Restoring Balance Between Your Mind, Body & Spirit
Craniosacral Therapy
In a typical one-hour session, the client lies quietly, fully clothed, while the practitioner makes light contact at selected points around the head, torso, knees, and feet. This light contact consists of gentle finger pressure, with no bone manipulation such as those used in chiropractic work or osteopathy.
What is Craniosacral Therapy?
Craniosacral therapy (CST) is a gentle hands-on technique that uses a light touch no greater than 5 grams, or about the weight of a nickel, to examine membranes and movement of the fluids in and around the central nervous system. During a craniosacral therapy session, a therapist senses these subtle motions while looking for any restrictions impeding the free motion of the craniosacral system and various body regions, tissues, organs, and subtle energy systems. Relieving tension in the central nervous system promotes a feeling of well-being by eliminating pain and boosting health and immunity.
CST focuses on gentle hand placement to assist the release of the body’s connective tissue, or “fascia.” Fascia (Latin word for “band”) is a covering found throughout the body, including organs, glands, nerves, muscles, blood vessels, brain, and spinal cord. This covering forms a body-wide connective network. CST is based on the idea that the body is interrelated at all levels.
CST is effective for treating trauma or restrictions in your body—whether from a challenging birth, a physical injury, or an emotional shock to the nervous system. The sooner that restriction is released from the body, the easier and faster the healing process.
CST is wonderful for all ages and benefits all conditions—from those treating severe ailments to those looking for preventative health care.
Craniosacral Therapy Focuses On
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Evaluating and correcting the subtle range of motion of the cranial bones as they expand and contract with the creation and removal of cerebral spinal fluid, or CSF, and if there are any restrictions or interruptions that can create compression of the brain or symptoms of dysfunction in or around the skull.
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Evaluating and correcting the health of the connective tissue on the inside of the cranium and spinal column. This connective tissue is subject to all the twisting, injuries, and torsions that occur to the muscle and tissue outside the spine. It can also develop adhesions, restrictions, swelling, and scarring that burden the nervous system or interrupt nerve function.
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Evaluating the flow of cerebral spinal fluid and correcting adhesions as it moves up and down the spine and central nervous system, which both nourish the nervous tissue with vital nutrients while also removing waste that the nerve cells generate.
FAQs
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In a quiet relaxing setting while fully clothed and lying on a comfortable table. Delicate manual techniques are then used to release tissue restrictions that are found throughout your head and body. Sessions may last up to 60 minutes.
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A CST session is similar to massage therapy, except you stay entirely clothed.
The treatment session begins with a consultation with your trained therapist to identify troubled areas.
What you experience during a CST session is highly individual. Some people say they feel deeply relaxed, while others describe feeling unwinding sensations as the body releases tension.
You may even recall circumstances surrounding a past trauma or injury that caused your body stress. While it doesn’t occur in every session, this aspect of the process– called SomatoEmotional Release®– is perfectly normal and helps the body reverse dysfunction and restore optimal levels of mobility.
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CST can benefit almost everyone. However, craniosacral therapy may not be appropriate for some people with a few conditions and you’ll need to talk with your CST practitioner and physician.
There are a few situations in which CST is not recommended.
Recent brain hemorrhage, stroke, cerebral aneurysm, or brain injury or tumor. I will need permission from your treating physician.
Recent spinal tap. I will need permission from your treating physician. This should verify there is no leakage of cerebrospinal fluid.
Arnold Chiari Malformation – incomplete foramen magnum. I will need permission from your treating physician.
If you have any questions about whether these situations apply to you, seek the advice of your physician before receiving a CST session.
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I recommend a minimum of two to three weeks in between treatments, so your body can process them.
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Just as each individual experiences CST sessions differently, the results can also be diverse. You may leave so relaxed that you feel like sleeping for hours. Or you may leave full of boundless energy. You may feel a decrease in pain or an increase in function immediately after the session, or the effects may develop gradually over the next few days.
Since CST helps the body resume its natural healing processes, it’s common for your improvements to continue weeks after the session.
You may also experience a reorganization phase as your body releases previously held patterns and adapts to a new state of wellness.
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A typical session is one hour for adults and thirty to forty-five minutes for children.
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Most people report a soothing, relaxing feeling during the session. People report various pleasant sensations throughout the body, warmth, tingling, muscle twitch, a letting go feeling, muscle relaxation, pressure release, etc.
The body tends to accept very light pressure and reacts against strong force/ pressure as a protective mechanism.
Craniosacral therapy uses very light, subtle pressure and movement to affect positive changes that allow the body to rebalance to a healthier, more harmonious status. For this reason you may not “feel” very much in the way of physical contact during a session, however, profound effects may be noticed during or after a session as changes occur and the body resettles itself into a more balanced state.
