Memories of John Chitty

John Chitty

April 15, 1949 – February 28, 2019

John Chitty, who has been a major fulcrum in the field of Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy, at least in America, sadly passed away last month. After studying with Franklyn Sills, John assisted his wife Anna in teaching this beautiful work at their school in Boulder, Colorado, The Colorado School of Energy Studies (CSES), where they also taught Polarity Therapy. CSES quickly became one of the largest, most influential Biodynamic schools in America.

I was fortunate to not only have the opportunity to study with John and Anna, including assisting their trainings, but I have also appreciated their friendship and support through the years. I had met Anna in the mid-90s through a training we were both taking in BodyMind Psychotherapy. We immediately connected and soon I had been invited to have an office the new clinic Anna and John were opening in Boulder. I have fond memories of us all spending long hours painting the new venue, while their little daughter, Lizzie, and her little friend ran around us playing. It could have been hard work, but with the Chitty’s it became fun.

As I was already a Craniosacral therapist, it took me awhile to sign up for the Chitty’s training after moving to Boulder. Being practice client for my friends training with them, I began to get a sense of something special and magical happening in their classes. In the meantime, as I was seeing my own clients, I would frequently hear roars of laughter coming through the wall from the class happening on the other side of it. When I mentioned it to my friends, they laughed, declaring that John was becoming even funnier.

John was not only funny. He had one of the most organised minds I have ever encountered. He reliably provided the yang for Anna’s yin, creating integrative charts and lists clarifying in simple, understandable, digestible terms some of the most challenging concepts and anatomical details involved in our work. John seemed completely tireless in his commitment to understanding and explaining the mystery.

Long before the polyvagal and social nervous system were familiar terms amongst therapists, John in his usual endless research had come across this important work of Stephen Porges. John soon began developing a way of addressing the polyvagal system in Craniosacral therapy. I had the honour of being one of his practice clients as he was testing out his new approach.

John also introduced me and many of us in our field to beloved spiritual embryologist, Jaap van der Wal to our field, bringing him regularly to teach at CSES for many years.

John brought so much to our field, including his infectious personality. As I was finding my own way as a teacher of Biodynamics, I felt grateful for his support and encouragement, always available. I still consider John one of the biggest inspirations for me becoming a Biodynamic teacher.

John authored three books, Working with Babies: A Five Part Therapy Method for Infants and their Families, Dancing with Yin and Yang: Ancient Wisdom, Modern Psychotherapy and Randolph Stone’s Polarity Therapy, and Energy Exercises: Easy Exercises for Health and Vitality Based on Randolph Stone’s Polarity Therapy, which he co-authored. You can experience his educational charm via videos, articles and other educational materials available at the CSES website.

John also served five terms as President of the American Polarity Therapy Association and served on the Boards of Directors for associations including Polarity, Biodynamic Craniosacral and Peter Levine’s Foundation for Human Enrichment (Somatic Experiencing®).

So many of us feel so grateful for all that John contributed to our field and to us personally. We wondered where he found the energy for his tireless research and creativity. I remember him saying, “Sleep is over-rated.” It seems John had so much he was trying to get done in this life. I hope he was able to accomplish all he was aiming for. I suspect his reach was greater than his aim.

So many of us are deeply sad to see him go. I hold him and Anna and their family in love, wishing them all ease in this time of transition. And these days, little Lizzie, who has recently had her own baby, is all grown up and has brilliantly taken over running CSES with her mum. I see the legacy of John in both the insights he has left us and his influence on Elizabeth. Thank you, John.