CranioSacral Therapy

What is CranioSacral Therapy?

CranioSacral Therapy (CST) is a gentle light touch technique that can create dramatic improvements in your overall well-being. CranioSacral Therapy releases tensions and energy blockages deep in the body to alleviate pain and dysfunction and improve overall emotional and physical health and performance.

Why is CranioSacral Therapy so important?

Every day we endure stresses, strains, emotional and physical injuries that are absorbed by our body. Our body has a limit to how much tension it can handle before the tissues tighten from the strain. The tightness causes narrowing and energy blockages that affect the central nervous system and the performance of every other system in our body.

The human physiology has three distinct systems or rhythms. We are in awareness of the cardiac and respiratory rhythms and we even make efforts to slow or increase the pace of our breathing or heartbeat. The third rhythm, the craniosacral rhythm, is rarely acknowledged. The craniosacral system and the craniosacral rhythm is a third rhythmic core vital function that governs the neurological domain of the human physiology.   In addition to life sustaining functions, the craniosacral system is directly and indirectly involved in the actions of the central nervous system, hormonal secretions, lymphatic production and drainage, the vascular system, the musculoskeletal system, the immune system and emotional balance.

The craniosacral system extends from the skull or the cranium down to the tailbone or sacrum (also known as the sacred bone). This system consists of the brain and spinal cord along with the fluid, called the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF), which baths, protects, and nourishes the craniosacral system. This system contains an inherent pulse or rhythm called the craniosacral rhythm that is distinctly different from the cardiac and respiratory rhythms. The CranioSacral system and its attached bones produce the rhythm as they move to accommodate the filling and emptying of cerebrospinal fluid. When exposed to stress or tension this rhythm can experience imbalances that can manifest in the body in many different ways such as headaches, body aches, or even emotional disturbances.

How does CranioSacral Therapy help?

CranioSacral Therapy promotes deep relaxation for the body, mind and spirit. CrainoSacral Therapy releases tension, tightness, narrowing, energy blockages, and negative emotions trapped in the body to allow the body to relax, achieve balance, and heal itself. By gently working with the spine, the cranium and cranial sutures, diaphragms, and fascia, the restrictions of nerve passages are eased, the movement and flow of CSF through the spinal colum can be optimized, and misaligned bones can be restored to their proper position and function. By freeing the central nervous system to work at its peak performance, CranioSacral Therapy naturally eliminates stress, promotes circulation, enhances your immunity, strengthens your resistance to dis~ease, enhances your health and emotional and physical well-being.

What Can I Expect From a CranioSacral Therapy Session?

Craniosacral Therapy takes a whole-person approach to healing and the inter-connections of mind, body and spirit are deeply acknowledged. A session takes place in a quite, private setting. The client remains comfortably clothed on a massage table. The session involves the therapist gently placing their hands on various parts of the body to sense the rhythm of the fluid that is flowing around the central nervous system. Through gentle palpation, the practitioner uses the CranioSacral rhythm as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool. By carefully listening with the hands to locate areas of weak flow or tissue motion, the practitioner can trace those aeas of weakness through the body to the source of the dysfunction. By gentle touch techniques of the spine, the cranium, the cranial sutures, diaphragms, and fascia the restrictions of nerve passages are eased, the movement of CSF through the central nervous system can be optimized, and misaligned bones can be restored to their proper position.

A CranialSacral Therapy session usually lasts up to one hour. CranialSacral Therapy can be used alone or integrated with other therapies such as acupressure, aromatherapy, sound therapy, and Bach Flower Remedies to creat powerful healing effects.
Individual experiences may vary. The sessions are deeply relaxing creating a gentle pulsing and feelings of warmth and energy flow to the area. What you will experience from your own session is highly individual.

What conditions can be helped by CranioSacral Therapy?

CranioSacral Therapy is used to treat a full spectrum of physical and emotional dysfunctions and energy imbalances:

Improvements have been seen in the following conditions:

Stress and tension related disorders
Prevention of dis~ease
Chronic neck and back pain
Migraines and headaches
TMJ Syndrome
Chronic Fatigue
Fibromyalgia
Post -Traumatic Stress Disorder
Motor coordination impairments
ADD / ADHD
Learning difficulties
And many other imbalances

Is there any condition for which CranioSacral Therapy shouldn’t be used?
There are certain situations where application of CranioSacral Therapy would not be recommended. These include conditions where there is a variation and/or slight increase in intracranial pressure.   Examples of conditions that could be affected by intracranial pressure changes are: acute aneurysm, cerebral hemorrhage or other preexisting severe bleeding disorders. Please consult your therapist is you have any concerns.

How many CranioSacral Therapy sessions will I need?
Response to CranioSacral Therapy varies from individual to individual and condition to condition. Your response is uniquely your own and can't be compared to anyone else's - even those cases that may appear to be similar to your own. The number of sessions needed varies widely - from just one or more over the course of several weeks.

How Was CranioSacral Therapy Developed?
In 1970, during a neck surgery, osteopathic physician John E. Upledger first observed the rhythmic movement of what would soon be identified as the CranioSacral system. None of his colleagues or any of the medical texts at the time could explain this discovery.
Dr. Upledger began searching for the answer. He started with the research of Dr. William Sutherland, the father of cranial osteopathy. Sutherland had explored the concept that the bones of the skull were structured to allow for movement. For decades after, this theory remained at odds with the beliefs of the scientific and medical communities. Dr. Upledger believed, however, that if Sutherland’s theory of cranial movement were in fact true, this would help explain the existence of the rhythm he had encountered in surgery. Dr. Upledger set out to scientifically confirm the existence of cranial bone motion. From 1975 to 1983 he served as clinical researcher and Professor of Biomechanics at Michigan State University, where he supervised a team of anatomists, physiologists, biophysicists and bioengineers in research and testing. The results not only confirmed Sutherland’s theory, but also led to clarification of the mechanisms behind this motion - the craniosacral system. Dr. Upledger’s continued work in the field ultimately resulted in his development of CranioSacral Therapy and the Upledger Institute.