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CranioSacral Therapy
Introduction
Watch a Video on YouTube
What Conditions Can CranioSacral Therapy Treat?
How Does CranioSacral Therapy Work?
What Happens In a CranioSacral Session?
CranioSacral Therapy and Babies
Watch a Child Being Treated by a CST Therapist
How and When Was CranioSacral Therapy Developed?
What's the Upledger Institute?
Articles by Dr John Upledger
Called Cranio Sacral because it includes the membranes and fluid that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord, as well as the bones of the skull, face and mouth and spine.
The brain and the spinal cord have a powerful influence over our bodily functions, moods and behaviour. A vast range of physical and emotional problems can be helped by balancing the cranio-sacral system. CranioSacral Therapy works to reverse the debilitating effects of stress by providing the conditions in which the nervous system can rest and rejuvenate. In fact, it's this capacity to reduce stress that's leading an increasing number of people to make CranioSacral Therapy a regular part of their life.
What Conditions Can CranioSacral Therapy Treat?
CranioSacral Therapy is primarily concerned with creating and maintaining a healthy, balanced state of wellbeing. This underlying state of wellbeing enables the body's own healing mechanisms to operate at optimum level, and therefore enables the body to eliminate disease and restore health.
CranioSacral Therapy works on many different levels and influences many different structures within the body. The systems it influences are:
the musculo-skeletal system (muscles and bones)
the nervous system (nerves)
the endocrine system (hormones)
the cardiovascular-vascular system (heart and blood circulation)
the immune system (defense system)
the visceral organs (all the squishy organs and structures from the midriff down)
the connective tissues (a whole system in itself)
Because of its influence on the functioning of the central nervous system, CranioSacral Therapy can benefit the body in a number of ways — from bolstering overall health and resistance to disease to alleviating a wide range of specific medical conditions.
Among CranioSacral Therapy's largest patient groups are those suffering chronic symptoms. Some of the physical and emotional problems that can be improved by balancing the cranio-sacral system:
Headache, Migraine
Neck and Back Injury or Pain
Frozen Shoulder
Sciatica
Joint Disorders
Digestive Problems
Whiplash Injuries, Spinal Curvatures
Asthma, Bronchitis
Insomnia
Head injuries, and their subtle influence on personality and mental state
Depression
Tension, Anxiety, Panic Attacks
Visual Disturbances
Problems during or after pregnancy
Menstrual problems
Adhesions
Ear, Nose, Throat Problems
Squint, Lazy Eye
Meningitis and its chronic consequences
How Does CranioSacral Therapy Work?
CranioSacral Therapy works by helping the body's natural healing mechanisms resolve the effects of stress, damage or disease. This is accomplished by supporting the central nervous system, which maintains the environment in which the brain and spinal cord function.
This system consists of the membranes and cerebrospinal fluid that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord, extending from the bones of the skull, face and mouth down to the tailbone area. The role of this system in the development and performance of the brain and spinal cord is so vital that an imbalance or dysfunction in it can cause sensory, motor and/or neurological disabilities.
Like the pulse of the cardiovascular system, the craniosacral system has a rhythm that can be felt throughout the body. Using very light touch, practitioners can monitor this rhythm at key body points to pinpoint the source of an obstruction or stress. Once a source has been determined, they can assist the natural movement of the fluid and related soft tissue to help the body self-correct. This simple action is often all it takes to remove a restriction.
What Happens In a CranioSacral Session?
The first session begins with a discussion of your medical history and anything else that is relevant. For most sessions you lie fully clothed on a massage table, usually on your back, comfortably supported with pillows.
Pregnant women may be more comfortable on their side. The work can also be done seated, standing or on the floor. Using very light touch on the feet, legs, torso, arms and the head, your therapist monitors your cranial rhythm to detect restrictions and imbalances in your body.
Through this light touch the practitioner is able to detect subtle patterns of dysfunction within the body - rhythms, pulls, pulsations - emanating from deep within the core structures of the body. No treatment is the same. At the end of the treatment your cranial rhythm will be re-checked and assessed.