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CST Initial/Intake session for adults – 75min/$150
CST Follow-up session for adults – 60min/$120
CST Initial/Intake session for kids/babies – 60min/$120
CST Follow-up session for kids/babies – 45min/$100
CST Mommy/Baby combo session – 90min/$300
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Few structures have as much influence over the body’s ability to function properly as the brain and spinal cord that make up the central nervous system.
And few systems have as much impact on the central nervous system as the craniosacral system– the membranes and fluid that surround, protect, and nourish the brain and spinal cord. Every day your body endures stresses and strains, and your structures work to compensate for them.
Unfortunately, these changes often cause body tissues to tighten and distort the craniosacral system, which can then cause tension to form around the brain and spinal cord. The result is a barrier to the healthy performance of the central nervous system and potentially every other system it interacts with.Fortunately, such restrictions can be detected and corrected using simple methods of touch. Generally using about 5 grams of pressure– roughly the weight of a nickel– the CST practitioner uses his or her hands to evaluate the craniosacral system by gently feeling various locations of the body to test for the ease of motion and rhythm of the cerebrospinal fluid pulsing around the brain and spinal cord. Soft-touch techniques are then used to release restrictions in any tissues influencing the craniosacral system.
By normalizing the environment around the brain and spinal cord and enhancing the body’s ability to self-correct, craniosacral therapy can alleviate various dysfunctions, from chronic pain and sports injuries to stroke and neurological impairment.
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Craniosacral therapy is a technique that focuses specifically on the central nervous system. By working with pressure points in the head, spinal column, and sacrum, the therapist is able to relieve pressure to help alleviate pain.
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While Reiki deals primarily with the energetic body, craniosacral therapy addresses blockages in the physical body. CST is a gentle practice that focuses on releasing restrictions to the flow of cerebrospinal fluid in order to balance the body's nervous system.
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Because craniosacral therapy is so effective as a preventive health measure, almost anyone can benefit from a session. For more pressing concerns, CST has proven especially effective in puzzling cases that have not responded well to other approaches. It benefits those with head, neck, or back injuries resulting from an accident.
The extremely light touch also makes craniosacral therapy a safe approach for children and infants who have experienced early stress, including birth trauma.
Craniosacral for Moms & Their Babies
Craniosacral therapy is a gentle and effective treatment for babies, promoting the realignment of bones and tissues and supporting their growth and development. Working together with moms and their babies is a very effective and powerful way to resolve a wide range of issues and reinforce a supportive and nurturing relationship. When a mom’s body and spirit are nourished and supported, so are their babies. Infants entrain their nervous systems to their parents so the more nurturing mothers receive, both pre and postnatally, the better the chances are that the baby will be healthy and balanced within that relationship.
Prenatal Craniosacral Therapy can help the mother’s body to move through this dynamic time of transformation smoothly so that her baby is able to have the space to move and develop as gestation progresses. Having balance and harmony in the mom’s system allows for the baby to do what needs to be done to have a healthy birth.
Postpartum Craniosacral Therapy, once the baby is born, CST can offer the baby and mother another opportunity to sync up and communicate again on a deep level to resolve any issues that might be present, as well as to heal together from anything that might have been challenging during the birth process. CST postnatally allows for Mom’s body to find space and repair from the journey of giving birth. Craniosacral therapy will address the structural issues that can leave women with pelvic floor, back, or hip pain and common shoulder pain from the stress of caring for a new baby. This gentle approach can help mom move into the next stage of motherhood feeling more balanced and nourished in her body so she can offer that love and nourishment back to her baby.
Craniosacral Therapy for Your Baby can profoundly impact your baby’s sense of well-being, both physically and mentally. Each developmental stage calls for specific handling and positioning appropriate for their nervous systems, neurological reflex stage, and physical postural abilities.
Ideally, all babies should receive a CST session as soon as possible following birth. As a baby’s head naturally molds to fit through the mother’s pelvis during the birth process, it is normal for the cranial bones to override each other.
It’s extremely beneficial for children to continue receiving CST periodically throughout childhood as they adapt to growing up: neurologically, physically, and emotionally.
Craniosacral Therapy
can help infants who:
Have digestive or elimination difficulties
Are experiencing sleep difficulties
Are fussy and hard-to-soothe
Hate tummy time
Have torticollis
Have hip dysplasia
Are teething
Are pre- and post-frenectomy
Are spitting up
Are colicky
Have reflux
Have experienced surgical delivery via cesarian, forceps, or vacuum suction
Are sensitive, have sensory issues, or just seem uncomfortable
Have breastfeeding problems or difficulty latching contributing to sore nipples for moms
Favor turning their heads to one side & favor one breast or position for nursing
Have experienced birth positions such as asynclitic, military, or occiput posterior
Infant craniosacral therapy generally requires 3-6 sessions to resolve most issues. The first session will be 90 mins to allow time for history and intake. Home visits are available with an added travel fee.