Craniosacral Therapy
CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY
Craniosacral Therapy (CST) works by helping the body’s natural healing mechanisms dissipate the negative effects of stress on the central nervous system. It is called “Craniosacral” because the work is centered around performing delicate manipulations on the bones of the head or “cranium” and lower spine or “sacrum”. Osteopaths William Sutherland in the early 1900s and John Upledger in the 1970s identified the craniosacral system as a functioning physiologic system. Their revolutionary work demonstrated that correcting imbalances and releasing trauma from this system could improve brain and spinal cord functioning and heal a wide variety of health problems.
The human body is an incredible machine, and each system within the human body plays a key role in overall health and function. The brain and spinal cord are key players in what is known as the central nervous system. This system might be best understood as the command center for the whole body, sending and receiving messages about how each system is working and what the body may need to regain and maintain proper function. The brain and spinal cord are surrounded by the craniosacral system, the membranes and fluid that surround these precious organs, providing them with the nourishment and protection necessary for survival in everyday life. In a sense, the craniosacral system might be considered just as important as the central nervous system it protects. This network of membranes and fluids has a direct impact on the overall health and function of both the brain and the spinal cord. By focusing on the craniosacral system, CST aims to benefit the central nervous system and, in turn, the entire body.
CST is a form of gentle touch therapy applied to the soft tissue that surrounds the craniosacral system, with generally up to no more than 5 grams of pressure. The basic mission of CST is to release any restrictions in the soft tissue that surrounds this crucial system. The restrictions in the soft tissue near the craniosacral system could essentially push against those membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord. This may then lead to the distortion of the proper flow of the cerebrospinal fluid inside these membranes. You may think of the membranes as a garden hose, and the cerebrospinal fluid as the water that flows within that hose. When the garden hose gets bent or distorted, the flow of the water is compromised and often weakened. When such distortions result from soft-tissue restrictions, this is clearly not optimal for the health and function of the central nervous system, the body’s command center.
Like the pulse of the cardiovascular system, the craniosacral system has a rhythm that can be felt throughout the body. It is a natural physiologic rhythm, just like the cardiac and respiratory rhythms. Injuries, disease, stress or trauma anywhere in the body can cause restrictions in the free movement of the system. By monitoring this rhythm to determine the source of an obstruction or stress, CST helps the body to move in a more fluid and natural way while facilitating deep relaxation, increased vitality, and a profound sense of well-being. This is the reason why it is used to treat such a broad range of conditions, from chronic pain to medical issues that may have mental or emotional causes. By focusing on the body’s command center, CranioSacral Therapy aims to increase the body’s ability to heal and self-correct from head to toe, inside and out.
What to expect during a session:
In Craniosacral Therapy, practitioners learn to address craniosacral rhythms and flows with a series of practices referred to as listening, following, and unwinding. listening in Craniosacral Therapy means being able to observe what is without judgement. When we listen in this way, we listen with our hands, our ki, and our presence, not just with our head or ears. Following means that we are so connected with the structure or energy channel we are touching that we can stay with it as it moves. When we are following, we are in perfect synchrony: we do not judge, change, exaggerate, or resist the movement. In unwinding we can either allow our awareness to guide us in a particular direction, or follow the movement to its limit and then actively invite it to stay at the position (without returning or continuing on its repetitive loop) until a change occurs and a new form of movement unfolds.
As restrictions are released and the body begins to return to optimal functioning, many possible sensations may occur. The release may be felt as heat, pulsing, relaxation, or in many other ways. Because memories of trauma and injury are often stored in the connective tissue of the body, sometimes the release is accompanied by emotion or old memories related to the original cause of the restriction. When this happens, the patient and therapist work together to allow the expression of these patterns of tissue memory, often dramatically reducing the level of pain or dysfunction in the area involved.
Symptoms reported by clients which are relieved by CST:
Head and neck pain
Back pain
Chronic pain
Orthopedic issue
Brain injury symptoms
Central nervous system disorders
TMJ dysfunction
Stress disorders
Autism
and many more