During and after the session you may experience some of the following:
reduction in pain
deep relaxation
warmth or heat in parts of your body
tingles
deep breathing, sighing
eyelid fluttering
twitches
a floating sensation
feeling easier, looser, softer
feeling calmer
feeling more mentally alert
tummy gurgles
improved hydration
increased energy
increase in function and movement
Here's some of the comments I hear from clients after their treatment:
"I feel like the weight of the world has been lifted off my shoulders"
"I didn't realise how much pain I was in now it's all gone"
"This might sound weird, but my head feels bigger and so does my brain." (This comment is always accompanied by an slightly embarassed grin)
"I can think straight again"
"I can't rememeber ever feeling this relaxed"
Since CranioSacral Therapy helps the body resume its natural healing processes, it isn't unusual for improvement to continue weeks after the session. For some there may be a reorganization phase as the body adapts. This doesn't mean you go to hell and back after a session. I don't do catharsis!
CranioSacral Therapy and Babies
CranioSacral Therapy is very, very gentle. The touch is feather light. There is no manipulation or sudden movement. I've seen remarkable changes in a baby or young child after just one treatment.
Because this group is so very special, there's a page just for them. If you'd click on this link you'll find lots of info as well as a video showing a young child being treated.
If you're in a rush right now, here's the video
Watch a Child Being Treated by a CST Therapist
How and When Was CranioSacral Therapy Developed?
It was in 1970, during a neck surgery in which he was assisting, that osteopathic physician John E. Upledger first observed the rhythmic movement of what would soon be identified as the craniosacral system. None of his colleagues nor any of the medical texts at the time could explain this discovery.
His curiosity piqued, Dr Upledger began searching for the answer. He started with the research of Dr. William Sutherland, the father of cranial osteopathy. For some 20 years beginning in the early 1900s, Sutherland had explored the concept that the bones of the skull were structured to allow for movement. For decades after, this theory remained at odds with the beliefs of the scientific and medical communities. Dr. Upledger believed, however, that if Sutherland’s theory of cranial movement was in fact true, this would help explain, and make feasible, the existence of the rhythm he had encountered in surgery.
It was at this point that Dr. Upledger set out to scientifically confirm the existence of cranial bone motion. From 1975 to 1983 he served as clinical researcher and Professor of Biomechanics at Michigan State University, where he supervised a team of anatomists, physiologists, biophysicists and bioengineers in research and testing. The results not only confirmed Sutherland’s theory, but led to clarification of the mechanisms behind this motion — the craniosacral system. Dr. Upledger’s continued work in the field ultimately resulted in his development of CranioSacral Therapy.
What's the Upledger Institute?
I've done some of my CranioSacral training through The Upledger Institute HealthPlex Clinical Services in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. The UI is a health resource centre recognized worldwide for its groundbreaking continuing education programs, clinical research and therapeutic services.
The Institute was founded in 1985 by John E. Upledger, DO, OMM. The Upledger Institute staffs physicians and therapists are educated in a wide range of conventional and complementary methods. The clinic offers a series of intensive therapy programs, including those addressing brain and spinal cord dysfunction, learning disabilities, autism, therapist rejuvenation and posttraumatic stress disorder. UI HealthPlex also provides infancy to preschool evaluations.
The Upledger Foundation is committed to the development of new therapeutic applications and community outreach projects that enhance health and well-being. The nonprofit Foundation also assists with financial aid to qualified patients in need.
Today it conducts hundreds of workshops each year, educating healthcare practitioners of all disciplines. Alumni include osteopathic physicians, allopathic physicians, medical doctors, doctors of chiropractic, doctors of Oriental medicine, naturopathic physicians, nurses, psychiatric specialists, psychologists, dentists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech and language pathologists, acupuncturists, massage therapists and other professional bodyworkers.
For more information about CranioSacral Therapy and the Upledger Institute go to www.upledger.com
If you'd like more detailed information about CST, please continue reading the following articles by Dr Upledger.
Articles by Dr John Upledger DO, OMM
THE IMPRINT OF INJURY
John E. Upledger, DO, OMM
Have you ever had an injury that seemed to cause problems long after the site had healed? That’s not as unusual as one might think. Research I conducted in the late 1970s with biophysicist Dr. Zvi Karni led us to discover that the body can retain the imprints of physical trauma in the tissues. These imprints, which can also include intense feelings that occurred at the time of injury, actually leave a residue embedded in the body. I call these areas of restricted or disorganized energy "energy cysts."
