saw his neck extend for the first time.
■ He started sleeping better.
■ He wasn’t rigid and stiff.
■ He stopped arching his back.
■ He actually smiles and isn’t in pain any more.
■ His hand-eye coordination drastically improved, I’ve never seen anything like it.

Doctors see him now and say that he is fully healed.

God has used Gillespie Approach to make miracles happen.

Amber Knowles

What does @gillespieapproach look like?

The most gentle and amazing therapy. The best therapy I’ve ever seen. Elijah has had so many struggles from his brain injury and traumatic birth. I’ve spent so much time in prayer asking God what to do to help him. God hears our prayers and he led me to @wellwithincommons Instagram page where I have learned all about Gillespie Approach. God is so faithful! After our first session we were able to get Elijah off of his thickener. After a full weekend with @cftgillespieapproach my son isn’t coughing and gagging every time he eats.

He isn’t stiff and rigid. He is more flexible and happy. He rode in the car for the first time without crying or being in pain. We have been able to take him places without him being in noticeable pain. He can lift his head better. And his hand-eye coordination has improved 10 fold. I could go on and on … . Levi and I have spent this weekend in tears watching our son transform right in front of us. We had the best time with some amazing people. We are so grateful for every person God put in our lives this weekend to help our son! Thank you all for working with our sweet baby. Thank you for validating us as parents. 💛

Shannon Colborne

I have to say, after only three Gillespie Approach CFT sessions, the course of my life has changed forever.

I’ve had concussions and multiple knee surgeries from playing soccer all the way up to division one in college. This all happened after three years in middle school of intense orthodontic work that included a palatal spreader and pulling several teeth.

No one ever addressed the WHY behind my high narrow palate or crowded mouth. I have snored most of my life and until this year did not realize how much I was a mouth breather. I started to have more migraines this year than ever.

Despite my best efforts to nasal breathe, my tongue always wanted to fall to the bottom and my lips would part. After my third session, the shape of my face (at 34 years old!) has changed! My jaw is more forward, my tongue sits higher and my lips seal much easier.

I cannot even express the gift of this work and how it will help prevent these issues in my three-year-old, now that I know better. Thank you cannot even begin to suffice, Dr. Barry Gillespie.

Dr. Gillespie Responds

You are welcome, Shannon, and thank you for sharing your great experience. The fascial web has a powerful control over the head and neck structures. To expound on your WHY statement, these strains can originate from fetal, labor, and delivery soft tissue birth traumas and present as infant conditions.

Medical providers say babies will out grow them, but we only see them morphing into childhood and adult issues like you have experienced. The work needs to happen at the beginning of life to prevent a potential lifetime of suffering.

More With Shannon Colborne in a Facebook Post

Amanda Jane Brooks

Baby had a lot of strain in the jaw, diaphragm, ribs, shoulders and feet. After two treatment sessions, mum reported a 90% improvement in the reflux symptoms. Now baby is only vomiting a very small amount after a comfort feed from both breasts, once every two to three days. All trapped-wind issues have resolved.

We did a third session as teeth have started to erupt. At the beginning of the session, baby was very grouchy and not very keen on my presence! But by the end, [the baby] was super-relaxed, with lots of smiles and cuddles for me.

Read “Reflux and Gas Symptoms Improve”

Krystil McDowall

No matter how quickly you want your CFT journey to go, it has to run its own course. You can’t hurry it up. Dr. Gillespie is probably the most efficient CFT practitioner around but even he couldn’t magically release all the strain our daughter had, as much as I wish he could have. My newborn baby had about 32 hours of treatment, and there wasn’t any way to speed up that process.

At a couple of different points, I remember resenting CFT. But when I analyzed my own thoughts, it wasn’t CFT that I resented; it was the fact that I had a baby that needed so much treatment. I just imagine how much worse she would have been if we didn’t have access to this wonderful treatment. I imagine our lives would look very different right now, and not in a good way.

To all of you wonderful people practicing this very important work, I salute you. The world needs this work so much and I am grateful from the bottom of my heart that this work is in the world today.

Lauren Mitchell

I took my sister to see Dr. G. today! She has been complaining of neck and upper/middle back pain for a long time. Her body naturally went into an arch starting high up into her neck. These pictures show that she was an archer in utero with the cord wrapped around her neck. You can clearly see the red marks/lines that resemble exactly where the umbilical cord was wrapped, most likely several times. The fascia remembers the trauma from the cord being wrapped, and, when you take your first breath, that’s when it kicks in! Fascia remembers the birth trauma! Fascia remembers all of the trauma!!!

