Craniosacral Therapy

Craniosacral therapy is a form of energy work that seeks to restore the body's natural rhythms to allow its natural healing functions to resume working.

What is Craniosacral Therapy?

Dr. William Sutherland founded the practice of Craniosacral Therapy, also called Cranial Osteopathy. He believed that the visible sutures on the skull were proof of contraction and expansion of its connective membranes. In other words, our craniums are capable of movement akin to the breathing performed by the lungs.

Because of this, Dr. Sutherland felt that gently massaging the skull would create a wave of tension release from the skull through the neck to the base of the spine via the body’s craniosacral system. Today, craniosacral therapy is a rapidly growing treatment at spas worldwide.

Craniosacral therapy treatment focuses on three things:

• The cranium, or skull
  
• The spine
  
• The sacrum, the triangular shaped bone at the base of the spine that connects the pelvis

Practitioners work with the spinal column, nerves, fluids, and connective tissues along the spine that form a continuous membrane capable of moving as a single unit. The movement of this unit is called craniosacral rhythm (CSR). Craniosacral therapists look for disturbances in the CSR flow, and manipulate the membrane until a continuous, healthy flow is restored. Practitioners claim that restoring the CSR to a normal rhythm allows the body’s natural healing powers to resume functioning. While the therapy is readily available and many people report being helped by craniosacral therapy, there is currently no scientific support to the claims of this form of healing.

What Happens in a Craniosacral Therapy Session?

A session with a Craniosacral therapist generally lasts between 30 and 90 minutes. The recipient lies down on a massage table, fully clothed, while the therapist checks the flow of CSR. There are several different techniques that may be used during the session:

• Energy Cyst Release
  The therapist locates and gently releases energy cysts or energy blockages causing disruption in tissues and organs.
• Direction of Energy
  The therapist passes energy blockages from one of her hands through the patient and into her other hand.
• Myofascial Release
  Using a slightly stronger touch, the therapist releases tension in the body’s fascia, connective tissue.
• Position of Release
  The patient’s body is positioned as it was when the injury occurred and held in that position. The claim is that when CSR stops suddenly, the trauma is released.
• Somatoemotional Release
  Using the power of the mind, energy “locked in the tissues” can be released.

Craniosacral therapy can be used when pain and injury make other hands-on approaches intolerable. Each patient responds differently. Not all therapists have a background in physiology, anatomy, and osteopathy, so it is important that you consult your physician about this holistic healing method before undergoing craniosacral therapy.