CranioSacral therapy is a type of body work which is very gentle and completely non-invasive. It works at a very deep level in the body and is profoundly healing.
CranioSacral therapy is based around the subtle pulsation of fluids that surround the brain and the nervous system. There is a tide-like expression which can be felt by sensitive hands.
It is possible to assess the overall health in somebody’s system by “listening” to this tidal expression. By encouraging a deeper and fuller expression of the fluids through the tissues, the body becomes resourced and more able to heal itself.
Although CranioSacral Therapy works by resourcing the body at it’s deepest layer, it is also possible to work directly with particular structural problems, eg: torn cartilage in a knee.
Below is a list of conditions which can be helped:
- Arthritis
- Birth trauma
- Chronic pain
- Exhaustion and fatigue
- Frozen shoulder
- Headaches and migraine
- Muscular aches
- Jaw pain
- Whiplash injury
- Spinal pain and neuralgia
- Sciatica
- Sinusitis
- Stress related conditions
A brief history of CranioSacral Therapy
Around the start of the 20th century, a final year student of osteopathy, William Garner Sutherland, was examining a set of disarticulated bones of a human skull in his college laboratory. Like other students of his time, Sutherland had been taught that adult cranial bones do not move because their sutures (joints) become fused. However, he noted that he was holding in his hands adult bones which had become easily separated from each other.
While examining the bevel-shaped sutures of a sphenoid and temporal bone, Sutherland had an insight which changed the course of his life. He described how a remarkable thought struck him like a blinding flash of light. He realised that the sutures of the bones he was holding resembled the gills of a fish and were designed for a respiratory motion.
Sutherland set out to prove that the bones of the skull do in fact move by designing a helmet which he could tighten in particular areas, in order to discover what would happen if this proposed movement of the skull bones was restricted.
In no time at all, he began to experience digestive upsets, headaches and feelings of general unwellness. These symptoms disappeared within hours of the helmet being removed. He referred to this movement that he had discovered as CranioSacral Motion.
Sutherland spent the remaining 50 years of his life exploring the significance of CranioSacral Motion.
CranioSacral Therapy for Pregnancy and Birth
CranioSacral Therapy can help a woman’s body adjust to the changes created by pregnancy and prepare her for labour in a fully resourced condition.
Difficulties with the pelvis, spine, uterus, abdominal cavity and also with organ functions – fluid retention, high blood pressure, low immune system, fatigue, headaches, etc. can respond favourably.
It can help both baby and mother recover from the rigor of labour and childbirth.
The best time to resolve any restrictions created by childbirth is immediately after the event, especially if it has been a difficult and complex labour.
The compressive forces experienced during birth as a result of the passage through the pelvis and the tight fit in the birth canal can create imbalance in a baby’s system; even in natural and apparently problem-free births. Common new-born’s problems like colic, sucking problems and respiratory difficulties may be due to compression arising from birth trauma. These can develop into problems later in life: depression, migraine, sinusitis, spinal and pelvic pain can often be traced back to what happened at birth.
Birth trauma can be completely resolved in one to five sessions (often one is enough).
CranioSacral Therapy for Children
Treatment of young children by CranioSacral therapists may be not only curative, but also helpful in preventing problems later in life. Children of all ages can benefit from CranioSacral Therapy.
The following may benefit from CranioSacral Therapy:
- Recurrent infections
- Ear infections
- Glue ear
- Anxiety
- Poor co-ordination
- Digestive upsets
- Asthma
- Eczema
- Sinusitis
- Headaches
- Poor concentration
- Jaw tension due to orthodontic procedures
CranioSacral Therapy works by supporting the body’s healing mechanisms at the deepest level, which is why it can treat so many different problems. Children generally respond beautifully to CranioSacral Therapy and usually a course of one to four sessions are all that is required.
With ever increasing academic pressures, environmental pollution, food additives, the fast pace of a quickly changing world, constant media exposure to suffering and violence and less opportunity to discharge tension through playing outside, children today are perhaps exposed to more stress than ever before.
This gentle, non-invasive therapy can help children to process their life experience, as well as helping them to relax at a very deep level.
The nervous system, the digestive system, the respiratory system and the immune system all benefit from CranioSacral Therapy..
Accidents such as crashes, falls or fractures can leave structural imbalances, which CranioSacral Therapy can address by releasing the underlying stress patterns held in the tissues.
Post-operative or dental trauma often lead to CranioSacral imbalances that have wide ranging effects throughout the whole system. These can lead to restricted movement, headaches, digestive problems, mood changes and other problems. With CranioSacral Therapy it is possible to trace these symptoms to their source and treat them.
CranioSacral FAQ
What is CranioSacral Motion?
Every cell and every bodily tissue expresses a rhythmic motion, known as CranioSacral motion. At the core of the body, the cerebrospinal fluid, which bathes the brain and spinal chord, expresses this motion as a tide-like ebb and flow.
How does it work?
The CranioSacral Therapist is trained to feel areas in the body which are not expressing this motion. Techniques which help to stimulate and restore the CranioSacral motion are then used.
In this way, the body is supported to relax and heal both acute and chronic problems.The treatment is deeply restorative.
What Happens during a treatment?
Each treatment is an hour long and during this time you will at first be asked some questions about your health, before lying fully clothed on the treatment couch.
The CranioSacral Therapist then comes in to contact with your body – often starting with the feet. The therapist will apply light touch to different parts of your body and you may experience anything from tingling to heat, or throbbing.
Some people see colours, others get images, for some people, a memory may emerge as the body undergoes a deep healing process.
What is actually happening is that your body has the chance let go of tensions and unresolved traumas. In some cases, these tensions have been carried since birth.
The treatment is deeply restorative and also profoundly relaxing.
How many treatments will I need?
For significant, permanent change to occur in the system, usually more than one session is required.
Generally, a course of 4 to 6 sessions is recommended. These are either at weekly or fortnightly intervals. In order to support people to commit to a course of treatment, a price incentive is offered.
Please phone to check what special offers Fiona is currently giving.
How will I feel after a treatment?
You may feel anything from energised to spaced out. It is important to drink plenty of water as during a session of CranioSacral Therapy, many toxins are released which need to be flushed through.