My message is that treatment at birth or within a week of birth is so crucial because, if you wait too long, the fascia is locked in and the body has compensated. That is when the symptoms start to present themselves: TMJ, tongue tie, torticollis, latching issues, colic, chronic ear infections, migraines, ADD and ADHD, speech delay—just to name a few.

Getting CFT as a newborn will create a lifetime of structural immunity! Sign me up!

Read “Fascia Remembers All of the Trauma”

Lauren Mitchell’s Baby Boy

I am writing about my newborn baby boy. After three sessions of craniosacral fascial therapy (CFT) with Dr. Barry Gillespie, I can confidently say the results are tremendous.

I knew when I had my second baby, even if he/she didn’t have anything that stood out, I would take him/her to Barry, just to release any tightness from general birth trauma. My new baby had significant strain in his pelvis and private area from his circumcision. It was a few hours after his first treatment at four days old that I noticed a difference. Before therapy, when I would lay him down to change him, he’d hike one hip up. After Barry worked through some of that tightness, I could tell he was able to lengthen out his hips and legs much more comfortably.

If the trauma is left untreated, the body can go a lifetime with a list of symptoms and conditions. Drugs or surgeries may just treat the symptoms to only create more trauma. Sometimes it can be so easily resolved at the beginning of life with the simplicity of CFT.

Dr. Gillespie founded and has been practicing CFT for over 40 years. We are so blessed to know and have him.

Barbara Chambers

I administered CFT to the baby while lying on the mother’s chest and within minutes the lungs cleared. Together with life-saving colostrum, which has a high oxygen content, the baby recovered nicely and had no further issues with breathing. CFT is still for me the most non-invasive technique post-birth and the most cost-effective.

Read “Wet Lung Syndrome”

Marion Ramirez

Barry’s therapy has been invaluable for our family. We took our son because he was experiencing weekly convulsive seizures. After one therapy, these seizures stopped and he hasn’t had any more in three months. My husband and I started receiving the craniosacral therapy, too. I personally was looking for help with migraines, which I normally experience every three weeks.

Every day, I feel better. All the symptoms related to the migraines such as fogginess, blurred vision, upset stomach, tiredness, neck tension and headache have just disappeared.

Read “Son’s Weekly Convulsive Seizures Stop With Gillespie Approach Treatment”

Baby Experiences Improvement in Breastfeeding

Every. Single. Feeding. Was painful. No answers from “pros.”

As a last-ditch effort, we drove 3½ hours one way to see a Gillespie Approach practitioner, Michale Chatham. After 40 minutes of Gillespie Approach, he stopped walking on his toes. That week, he said words we’d never heard him say plus he self-regulated his emotions more.

The Gillespie Approach often resolves oral restriction mimicking tongue tie or helps prehabilitate/rehabilitate alongside surgical revision when it’s truly necessary.

Read “Baby Experiences Improvement in Breastfeeding”

Cassie Webster’s Baby Boy

We took him to Philly to see Dr. Barry Gillespie to do Craniosacral Fascial Therapy (CFT) to help with his torticollis. What we got was so much more. … Not only was he able to loosen the fascia in his neck, but he loosened the fascia around his digestive organs. And y’all, this baby is a new baby. He is calm, his colic is completely gone and you can just tell he is more relaxed.

As a mother, this is by far the best decision I have made for my child thus far. I no longer have to constantly hold him to comfort him, his nursing has improved and he is sleeping much longer.

Read “Torticollis and Colic Corrected in Baby”

Jenni Van Dalen Sutherland

It’s really amazing what a “little strain” can do! I recently saw a 2-week-old baby boy who had still not gained any weight, hadn’t pooped without a suppository, and mom felt wasn’t getting a great latch.

… At his first visit, he released mostly some left TMJ down his left neck. He immediately latched well, ate and fell asleep. At his weight check the next day, he had gained an ounce.

… But after the second appointment, he pooped on his own, continued to nurse well and, at his next weight check, had gained 6 ounces.

Read “Baby Releases Strain on Way to Gaining Weight”

Leslie Tivoli Curtis

“The proof is in the pudding. Gives me goosebumps. Your work is astounding. Thank you for helping this love of my life.”

Read “Red Umbilical Cord Mark Appears in Patient”

Brian Rossiter

Holistic health coach, Fruit-Powered.com

Dr. Barry Gillespie opens windows in your brain you never knew you had, getting your brain to breathe and improving cognitive function. Dr. Loose, as he’s known, also has the magic touch when it comes to releasing strain, which can hold people back from living as they’re designed and in their purest essence. I have benefited from multiple sessions with Dr. Gillespie and learned so much about Gillespie Approach–Craniosacral Fascial Therapy during a course I took in April 2016. I recommend Dr. Gillespie’s patient and educational services and am happy to know he’s working hard to give every newborn the best opportunity to thrive in life.

