Imagine a puzzle on a card table that is moving back and forth. The puzzle has 1 piece left to put in place and it’s sitting on top of the puzzle near it’s spot. You can’t pick up the piece but you can apply pressure down on it. Applying only the slightest pressure will allow the piece to slide over the puzzle until it’s seated in place. Too much pressure will stop the puzzle from sliding underneath, or the table from moving altogether. This is an oversimplified analogy of what much of a CST session is about. 

 

Craniosacral therapy is a form of alternative therapy that involves the manipulation of the bones of the skull, spine, and pelvis to promote healing and relaxation. The craniosacral system, which includes the bones, tissues, and fluids surrounding the brain and spinal cord, has a rhythm that can be felt and manipulated. The goal of the session is to return the flow of the cerebral spinal fluid back to it’s optimal rhythm. When something is throwing off the natural rhythm of this system, symptoms can include:

 

• Migraines, headaches

• Chronic pain and Fatigue

• Motor-coordination impairments

• Central Nervous System Disorders

• Orthopedic problems

• Traumatic Brain Injuries and Concussions

• Alzheimer’s

• Spinal Cord Injuries

• Scoliosis

• Difficulties in Conception, Pregnancy, Birth

• Learning Difficulties, ADD, ADHD

• Autism and Sensory Processing

• Emotional Difficulties, Depression

• Stress and Tension Related Problems

• Fibromyalgia and other Connective-Tissue Disorders

• Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome and Dental Challenges

• Immune Disorders

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

• Post-Surgical Dysfunction

• Sleep Challenges

 

During a craniosacral therapy session, I will use very gentle, non-invasive techniques to evaluate and adjust the rhythm of the craniosacral system. This may involve lightly touching or holding different parts of the body, such as the head, neck, back, or feet.

 

The session is done with the client fully clothed laying face-up on the table. The first few minutes will be monitoring several areas of the body, from the feet to the head, to assess the quality of the rhythm of the system. This will be followed by a series of diaphragmatic releases from the sacrum to the head, lastly typically around 10 minutes. Next, I will work with the bones of the skull, manipulating their movement with the slightest pressure. This part of the work generally makes up 2/3rds of the session. The session will finish with a few minutes of re-monitoring the body to compare the rhythm from the beginning of the session. 

 

To me, CST is the perfect blend of body and energy work. Every movement and every hold has an anatomical and physical reason behind it. However, the work is so subtle and so focused, it has a feeling reaching into a place where only energy can touch. I, personally, have experienced a deeper level of mental relaxation from CST then I have ever experienced from traditional bodywork. Many clients have shared what could best be compared to psychedelic trips and out of body experiences. 

 

I have worked with clients addressing a number of issues with CST (including: ADD, migraines, chronic pain, etc) but I have found it commonly helps clients to process and move through emotional trauma. I have seen this happen very gently and subtly, and I have seen clients who have relived in detail a trauma from when they were a child. None of this work happens without you and your body being ready and willing for it. I have had client laugh, cry, their bodies go through a physical unwinding process as they release emotional adhesions. Most sessions go by fairly uneventful (externally), but everyone has different things to process and release. 

 

This is beautiful work, something I feel very honored to offer to clients. Please note: this is nothing like a typical massage. Most clients seek this work out because it has been recommended to them because of some condition, have found it through their own research, or have experienced it before. 

 

A full session takes 60 minutes, but it has become popular to request some CST as a part of a bodywork session. This can be a great way to get a taste for what this is all about before getting a full session, or a great way to keep the system fine-tuned after a full session.