Craniosacral Therapy
What is Craniosacral Therapy?
The craniosacral system includes the membranous soft tissues and fluids that surround the brain and spinal cord, and which extend to and support the healthy functioning of the entire nervous system. The health and ease of the nervous system, in turn, influencess the muscles, glands, and organs that they innervate and regulate, the bony structures that protect the organs and support physical movement, as well as the fascial network that weaves around and through the nerves, muscles, bones, and organ systems. Craniosacral therapy is a gentle, non-invasive, full-body, hands-on therapy that focuses on the subtle communication that occurs along these delicate connective tissues, as well as on the rhythmic flow of the cerebrospinal fluid between them.
Craniosacral practitioners tune into the tension, strain, pulling, or movement within this system, as well as to the cerebrospinal fluid’s subtle pulse, as it is generated and circulated by the ventricles of the brain. By lightly placing their hands on various points along the client’s body, practitioners assess each person’s natural rhythm, and find any blockages or restrictions. When a disruption is sensed, the practitioner’s hands may remain connected to the original points of contact, waiting until the client’s body finds its own way back to a place of ease and balance, or they may adjust the placement of their hands to more directly support a connection or a release. They may also gently follow movements in the client’s body as it unwinds and settles, especially in the more mobile joints of the extremities. In all cases, the practitioner is responding to, and following, the lead of the client’s body as it reveals and adjusts to what it needs.
Many of my clients want to know what to expect from a craniosacral therapy treatment, so I will focus on that here. In general, much of the process will feel familiar to other massage and bodywork sessions, with a few distinct differences. I will help you find a comfortable position on the massage table, with bolsters, blankets, and pillows as needed. I will offer aromatherapy, soft music, gentle heat, and eye pillows as usual, and we will make time for a little intake discussion and observation or assessment as we set our treatment goals for the session. You may be lying on your back for most or all of the treatment, or spend an equal portion of the session lying on your stomach. Supported side-lying positioning may also be used at times, and less frequently a seated positioning may be preferred.
I will give you the option of undressing, especially if you are wearing restrictive or uncomfortable clothing, though this treatment modality does not require you to do so. I will not be using any oils or lotions on your skin, and I will not be using any gliding movements or deep friction techniques that would require their use. I will be standing or seated near the table, and I will be placing my hands, in contact with your body, along various points. This may include areas of your head, neck, back, spine, sacrum, and hips, as well as your ribcage, belly, arms and hands, legs and feet. Whether or not you are clothed, and/or covered with a sheet or blanket, in many cases, I will be working through the clothing, sheet and/or blanket.
For this type of treatment, I am tuning into a part of my brain very far from my language systems, and for that reason, I will need to ask some of you to refrain from engaging in conversation. I may introduce some body-based inquiry or dialogue in cases where I feel it might be helpful, or give you gentle cues to breathe, release tension, or make some necessary bodily adjustment in order for me to place or move my hands appropriately. In most cases, though, you can expect to relax and enjoy this bodywork in relative silence.
The experience for the client during and after a craniosacral treatment can be one of deep relaxation and a profound sense of connection to their own inner experience. This experience may be one of heightened body awareness, a sensation of energy flowing and increasing throughout the body, a gentle connection with their own emotional life and intuition, or simply a warm, peaceful, grounded sensation where normal tensions ease, and time seems to slow down. I believe that these somatic experiences are healing gifts in and of themselves, and also expressions that the body-mind is resting in a state where deeper healing is possible. Many people compare the pleasant tingling sensations or expansiveness they experience to that of receiving energy work, even though craniosacral therapy is a hands-on bodywork modality focusing on physiological systems.
Craniosacral therapy can be helpful in promoting physical healing and lessening the experience of pain, discomfort, or restrictions in conditions like headaches and migraines, whiplash, sinus pain, ear-aches, tmj, scoliosis, frozen shoulder, tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, sciatica, pregnancy, or recovery from all types of accidents, injuries, and surgeries. It may also be used to ease the physical effects of neuro-physiological and emotional stresses, such as anxiety, depression, irritability, insomnia, ptsd, chronic fatigue, constipation, birth trauma or colic in infants, and concussions or traumatic brain injuries.
Often, after having received craniosacral therapy for myself, I found that the physical pain and limitations I wanted addressed were lessened considerably, but more surprisingly, that the emotional tensions and negative storylines, which seemed to arise along with my physical symptoms, were also eased. The combination of these releases brought me a longer lasting and greater sense of relief than I went in expecting. It was this unexpected relief that first led me to want to offer this valuable treatment to my own clients. May the benefits of this practice extend outward, and positively touch the lives of many.
Written by Lisa Mullaney, MA Ed, LMT, RYT-200