Michelle Young

When we eventually saw Dr. Gillespie for the first visit, House’s tics went from every three seconds to maybe one tic in twenty minutes. After the second session, maybe it was one or two a night, and by the third session, they were all but undetectable.

These sessions were not comfortable, and House was a trooper. After each session, he felt so much better that he wanted to go back and continue. At two different points during treatment, House collapsed like a rag doll. Each time as he was “recovering,” I could see his facial expression, smiling even before he opened his eyes. It was a natural reflex for the release and the relief he was experiencing. It was amazing to witness.

After twelve sessions, Dr. Gillespie felt House was pretty “loose.” His brain cycle, which started at zero, was over three hundred seconds. His life is now so much more comfortable. His throat feels better, his leg cramps have subsided, and he is tic-free. Reading is easier and he is simply healthier all around.

We are so grateful that this work helped our son. Dr. Gillespie was the first person who validated my suspicion that these conditions were all related. His craniosacral fascial web was tight, and no one noticed. We are excited to see how this continues to unfold and would love to see him no longer need human growth hormone.

Read “My Son’s Journey”

Anonymous

Things that are worth it usually take time and effort and our daughter is still on the path to wellness, but the change we have seen in her over just 10 appointments is monumental. She is a different baby! She is a happy baby. Her permanent scowl is now a permanent smile. Feeding is so much easier, and she never spits up. Her startle reflex is calmed, and she is not constantly in fight-or-flight mode. We are able to put her down. If you are a parent, you know how big that is! She giggles now. It is the best sound in the world.

Read “From a Scowl and Screams to a Smile and Giggles”

Can I share this here?! I am so amazed! We are feeling so happy, so thankful, so blessed! Our little Reya was lucky enough to receive 5 CFT sessions this weekend. What a difference it has made in her! She is generally so much happier, she’s sleeping better, her body is not as stiff, she’s feeding less often and I think more efficiently, she’s having more dirty diapers, she has been more alert, she lifts her head up a little more than before, and for the first time she has now been able to grasp toys and get them to her mouth!

We tried the first day of class, and she wouldn’t, and I told the therapists that she doesn’t do that yet … . On our way home, she did so multiple times! Even bringing her own hands to her mouth and exploring—she never did this before! I’m sure there are so many more changes happening in her little body, but these are what we notice right now. What a blessing to have been able to attend this weekend of therapy! Thank you to all who were there and all who helped our little girl! I can’t wait to learn how to do this myself, but meanwhile, I appreciate all of you who have taken the time and energy to learn it!

My son was a happy and healthy baby. He started wearing glasses to correct his nearsightedness at the age of four. After getting an updated pair of glasses at age six, his piano teacher noticed that he was having a challenging time keeping track of his place in the music and seeing the notes clearly. I was quite confused as to how he could be having these issues with a new pair of glasses. … Having success with my older son’s issues, Dr. Gillespie agreed to work with my younger son and his hypertropia. … Upon completing his regular examination, the optometrist gave us the wonderful news that a prism will NOT be needed in his new lens since the condition is no longer present. I cried happy tears of joy.

Read “Hypertropia”

I now can take more satisfying breaths. I also notice a change in the way my body feels. I find it easier to stand and sit up straight with proper posture, making me feel more confident. I’m extremely grateful and hope others in similar situations can learn of this work as well.”

Read “A Family’s Feelings About The Gillespie Approach”

Read “The Oral Onion”

Read “Anxiety and Depression”

My son was born in May 2019. Throughout my pregnancy, the ultrasounds showed his head down quite early with his twin brother on top of him for months. At five months of age our pediatrician referred him to PT for torticollis and a head tilt. His low muscle tone resulted in falling behind in his gross motor skills.

Dr. Gillespie made me feel heard and answered all of my questions at the first appointment. He described my son’s structural issue and began to help his body correct itself, as opposed to just managing his condition.

Read “Twin Fetal Compression”

From birth my son had a gurgling sound in his breathing. After many tests, the doctors said it was allergies and reflux. We have spent ten years with an allergist as our guide doing all the standard allergy medications, steroids, inhalers, and shots.

At ten years of age we saw Dr. Gillespie for a series of appointments as a compliment to the OMT therapy we were trying. My son progressively got looser and began breathing correctly from his belly. Currently, he is taking larger breaths and running for longer periods of time without tiring. His face does not get blotchy red anymore when he’s doing extremely active things.

Read “The #1 Cause of Pediatric Asthma”

There was improvement to the digestive system symptoms almost immediately. She hiccups very infrequently, and bowel movements are usually daily. She has a much improved range of movements. She now prefers to sleep on her left side, which was the least-favoured side.

