What is CranioSacral Therapy?
CranioSacral Therapy (CST) is a hands-on therapy, where the touch is gentle, non-invasive and usually subtle. But It is a powerful therapy that affects and assist in improving the functions in the whole body. The practitioner is using his ‘Listening Hands’ that is tuned to feel the craniosacral rhythm, feeling how well the rhythm is reflecting-out your body status and what may be able to do in order to improve it.
The practitioner senses tensions in the body and helps to release them in a supported and comfortable way. During or after a session you may feel calm and energized, with increased clarity of mind and a feeling of well-being.
Patients find CranioSacral Therapy effective for a wide range of problems associated with discomfort, pain and dysfunction. Interestingly, this approach also appears to complement and stimulate the body's natural healing processes, so CST is increasingly used as a preventive health measure to keep us on the straight and not so narrow!
Who is it for?
People may come for Craniosacral Therapy because they have acute physical problems like headaches or bad backs, or long-standing problems both physical and emotional. Others come for ongoing support in their busy lives and for help to meet life’s challenges. Because it is so gentle and non-invasive, Craniosacral Therapy is suitable for everyone from newborns to the elderly. Mothers and babies often come for problems associated with difficult or traumatic births.
How it helps
CST supports your body’s innate ability to balance, restore and heal itself, as well as helping to reduce stress and build your underlying energy. Letting go of tension and fear held in the body enables both to settle into calmness.
During a session
Your practitioner will take a written case history, listening with care to the reasons for your visit. This part of the session is important, both for gathering information and to establish a good understanding with your practitioner. The session typically lasts almost for one hour, you remain clothed and will usually lie face up or on your side. The practitioner makes light contact with your head, the base of your spine, and other areas, encouraging your body to the changes it needs. Because the body functioning as a whole unit, your practitioner may focus on areas other than where your symptoms occur.
After the session
There is occasionally a short period of adjustment as part of the healing process, where you may become more aware of symptoms. Sometimes people report relief after only one or two sessions, for long-standing problems, further sessions may be needed. Some people find they benefit from regular treatment over an extended period of time as well as noticing improvement in their physical or emotional symptoms, they feel that they have more awareness of their own needs and strengths, and their quality of life has improved. Craniosacral Therapy is not intended as primary healthcare but to work alongside the relationship you have with your doctor.
In Cranio-Sacral Therapy we follow the body and we don’t lead it.
Adults
Q: I don’t really have a complaint, but I am curious. Could I get Cranio-Sacral Therapy?
A: By all means, CranioSacral Therapy on a regular basis, no matter how good you feel, is some of the best health-enhancement activity that you can do. You may discover that you feel even better than you thought you could.
Q: What does Cranio-Sacral Therapy do for headaches?
A: Headaches are one of the most common complaints that treated with Cranio-Sacral Therapy and its offshoots.
Q: How about chronic back pain?
A: Cranio-Sacral Therapy is used for back pain, including pain due to discs. Back pain is probably one of the most successful conditions that showing good results even from the first therapy session.
Q: How about Fibromyalgia, MS and Ankylosing Spondylitis, is any benefit for those patients from Cranio-Sacral Therapy?
A: Cranio-Sacral combined with myofascial release, trigger points therapy and mobilization techniques could provide some improvement for those patients
Q: What can you do for depression?
A: In specific types of depression, Cranio-Sacral Therapy might help.
Q: What can you do for Pre-Menstrual Syndrome?
A: It might help in most cases, Cranio-Sacral Therapy propably helps the pelvic organs to function more efficiently.
Q: What about chronic fluid retention? Can you help that?
A: Cranio-Sacral Therapy enhances fluid mobility throughout the body; therefore, it might help fluid retention. It must be done regularly if the cause is ongoing.
Q: Does Cranio-Sacral Therapy has any impact on arthritis?
A: There are several kinds of arthritis. The most common is osteoarthritis. Probably the most notorious is rheumatoid, which is inflammatory in nature. Both types of arthritis might respond to Cranio-Sacral Therapy.
Q: Why do I have a TMJ problem when there is nothing wrong with my teeth?
A: The TMJ problem, from Cranio-Sacral perspective, is more often an effect or result of craniosacral system or muscle-bone-joint system dysfunction. You are a whole person, and every part of you is connected to every other part. Pain and symptom location shouldn’t mislead us. It may be well camouflaged. It may be located almost anywhere, but its discovery is part of the joy of doing this work.
Q: How can old age people best use Cranio-Sacral Therapy?
A: The optimal solution for elderly patient to be treated once a month by a CranioSacral Therapist, they might respond by being more agile and more mobile, also enhance their memory
Pregnancy & Obstetrics
Q Is it safe for pregnant women to have Cranio-Sacral Therapy?
A: probably it is safe, because Cranio-Sacral Therapy mobilizes and enhances many of the normal adaptational processes of your body.
Q: I heard that Cranio-Sacral Therapy can induce labor. Will it induce labor prematurely?
A: Cranio-Sacral Therapy assists normal physiological processes. When properly applied it will not go against what your body wants to do.
Postpartum Mothers
Q: How can Cranio-Sacral Therapy help the new mother?
A: It might help in several ways:
(1)It helps restore hormone balance;
(2)It helps alleviate postpartum depression; and
(3)It restores normal pelvic function, thus eliminating many post-delivery back problems.
Q: How about helping me lose the weight gained during pregnancy?
A: If normalizing your endocrine system and mobilizing your bodily fluids would help you lose weight, the answer is yes.
Children
Q: What kinds of problems with children does Cranio-Sacral Therapy help?
A: Many conditions might benefit from Cranio-Sacral in children like:
1.Colic, digestive and elimination problems
2.Ear and Sinus problems
3.Hyperactive children
4.Learning disabilities and dyslexia
Q: Does Cranio-Sacral Therapy provide any benefit for the normal child?
A: Cranio-Sacral Therapy is one of the more powerful and effective health-enhancement treatment programs available today.
Q: What about scoliosis?
A: In some cases of scoliosis, the cause is craniosacral. More often than not, though, the tube of dura mater membrane that goes down the spinal canal has a twist/torque in it that can be detected very early in life. The spine resists the torque as long as it can, but sometime in the prepubescent period or in early adolescence, the spine begins to twist in response to the twisted dura mater membrane. This is the beginning of a scoliosis. Sometimes, if caught early, this might be corrected using Cranio- Sacral Therapy, and the scoliosis disappears.
