CranioSacral Therapy (CST) is a gentle, hands-on approach that releases tensions deep in the body to relieve pain and dysfunction and improve whole-body health and performance. It was pioneered and developed by osteopathic physician John E. Upledger after years of clinical testing and research at Michigan State University where he served as professor of biomechanics.

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Using a gentle, non-invasive touch generally no greater than 5 grams - about the weight of a nickel - practitioners release restrictions in the soft tissues that surround the central nervous system. 

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By facilitating the body's natural and innate healing processes, CST is increasingly used as a preventive health measure for its ability to bolster resistance to disease, and is effective for helping people with a wide range of healthcare challenges associated with pain and dysfunction, including:

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• Migraine Headaches

• Chronic Neck and Back Pain

• Motor-Coordination Impairments

• Colic

• Autism

• Central Nervous System Disorders

• Orthopedic Problems

• Concussions and Traumatic Brain Injuries

• Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia

• Spinal Cord Injuries

• Scoliosis

• Infantile Disorders

• Learning Disabilities

• Chronic Fatigue

• Emotional Difficulties

• Stress and Tension-Related Problems

• Fibromyalgia and other Connective-Tissue Disorders

• Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome (TMJ)

• Neurovascular or Immune Disorders

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

• Post-Surgical Dysfunction

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A typical CranioSacral Therapy session lasts 75 minutes, and takes place in a quiet, private setting. As a client you remain fully clothed as you relax on a comfortable, padded treatment table. The practitioner will stand or sit positioned at various points of your head, torso or feet. At times your practitioner may also support your limbs and spine while helping your body release accumulated tension.

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.

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How does CranioSacral Therapy Work?

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, the central nervous system is heavily influenced by 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 that it must work to compensate for. Unfortunately, these changes often cause body tissues to tighten and distort the craniosacral system. These distortions can then cause tension to form around the brain and spinal cord resulting in restrictions. This can create 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. With a light touch, 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 is able to alleviate a wide variety of dysfunctions, from chronic pain and sports injuries to stroke and neurological impairment.

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(From https://www.upledger.com and https://www.upledgerclinic.com/)

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Is CranioSacral Therapy just energy work, like Reiki?

No.  I get this question a lot. It's easy to understand why people might mistake it as such because CranioSacral uses light touch that can look like energy work from the outside viewpoint.  But CranioSacral is definitely focused on the physical body.  I am using light touch to feel and assess the craniosacral rhythm, which is scientifically proven and measurable (https://www.iahe.com/docs/articles/Direct-Measurement-of-the-Rhythmic-Motions-of-the-Human-Head-Identifies-a-Third-Rhythm-Rasmussen.pdf).  I feel for a physical response of tissue release in the areas that I am addressing.  I am using gentle pressure to counter any soft tissue resistance.  Instead of the frontal assault on the problem areas, I am sneaking in the back way, so to speak.