The idea behind this is: When an accident occurs, the energy of the accident enters the
body. This fits with the laws of thermodynamics, which tell us that energy cannot be created or destroyed. They also tell us that the natural tendency of atoms, molecules and energy is toward disorganization. When this external, disorganized energy - the "energy of injury" - is forced into the body, it penetrates into the tissues to a depth determined by the amount of force versus the density of the tissues. This force is countered only by the density of the tissues it is trying to penetrate.
A blow to the foot or ankle might penetrate through the leg all the way to the pelvis. Once it reaches its depth of maximum penetration, it stops and forms a localized "ball" of energy that doesn't belong there. If your body is vital and able, the "energy of injury" can dissipate and normal healing can occur, but if your body is unable to dissipate this energy, it is compacted into a smaller and smaller ball in order to minimize the area of disruption to tissue function. As it becomes more compressed and localized, the disorganization within this compressed energy increases until it becomes an "energy cyst."
A person can adapt to energy cysts; however, over time, the body needs extra energy to continue performing its day-to-day functions. As years pass and the body becomes more stressed, it can lose its ability to adapt. This is when symptoms and dysfunctions begin to appear and become difficult to suppress or ignore. "Energy Cyst Release" can help the skilled therapist deal with these particular challenges. It is an effective way of encouraging your client's body to release those areas of blocked energy and accelerate a full recovery.
SomatoEmotional Release®, a component of CranioSacral Therapy can help the skilled therapist deal with these particular challenges. It is an effective way of encouraging your body to release those areas of blocked energy and accelerate a full recovery.
As part of that process, the body will sometimes spontaneously return to the same position it was in when the injury was first sustained. As this occurs, the therapist can feel the tissues of the body relax as the energy cyst is expelled. Then the body is free to fully return to its optimal levels of functioning.
CONNECTIVE TISSUE LEADS TO THE CORE OF GOOD HEALTH
John E. Upledger, DO, OMM
The use of connective tissue, most often in the form of fascia, is integral to both the evaluation and therapeutic processes of CranioSacral Therapy (CST). One can travel from the most peripheral aspects of the body to its core without ever leaving fascial tissue; hence, it is clear that restrictions in normal fascial mobility anywhere in the body can potentially compromise the functioning of the craniosacral system, the boundaries of which surround the brain and spinal cord with fascia in the form of dura mater. Indeed, any restriction to the normal mobility of dural fascia taxes the function of the craniosacral system to some degree. Such a restriction may be broadcast to the dura from any body fascia, or it may originate in the dura itself. Extradural restrictions may arise from muscle or visceral fascia envelopes from superficial fascias just deep to the skin or from any of the other fascial layers.
Quite often, abnormal tension from peripheral fascias enters via the dural sleeves that accompany spinal nerve roots from/to the spinal cord and to/from the transverse foramina of the vertebral spine. When this occurs, the subsequent restrictions not only impair the function of the craniosacral system but may often contribute to the development of facilitated spinal cord segments that ultimately devitalize segmentally related viscera. This, in turn, can create neuromusculoskeletal problems that self-perpetuate.
In CST, the practitioner continually evaluates the craniosacral system and all body fascias, searching for areas of compromised mobility. This ongoing search allows the therapist to assess the degree of free mobility that may or may not be present. It also involves a whole-body evaluation of energies in search of abnormal energy patterns and cysts. Once such abnormal patterns are located, the therapist may eclectically employ any and all techniques that may be useful in re-establishing optimal freedom of motion to any restricted areas that
are found.
Energy cysts are essentially regions of foreign energy that are disorganized, obstructing the normal conduction of microelectric currents through these regions. These disorganized energies may be thought of as entropic. They are usually from nonphysiological sources such as external trauma, pathogenic organisms or severe emotional shock. The body, unable to discharge these foreign energies, alternatively minimizes their effects by compressing them into the smallest possible volume. The CST practitioner's goal is to discharge all discovered energy cysts.
It is my belief that motion is health, and stasis results in disease. Such motion can range from the movement of interstitial fluids and transmembrane ionic and molecular transport, to gross joint motion and even energy flow.