“Things that are real are given and received in silence.“
-Unknown

Cranial Sacral Therapy is a gentle non-invasive technique that is based on the principle that our bodies know how to heal themselves. The practitioner listens to the body through palpation, then allows or introduces movement which will release restrictions. Restrictions are caused by physical or emotional traumas held in cellular memory. For instance, neck injuries from a car accident are locked into the body. So are sports injuries, accidental falls or birth complications such as forceps deliveries. Emotional traumas are also stored. The events are essentially ‘frozen’ into our bodies until they are released.

The medical theory is as follows:

The brain produces a fluid which circulates within the head and up and down the spine. This is called cerbrospinal fluid (CSF). There is a rhythm, or pulse, created by the pumping of this fluid, like the pulse from our circulatory system, but much more faint (6-8 beats per minute).

The bones throughout our bodies are in continual motion as the CSF is pumped. The cranial sacral rhythm is detected through palpation of the bones. Each bone has its own natural movement. When a particular bone has a non-normal movement, it indicates there is a restriction in the flow of CSF.

All the nerves in our body originate somewhere along this path from the brain down the spinal cord. If there is any impedance to the flow of the CSF, then it can be felt as pain somewhere in the body.

The practitioner is trained to detect tiny variations in movement as well as to perform techniques which will free up the flow.

While CST had its origins in the medical model, many practitioners discovered that it could be easily incorporated with Eastern medicine involving chakras and energy healing. Being able to approach conditions with a flexibility in mind allowed for more possibilities. Cranial Sacral Therapy has been used on everything from autism to broken bones. The work requires sensitivity and respect for the body’s wisdom. While certain conditions or diseases create similar patterns, each person is unique in how their body needs to be treated. It is like solving one of those 3-dimensional puzzles which requires you to do things in a specific order, just no 2 puzzles are ever the same.

What will it feel like?

Outwardly, the treatment can seem very passive and uneventful. Many of the movements are imperceptible to the recipient on a conscious level. People vary in their sensitivity to their body and its sensations. Some people experience emotions, memories, physical sensations, insights 2 into patterns or problems in their lives. Other people feel like they’ve gone to sleep. Regardless of what the conscious mind thinks, this work taps into the nervous system and subconscious levels and has profound impacts. It is not uncommon for people to feel exhausted a few hours after a treatment.

References:

• “Your Inner Physician and You”, John E. Upledger, North Atlantic Books and The Upledger Institute, 1991
• “Craniosacral Therapy”‘ John E. Upledger and Jon D. Vredevoogd, Eastland press, 1983
• “Spontaneous Healing”‘ Andrew Weil, MD, Knopf, 1995