Demystifying the Ground & Fill
Learn the skill that supports everything else you do—in your work and in your life
You have trained your mind to understand and your hands to feel.
But when it matters most, some things can still feel unclear.
You may notice moments where you lose your sense of center, where your system becomes overwhelmed, or where you begin to question what you are sensing.
This is where the Ground & Fill makes a difference. Not only in your body but in helping others experience a Ground & Fill as well.
Instead of trying to push through or compensate, you’ll know how to return to your body in a reliable way, so you stay grounded, resourced, and present in real time. And you’ll learn to help your clients and those around you do the same.
Learn the art of an effective ground & fill exploration
Prerequisite: Read or listen to Full Body Presence and Reclaiming your Body by Suzanne Scurlock
This course is approved by NCBTMB for 10.5 CE Hours
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU CAN’T STAY GROUNDED and full
There comes a point when collecting more techniques stops helping.
You have taken the courses.
You have learned the techniques.
You are doing your best to apply them.
And still, something feels off when you are actually in session.
You might notice:
A sense of being pulled out of your body without realizing it
Feeling overwhelmed by what your client is bringing
A habit of second-guessing what you are sensing
A tendency to move into your head to try to “figure it out”
Over time, this creates a deeper pattern.
You begin to rely more on effort and less on your innate knowing. You work harder to stay present, but the work becomes more tiring. Your confidence may quietly erode, not because you lack skill, but because you do not have a reliable way to stay grounded and connected to your inner knowing.
This is not a lack of ability.
You are missing the foundational skill that supports everything you do.
WHAT BECOMES POSSIBLE WHEN YOU LEARN TO GROUND & FILL
When you begin to work from a grounded and resourced state, your experience changes in a very practical way.
Your awareness starts to include your whole body, not just your thoughts or your hands. Your system becomes more stable, even in the presence of intensity. You are able to feel what is happening without becoming overwhelmed by it.
Your healthy boundaries grow stronger and more defined.
You begin to notice:
Greater clarity about what you are sensing in real time
A more consistent ability to stay present in your body
A natural sense of healthy boundaries
A reduction in the effort it takes to stay engaged
A growing trust in your own internal experience
Your work also begins to shift.
You track what is happening in a client’s system more precisely
You remain present without being pulled off center
Your responses become more effective, while requiring less effort
This is not just about becoming more intuitive.
It is about becoming more accurate and stable in your perception.
Feel the difference in your own system
TRAINING OVERVIEW
Demystifying the Ground & Fill is a master class that teaches you how to establish and maintain a grounded, resourced state in a way that is practical and repeatable.
At the heart of this work is a simple but powerful understanding:
The Ground & Fill is not the session itself. It is the preparation that allows everything else you do to become more effective.
Inside this master class, you will learn a clear process:
How to take a baseline of your internal state
How to invite nourishing, supportive sensations into your body
How to maintain that flow while you are working with others
How to structure a Ground & Fill for your clients
How to adjust your pacing, voice tone, word choice and cadence for leading a successful Ground & Fill exploration
You will also learn how to work from your full-body presence, where your awareness includes your entire internal system rather than being limited to your mind or your hands.
AND you will be provided two scripts for leading others in the Ground & Fill process. This process has many nuances you will want to master as you share it with the people in your practice and in your life.
FORMAT
Immersion-style training with guided experiential practices, skill building, and conceptual learning designed to help you embody the work — not just intellectually understand it.
Who This Is For:
CranioSacral Therapists
Bodyworkers and manual therapists
Somatic practitioners and healers
Coaches, therapists, and others who hold space for change
This training is especially helpful if you:
Want to learn how master this seemingly simple but profound process to help yourself
Want to share it with the people in your practice and in your life most effectively, in a manner that includes all the important steps
Want to understand how pacing, voice tone, word choice and cadence are vital to a successful Ground & Fill
Hear what others have discovered
The Ground & Fill exercise is an invaluable tool for anyone who is trying to become more embodied. This course was a wonderful "practice" opportunity to really dig-in to what makes it so powerful and so effective. For my own personal resource as well as for offering it to my clients. Thank you!
In this class I learned that, for me, Ground & Fill is a way of reconnecting to and aligning with the whole self, Source, the Universe . It’s a way of saying yes to life and remembering the love. In this demystification class, I touched the mystery of this practice.
This course provided a step-by-step method for facilitating various Ground & Fill explorations for my clients as well as for myself. It was a wonderful opportunity to learn to nourish myself as well as others.
This program is so important for bodywork practitioners for grounding.
In this class, I learned specific language to better interact with people in a kinder and gentler way.
It really showed to me how powerful the Ground & Fill is, and how it sets the tone for the healing that then ensues.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
Inside this immersion, you will develop a practical relationship with your body’s internal signals so you can remain grounded, resourced and responsive in real time.
