Cranio-Sacral Therapy
What Is Craniosacral Therapy?
Craniosacral therapy is a subtle and profound healing form which assists the body's natural capacity for self-repair. In a typical craniosacral session, you will usually lie (or sometimes sit) fully-clothed on a treatment couch. The therapist will make contact by placing their hands lightly on your body and tuning in to what is happening by 'listening' with their hands. Contact is made carefully so that you will feel at ease with what is happening.
The first thing you will probably notice is a sense of deep relaxation, which will generally last throughout the session. With subsequent treatments this release of tension often extends into everyday life. The work can address physical aches and pains, acute and chronic disease, emotional or psychological disturbances, or simply help to develop well-being, health and vitality.
Craniosacral therapy is so gentle that it is suitable for babies, children, and the elderly, as well as adults and people in fragile or acutely painful conditions. Treatment can aid almost any condition, raising vitality and improving the body's capacity for self-repair.
Craniosacral Therapy For Babies And Children
One of craniosacral therapy's most appreciated qualities is its capacity to rapidly resolve problems babies have; these include colic, sucking difficulties, sleep problems and behavioural issues. These are often due to the compression the baby undergoes during birth. Parents are frequently relieved and amazed by the seemingly miraculous improvements resulting from cranial work, often in just one or two sessions.
As a result of the contractions and passage through the pelvis and the birth canal, babies get very compressed during birth and this can displace things in their bodies. The relatively soft bones of the head move during birth but don't always return to an optimal position, leading to a variety of difficult conditions which, however, respond easily to craniosacral treatment.
Caesarean births and those involving forceps or suction are more likely to lead to symptoms. These are often immediately obvious but sometimes don't develop until later on. Craniosacral therapy can be beneficial to all babies including those from problem-free births even when there are no apparent symptoms.
Babies can't speak but that doesn't mean you can't communicate with them. Parents often understand a baby's non-verbal communication. The therapist's appreciation of what things are like for babies and interacting with them using craniosacral therapy plays a big part in making the treatment effective. CST is effective for a wide range of conditions in children and adolescents as well. Sometimes parents bring their child for a 'tune-up' to help them feel better overall and to focus on any minor issues. Childhood and adolescent conditions which have responded well to craniosacral therapy include: Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD/ADD), autism, teeth and jaw mis-alignment, adolescent withdrawal, fears and phobias, bed-wetting and asthma.
Depression, migraine, sinusitis, spinal and pelvic pain and some psychological conditions are among the issues that can sometimes be traced back to what happened at birth. As well as helping current symptoms, treatment of young children can be helpful in preventing issues arising later in life. Health problems in adults which are linked to their birth or very early experience can be resolved retrospectively. All craniosacral therapists work with symptoms related to birth and some have developed this into a speciality.
What are the benefits of craniosacral therapy?
Craniosacral Therapy has a very high success rate. Most practitioners find that around 85% of clients are happy with the results of the work. Benefits can come in a variety of ways:
- Increased sense of relaxation
- Improvement of the symptoms you came to see the practitioner about. Quite simply, you get better
- Improvement of other symptoms. For example, someone coming for treatment for a bad back can find that, as well as their back pain easing, the migraines they have had for years have got better too
- Change in behaviour patterns, leading to an improvement in relationships with friends, family, colleagues, etc
- Greater capacity to manage life in general
- Better management of specific disease symptoms
- Reduced stress
- Improvement of psychological issues
- Reduction of effects of past trauma
- Improved sense of well-being
What does a treatment involve?
The client usually lies (or sometimes sits) fully-clothed on a comfortable treatment couch. The therapist makes contact by placing their hands lightly on the client's body and tuning in to what is happening by 'listening' with their hands. Contact is made carefully so that the patient feels at ease with what is happening.
What does it actually feel like?
Most people find cranial sessions pleasant and relaxing. People often talk of feeling as if they have "had their batteries charged". Sometimes people feel tingling or numbing sensations or they may experience momentary pain related to past events. When this settles the net result is one of feeling better. People often feel as if things are reorganising inside them or as if a weight has been lifted from their shoulders.
How many sessions will I need?
The number of sessions required depends entirely on the condition being treated. Acute injury and disease states can benefit enormously from 2 - 6 sessions; with chronic debilitating disease or severe injury, it is usually necessary to work for longer in order to develop well-being and skills of managing symptoms, as well as dealing with symptoms directly.
Sam Etheridge (RCST) has been a practising CranioSacral Therapist since 2004, she is a registered member of the CranioSacral Therapy Association and is fully insured.