Read “Baby’s Digestion and Frequency of Bowel Movements Improve”

During the therapy I always felt relaxed knowing my baby was in good hands. I’m always encouraged to be close by and provide my baby with a break or comfort whenever he needs it. (This Mum always commented how relaxed her baby was during CFT).

CFT has changed both our lives.

I would say to you to book a session as soon as you notice any concerns/symptoms. I didn’t know anything about CFT before but I wish I had known earlier as it worked wonders for both of us. I’ll be telling all my friends who go on to have an assisted birth/difficult birth where babies present with the above problems in the early weeks to begin CFT. I’m not sure what we’d have done or where we’d be now without it!

Read “Baby’s Digestive and Sleeping Issues Improve with Gillespie Approach”

Our lives have been changed in ways that no one else has been able to do and in ways that I never thought possible.

He came running into the kitchen around the three-month mark to share with me that, “It’s like somebody lifted the clouds.” I collapsed to the floor in disbelief and elation.

Even the school’s occupational therapist observed how he had gone from a child who was “struggling in four out of five developmental areas” to “a completely typical child.”

Read “Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Healing Stories”

Yesterday, during a routine checkup, her pediatrician in Arizona exclaimed: “I cannot believe that this is the same child I examined a few years ago. Her progress has been remarkable.”

… He made excellent developmental progress in achieving his crawling, creeping, and walking mobility goals as well as gaining a greatly enhanced ability to feel and interact with his surroundings.

… Her changes have been sweeping. She runs, swims, and bikes three times a week. Her vision has dramatically improved. She is an avid reader, and her language expands every day. At the age of 11 she is finally opening herself to a world that has a positive future for her and us.

Read “Down Syndrome Healing Stories”

After eight CFT treatments, our son was calmer, his head and body structures changed for the better, and his overall health improved.

She is slowly coming out of her trapped body into the joy and awareness of family life.

Read “Cerebral Palsy Healing Stories”

I can’t begin to tell you how this approach has changed our lives. Today, he is an athletic 12-year-old boy. He plays soccer, baseball, basketball, and even made it to the regional finals for track. This would have never happened without CFT. Before the treatment he would have to come off the soccer field winded several times in a game. Today, he can run longer and faster than most of the players on his team. I was so taken with this work that I became trained and now successfully do CFT for other asthmatic children.

Read “Pediatric Asthma Healing Story”

Before CFT I would spend hours with him going over his homework and helping him with his reading. Those days are over! It was like a light bulb went off in his brain!

I believe that CFT was a critical piece of her wellness puzzle. Not only has this treatment tremendously helped her and our family, but it has given us hope to encourage her to reach her fullest potential.

Read “Learning Disorders Healing Stories”

Once we started CFT, changes appeared almost instantly. It was like a tremendous weight had been taken off my family and me. People, who didn’t even realize he was being treated, were commenting on the obvious change in his behavior. … Finally, I was able to get him into a preschool program without getting called every other day to pick him up. I thank God CFT came into our lives!

Within two weeks of having CFT and the dietary changes, he was calmer and more focused. … The neighborhood boys came over to our house to play with him. He began to hug me once again. Our son was coming back to us.

Read “Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Healing Stories”

Eventually, he realized the benefits when he said, “I can think so clearly now.” He became a faster runner and more agile in sports. He was overjoyed one day playing volleyball when he said, “Mom, I can see the ball the whole time.” He had always been getting hit in the head because he was unable to track the ball.

Read “Dyslexia Healing Story”

One of their treatments was CFT. Dr. Barry Gillespie assessed my son’s cranial motion at zero seconds. During cranial surgery, the rhythm of his brain was severely restricted. Dr. Gillespie spent the first session helping to restore better cranial motion. … The treatment’s impact was immediate and pronounced. I was so impressed that I took Dr. Gillespie’s CFT training to treat my three other children.

Read “Brain Trauma Healing Story”

Without CFT, my daughter would not be the person she is today and would not be leading the life she has come to love.

Read “Headache Healing Story”

A wonderful neurological program, a healthy diet, a respiratory program, and CFT have yielded fantastic results.

Read “Epilepsy Healing Stories”

After four-and-a-half years on the program, we have a child who can see, hear, and has a normal sense of touch.

Read “Blindness, Deafness and Lack of Sensation Healing Story”

Almost three years later, she hears almost normally with her hearing aids. She does not have a verbal language yet, but tries to sing her favorite songs. She reacts right away to sounds and her name.

Read “Genetic Complications Healing Story”

I am thrilled that his ear infections have been fully resolved. He has had several colds over the years without incidence with his ears. I am quite happy that I have not had to give him antibiotics and did not follow through with the ear surgery.