You will learn how to:
Stay connected to your own body without taking on another person’s experience
Maintain clear, healthy boundaries while remaining open and present
Refill your internal resources as you work, reducing cumulative burnout
Recognize when you have lost your ground and return quickly
Act from clarity rather than react automatically
Work from your full-body awareness so your sessions become more precise and effective
Lead a short Ground & Fill for yourself and the people you work with
Use a simple five-breath Ground & Fill to reset your system in under a minute
This is something you can use immediately.
Not as theory, but as direct experience.
Begin working with your body in a new way
Meet your instructors
Suzanne Scurlock, CST-D, is one of the world’s leading authorities on conscious awareness and its transformational impact on the healing process.
For more than 40 years she has empowered people with practical tools that enable them to experience joy in each moment without burning out. These skills help improve every aspect of their lives, from their health and well-being to their relationships, their careers, their creativity, even the growth of their businesses.
After decades of perfecting her methods of awakening the body’s innate wisdom, Suzanne created the comprehensive Healing From the Core® training curriculum in 1994. Today it includes a robust selection of international workshops, webinars, speaking engagements and audio programs.
Suzanne is one of the original instructors personally mentored by the late Dr. John E. Upledger, CranioSacral therapist and founder of the Upledger Institute International.
Known for her honest, grounded, nurturing manner, Suzanne is adept at weaving together mind, body and spirit to create a unique and safe environment that encourages profound healing.
She is a sought-after speaker who inspires healthcare providers, coaches, executives, parents, clergy and others to stay relaxed and energized using her life-changing tools for dissolving stress, pain, overwhelm and confusion.
She is the author of two self-care books, Reclaiming Your Body: Healing from Trauma and Awakening to Your Body’s Wisdom and Full-Body Presence: Learning to Listen to Your Body’s Wisdom.
Lori Chinitz is a Physical Therapist, Healing From the Core® Certified Instructor, and Diplomate Certified Craniosacral Therapist with over 30 years of experience. Lori's strengths as an instructor and practitioner flow out of her capacity to witness and support each person's unique journey. Her gentle, down to earth style has often been a key to unlocking deeper doorways to healing.
One of Lori's gifts is to create a space of safety and connection that allows her clients to feel comfortable and witnessed. Lori combines her keen understanding of the body/mind connection to assist each person in their healing process.
Lori's practice combines the use of CranioSacral Therapy, Visceral Manipulation,Myofascial Release, Zero Balancing, TAMO Movement,and various other therapeutic modalities while integrating principles from Healing From The Core. Lori has worked with infants, children and adults in a variety of therapeutic settings which has enabled her to create a private practice integrating eastern and western perspectives. Her practice is family centered, listening to the needs of each individual.
When Lori is not teaching, she maintains a private practice in Syosset, New York and is the Director/Owner of A Step Ahead Therapy Services, a multidisciplinary Early Intervention Agency. Lori can be reached by phone or through email at [email protected]
About Suzanne and Lori
"Both Suzanne and Lori have such a supportive nurturing way to work with a client. Just wonderful to watch and learn from both of you."
"Suzanne and Lori complement each other perfectly! As a PT, I "get" Lori's perspective. Suzanne has a gift of saying exactly the right thing at the right time. I appreciate both of you so much!"
"Always a gift to be learning from Suzanne & Lori. Their knowledge - both informational and experiential is right on & always delivered in a manner that is easy to digest and integrate into my personal and professional practice."
"Lori and Suzanne took this simple and powerful grounding exercise and broke it down so I understand the value of each element and feel comfortable using it with my clients." ~ Marcia
Step into a more grounded way of working and living
Your body is speaking with you. Are you listening?
The question is whether you have a reliable way to understand what it is saying and are able to remain connected to yourself while you listen.
When you do:
You stop second-guessing.
You stop overworking.
You stop leaving your body to meet someone else.
Instead, you begin to respond from clarity, from steadiness, and from a place that is sustainable over time.
If you are ready for that shift, this is where you begin.
Prerequisite: Read or listen to Full Body Presence and Reclaiming your Body by Suzanne Scurlock
Or if you have taken DDCSP or the HFC Foundational course, you are eligible.
More testimonials
Life changing- for real! Since the onset of my starting the HFTC distance program I have become a more grounded and more present person and this is true for my relationship with myself, my family and friends, and my clients. It is such a gift and I am so grateful.
Demystifying the Ground & Fill is a "MUST" for anyone who has taken any course in the Healing From The Core Curriculum!
This class has really help me to refine the Ground & Fill so that I can better connect with my clients.
If you are using either the HFC or DHFC in your practice, this course is a must have as it really gives you in specific detail the how/why and all the fine nuances and what works and what doesn't in this pivotal process.
Interested in other Immersions or becoming certified in the Healing from the Core® Method?
Copyright © 2026 Healing From the Core, All rights reserved.
Healing From The Core – 11110 Sunset Hills Rd., P.O. Box 2534 Reston, Virginia 20195 United States (703) 620-4509 [email protected]