What Is SORSI? The Organization Behind SOT Chiropractic

When Dr. Dan Foss tells patients he is "Advanced SOT certified through SORSI," most San Antonio patients have never heard of SORSI. That is fair — it is a professional organization, not a consumer brand. But what SORSI is, and what its certification represents, is one of the most important things you can understand about why Pura Vida Chiropractic is different from any other chiropractic office in the city.

This page tells you who SORSI is, where it came from, what it does, and why its certification is a meaningful credential in a profession where credentials are often vague.

SORSI at a Glance

SORSI stands for the Sacro Occipital Research Society International. It is a 501(c)(3) non-profit professional and educational society that:

• Was founded in 1929.
• Became the official home of Sacro Occipital Technic (SOT) and SOT Craniopathy education and certification in 1957.
• Preserves and advances the work of Dr. Major Bertrand DeJarnette, the developer of SOT.
• Publishes research, hosts continuing-education seminars, maintains a certification program, and supports an international community of practitioners.
• Is headquartered in Kirkwood, Missouri.

SORSI is not a commercial enterprise. It is a lineage-keeping organization. Think of it less like a trade association and more like a guild — a body whose purpose is to preserve a specific method of healing and make sure the people practicing it are trained to a meaningful standard.

The Founding: 1929

SORSI was founded in 1929, before chiropractic itself was legally recognized in many states. The chiropractic profession was still young — Dr. D.D. Palmer had given the first modern chiropractic adjustment only 34 years earlier. The first generation of chiropractors was still working out what the profession would become.

Against that backdrop, a small group of practitioners who had become convinced of the importance of the sacro-occipital relationship began gathering for research and education. Over the following decades, this group would come to include Dr. Major Bertrand DeJarnette — "The Major" — whose relentless clinical investigation would shape SORSI's identity for the rest of the 20th century.

1957: The Official Home of SOT

In 1957, SORSI formally became the official home of Sacro Occipital Technic and Chiropractic Craniopathy education. From that point on, anyone wishing to learn SOT at a professional level would do so through SORSI's curriculum, seminars, and certification process.

This mattered because chiropractic has always been a big-tent profession. Dozens of techniques exist, and many are taught informally or through commercial seminars with no accountability. SORSI's approach was different: establish a curriculum, codify the work, certify practitioners, and continue research.

That discipline is why SOT has survived 90+ years as a recognizable, teachable, reproducible method — while many other early chiropractic techniques have faded from use.

What SORSI Does Today

SORSI's ongoing mission is organized around four pillars:

1. Education

SORSI hosts seminars, webinars, and an annual event called Homecoming — an intensive multi-day gathering where the international SOT community convenes for advanced teaching. Certification requires completion of a multi-year curriculum across spinal, cranial, and CMRT work.

2. Research

The SORSI Evidence-Based Research Network (EBRN) coordinates clinical and academic research on SOT methods. Published studies cover areas ranging from pediatric colic to post-concussion recovery to chronic musculoskeletal conditions. SORSI publishes "The Source", a professional journal for members.

3. Certification

SORSI certifies practitioners at multiple levels. Advanced SOT certification — the credential Dr. Foss holds — requires:

• Years of post-graduate study
• Completion of the full curriculum including core SOT, CMRT, and Craniopathy
• Passing rigorous written and practical examinations
• Ongoing continuing-education hours

There are a limited number of Advanced SOT practitioners worldwide. Many chiropractors who "use some SOT" are self-taught or have taken a single weekend seminar. SORSI certification is a different order of commitment.

4. Community

SORSI maintains a Find a Doctor directory, an international alliance with affiliated SOT organizations worldwide, a product catalog of specialized equipment (DeJarnette blocks, reflex charts, books), and a scholarship fund for students.

Why SORSI Certification Matters for Your Care

When you see a chiropractor, the letters after their name (DC, Diplomate, etc.) tell you about their general credentials. But chiropractic-technique credentials vary wildly in rigor. "Certified" can mean anything from "took a weekend course" to "completed a multi-year post-doctoral program." SORSI Advanced SOT certification is firmly the latter.

Here is what that means concretely for a San Antonio patient walking into Pura Vida:

• The doctor treating you has spent years — not hours — studying the technique. That depth of training shows up in the care you receive.
• The work is reproducible. The category system, the indicators, the adjustments — these are standardized internationally. You are not getting one doctor's personal flavor of chiropractic.
• The research backing is real. SORSI's EBRN means you can look up the literature on SOT. It is not a "because I said so" approach.
• The lineage is intact. Dr. Foss is trained by teachers who were trained by teachers who were trained by Dr. DeJarnette himself. The knowledge has been preserved and transmitted generation by generation.

The Major's Influence Is Still Felt

Dr. DeJarnette died in 1992, but his influence on chiropractic is enormous. Many principles now used in other chiropractic techniques were originally published by DeJarnette — including concepts of pelvic mechanics, viscerosomatic reflexes, and cranial motion that have since diffused throughout the profession.

When you receive Advanced SOT care at Pura Vida, you are receiving the full, original, unmodified expression of DeJarnette's work — not a simplified or commercialized derivative. SORSI exists to make sure that expression remains intact.

Learn More

• Read the story of Dr. DeJarnette — "The Major"
• Read the SOT pillar page
• Browse our Research and Evidence page
• Visit SORSI's official site for the organization's own materials

Ready to Experience Advanced SOT Care?

Dr. Dan Foss is the only Advanced SOT certified chiropractor in San Antonio. Your first visit is a free evaluation.

Book Free Evaluation → Phone: (210) 685-1994 Address: 2318 NW Military Hwy Suite 103, San Antonio, TX 78231

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