CranioSacral Therapy
and You
Craniosacral Therapy (also called CST) is a method of complementary and alternative medicine used by physical therapists, massage therapists, naturopaths, chiropractors and osteopaths. A craniosacral therapy session involves the therapist placing their hands on the client, which allows them to tune into the craniosacral system. By gently working with the spine, the skull and its cranial sutures, diaphragms, and fascia, the restrictions of nerve passages are eased and the movement of CSF through the spinal cord is optimized. Craniosacral Therapists use the therapy to treat stress, neck and back pain, migraines, TMJ Syndrome, IBS, and is also beneficial for chronic pain conditions such as fibromyalgia. Using a soft touch which is generally no greater than 5 grams – about the weight of a nickel – practitioners release restrictions in the soft tissues that surround the central nervous system. CST is increasingly used as a preventive health measure for its ability to bolster resistance to disease and it is effective for a wide range of medical problems associated with pain and dysfunction.
Although some may think the therapist will only work with your head or sacrum (tailbone area), CST involves the whole body and your therapist may work with your torso, legs, knees,feet, shoulders, elbows, wrists. You get the idea!
How does CranioSacral Therapy Work?
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. And, the central nervous system is heavily influenced by 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 that it must work to compensate for. Unfortunately, these changes often cause body tissues to tighten and distort the craniosacral system. These distortions can then cause tension to form around the brain and spinal cord resulting in restrictions. This can create 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 and corrected using simple methods of touch. With a light touch, 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.
Why such light pressure?
When we are working with the central nervous system, we are aware that there are two modes of operation- the sympathetic system, which is associated with our fight, flight or freeze response and the parasympathetic which is associated with restoration and relaxation. Of the two states, the parasympathetic system is where healing occurs.
By working primarily in the parasympathetic state, we reboot the body's own natural abilities to heal.
What conditions does CranioSacral Therapy address?
- Migraines and Headaches
- Chronic Neck and Back Pain
- Stress and Tension-Related Disorders
- Motor-Coordination Impairments
- Infant and Childhood Disorders
- Brain and Spinal Cord Injuries
- Chronic Fatigue
- Fibromyalgia
- TMJ Syndrome
- Scoliosis
- Central Nervous System Disorders
- Learning Disabilities
- ADD/ADHD
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Orthopedic Problems
- And Many Other Conditions
Are there any conditions for which CST shouldn't be used? I can usually tell within about four sessions whether I think that I can help you or not. If not, by then, I will have a good idea of who to refer you to. It is my belief that different modalities work for different people at different times. What is a session like? I recommend that you wear loose and comfortable clothing and bring a pair of socks if you come in sandals. Your clothes remain on for the session. I will start with a standing assessment and then assess you again when you lay on your back on the massage table. We will discuss where your body has indicated it has restrictions and how they may be affecting you. We will also discuss your symptoms and then begin treatment. Sessions are as individual and diverse as my clients. I may work at your feet, your torso and your head during the session. One day, your session might be very relaxing and you may “float” through the entire time, barely noticing anything and staying still, perhaps even napping. Another day, you might find yourself alert and talkative, expressing emotions, changing body positions and noticing different sensations in your body.
There are certain situations where the application of CST would not be recommended. These include conditions where a variation and/or slight increase in intracranial pressure would cause instability. Acute aneurysm, cerebral hemorrhage or other preexisting severe bleeding disorders are examples of conditions that could be affected by small intracranial pressure changes.
How many CranioSacral Therapy sessions will I need?
Response to CST 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. Someone who has the same "diagnosis" as you got there in a very different way than you did and so the way your body will choose to heal will be different also. The number of sessions needed release the restrictions causing your symptoms varies widely.
I like to hold the intention that after one session you will feel completely better! This has been known to happen! Also, it can take up to a full week after a session to feel its full effects and changes. Sometimes the changes are subtle and sometimes they are dramatic. For one person it might take only one session, for someone else it might take many.
I will complete the session with a balancing technique and will then advise you to drink plenty of water, up to 2/3 of an ounce per pound of body weight. Sometimes clients feel relaxed and want to go home and relax while others are energized and feel like working out. My recommendations is to follow how your body feels and do what feels good for you.
When was CranioSacral Therapy developed?
It was in 1970, during a neck surgery in which he was assisting, that osteopathic physician John E. Upledger first observed the rhythmic movement of what would soon be identified as the craniosacral system. None of his colleagues nor any of the medical texts at the time could explain this discovery, however.
His curiosity piqued, Dr. Upledger began searching for the answer. He started with the research of Dr. William Sutherland, the father of cranial osteopathy. For some 20 years beginning in the early 1900s, 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 was in fact true, this would help explain, and make feasible, the existence of the rhythm he had encountered in surgery.
It was at this point that 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 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. He has established the Upledger Institute in West Palm Beach, Florida which includes a treatment clinic and educational services for those desiring to learn complentary modalities of healing.
If you are interested in how you can learn and practice Craniosacral Therapy, please contact Kim or the Upledger Institute.
Kim Loiacono HB, LMT, CST
805-341-8482
Kim@Craniosacraltherapyandyou.com
