A photobiomodulation-based technique developed by Dr. Nick Wise, DC MSCR, working through cranial reflex points rather than joint manipulation. This page is the canonical reference: history, rationale, evidence, indications, and limitations, from the person who developed it.
Cranial Laser Reflex Technique (CLRT) is a low-level laser (photobiomodulation) method applied to specific cranial reflex points to address musculoskeletal pain and support nervous system regulation. It was developed by Dr. Nicholas Wise, DC MSCR, beginning in the mid-2000s, and first presented publicly at the North American Association of Laser Therapy conference in 2007.
CLRT does not involve spinal manipulation, high-velocity thrusts, or joint cracking of any kind. It's typically delivered as a companion to — not a replacement for — traditional chiropractic adjustment, though it can also be used as a standalone approach for patients who cannot tolerate manual manipulation.
Dr. Wise developed CLRT out of clinical practice, applying his chiropractic training alongside a growing interest in laser therapy and functional neurology in the early-to-mid 2000s. He first presented the technique publicly in 2007, at the North American Association of Laser Therapy conference in Tucson, Arizona, and continued to refine and present it at conferences in the U.S., Japan, Brazil, Italy, and India through the following decade.
In 2014, Dr. Wise was accepted into the NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein T-32 Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at UNC-Chapel Hill's Program on Integrative Medicine — the first chiropractor ever accepted into that program — where he pursued formal clinical research training specifically to study techniques like CLRT with greater rigor. Since 2008, he has taught CLRT to practitioners internationally through Wise Techniques, LLC, primarily via 12-hour live seminars across North America, the UK, and Europe.
CLRT's clinical effects have been studied at the pilot level, and Dr. Wise has continued to call for broader, larger-scale academic research into the technique's mechanisms. Published work to date includes:
Dr. Wise has presented on CLRT at conferences including NAALT (multiple years), the Asian Pacific Association for Laser Medicine and Surgery (Japan), Laser Physics Congress (Brazil), ISLMS/Laser Florence (Italy), and the Global Summit on Lasers and Regenerative Medicine (India). Full details are on his CV page.
In Dr. Wise's clinical experience, CLRT is most often used for:
CLRT is not a diagnostic tool and does not replace imaging, medical workup, or referral when serious pathology is suspected. Evidence is currently limited to pilot-scale and conference-presented research rather than large randomized trials — Dr. Wise is transparent about this and has actively sought larger academic collaboration to study it further. Availability is also limited: outside of Dr. Wise's own practice, CLRT is offered only by practitioners he has personally trained, primarily in the UK and Europe.
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