Craniosacral Therapy

What is Craniosacral Therapy?

Craniosacral therapy is an alternative bodywork practice that applies mild pressure and light touch massage to areas on the head and face, spinal column and pelvis region.

Specialized treatment of the areas of the cranium (skull) and sacrum (area of the lower back where the spinal column begins) is why the treatment is called cranial sacral therapy.

With a light touch, (5 grams, or 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.

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.

The Craniosacral System

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.

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.

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 called Craniosacral therapy.

Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy

Biodynamic Craniosacral therapy takes the treatment a step further.

Using the foundational beliefs of cranial sacral therapy, its effects are enhanced by including light touch bodywork over the entire body.

Craniosacral therapy and biodynamic Craniosacral therapy are commonly used by massage therapists as well as chiropractors and osteopaths.

Theory behind Cranial Sacral Therapy

Cranial sacral therapy is actually a combination of two other versions of alternative medicine practices:

1. Osteopathy
2. Chiropractic

The difference is that with Craniosacral therapy the targeted pressure points only exist on the head, spinal column and pelvis area which are manipulated with light hand pressure in an attempt to free the flow of cerebro-spinal fluid.

Practitioners detect a ‘pulse’ that is created by a direct link between the cerebro-spinal fluid of the head and the sacrum.

Those who apply cranial therapy seek to detect blockages along this line and utilize massage techniques to clear them, thus improving fluid flow and bodily functions.

Problems Addressed by Cranial Therapy

Patients who receive Cranial Therapy report various benefits.

For this reason, cranial therapy is considered a complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) that is used as a supplement to traditional medical treatments.

Clients on Craniosacral therapy or the full body biodynamic Craniosacral therapy version report a variety of benefits, including:

• Reductions in tension, stress and headaches
• Pain relief in the back and neck,
• Improvements with TMJ joint (jaw hinge)