CranioSacral Therapy

What is CranioSacral Therapy?
CranioSacral Therapy (CST) is a gentle, hands-on, whole-body method of releasing restrictions around the brain and spinal cord to enhance central nervous system performance and allow the body to self-correct. It was developed by osteopathic physician John E. Upledger after eight years of clinical research and testing at Michigan State University. The Upledger Institute, established in 1985, has now trained more than 80,000 CranioSacral Therapists worldwide. Because of its gentle nature and positive effect on so many body functions, CranioSacral Therapy is practiced by a variety of healthcare professionals, from physicians to physiotherapists to BodyTalk Practitioners.

CranioSacral Therapy strengthens the body’s natural healing processes to bolster resistance to disease and overall health. It has also been proven effective in aiding individuals with a wide range of medical challenges associated with pain and dysfunction. A few examples are:

Migraines l Neck and Back Pain l Fibromyalgia l Chronic Fatigue l TMJ Syndrome l Motor-Coordination Impairments l Autism l Central Nervous System Disorders l Colic l Learning Disabilities l Brain and Spinal Cord Injuries l Emotional Difficulties l Stress-Related Problems l Neurovascular or Immune Disorders l Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder l Post-Surgical Dysfunction l

CranioSacral Treatments
All of our practitioners will work with you to make your session an unforgettable experience. Our clinic has a very calming, warm and inviting ambiance which will immediately allow you to feel relaxed and comfortable.

During your first appointment you will be asked to fill out a comprehensive and confidential medical history form which will allow the practitioner to find out why you are there and what you would like to explore during the treatment. Remember to include any or all physical, mental, emotional or psychological issues you would like to address.

You will then be taken into a private treatment room where you will have a confidential discussion with the practitioner to ensure that all of your questions are answered. Treatment sessions are given on extremely comfortable massage tables with extra padding for your comfort and ease. A typical CranioSacral Therapy session lasts from 45 minutes to an hour.

What to Expect DURING a CranioSacral Session:

The practitioner will stand or sit positioned at various points of your head, torso or feet. At times your practitioner may also support your limbs and spine while helping your body release accumulated tension.

What you experience during a CST session is highly individual. Some people say they feel deeply relaxed while others describe feeling unwinding sensations as the body releases tension. You may even recall circumstances surrounding past trauma or injury that caused your body stress. While it doesn’t occur in every session, this aspect of the process – called SomatoEmotional ReleaseTM – is perfectly normal and helps the body to reverse dysfunction and restore optimal levels of mobility.

Because each individual response to CST is unique, the number of sessions needed to resolve any particular condition varies widely. While one session may give you the relief you need, your situation may require more therapy before it is completely alleviated. Your therapist can best advise you in this area.

What to Expect AFTER a CranioSacral Session:

Immediate: Just as each individual experiences CST sessions differently, the results can be diverse as well. Commonly, clients express a sense of peacefulness and relaxation, a decreased stress level, and some alleviation of symptoms immediately following a session. You may leave in such a relaxed state that you feel like sleeping for hours. Or you may leave full of boundless energy. You may feel a decrease in pain or an increase in function immediately after the session, or the effects may develop gradually over the next few days. Remember that every small improvement is a positive result.

Latent Effects: Since CST helps the body resume its natural healing processes, it’s common for your improvements to continue for weeks after the session. You may also experience a reorganization phase as your body releases previously held patterns and adapts to a new state of wellness.

Continual healing occurs for weeks even months after the session.

How CranioSacral Therapy Works
Few structures have as much influence over the body’s ability to function properly as the brain and spinal cord that make up the central nervous system. In addition, few systems have as much impact on the central nervous system as the craniosacral system – the membranes and fluid that surround, protect and nourish the brain and spinal cord.

Every day your body endures stresses and strains, and your structures work to compensate for them. Unfortunately, these changes often cause body tissues to tighten and distort the craniosacral system, which can then cause tension to form around the brain and spinal cord. The result is a barrier to the healthy performance of the central nervous system, and potentially every other system it interacts with.

Fortunately, such restrictions can be detected by using simple methods of touch. Generally, using about 5 grams of pressure – roughly the weight of a nickel – the CST practitioner uses his or her hands to evaluate the craniosacral system by gently feeling various locations of the body to test for the ease of motion and rhythm of the cerebrospinal fluid pulsing around the brain and spinal cord. Soft-touch techniques are then used to release restrictions in any tissues influencing the craniosacral system.

By normalizing the environment around the brain and spinal cord and enhancing the body’s ability to self-correct, CranioSacral Therapy is able to alleviate a wide variety of dysfunctions, from chronic pain and sports injuries to stroke and neurological impairment to emotional disturbances.