CranioSacral Therapy
Origins of CST
In the early 1900s, the research of Dr. William Sutherland, an American osteopathic physician, detailed the movement of the cranium and pelvis. Before his research it was believed that the cranium was a solid immovable mass. Sutherland reported that the skull is actually made up of 22 separate and movable bones that are connected by layers of tissue. He called his work cranial osteopathy . Nephi Cotton, an American chiropractor and contemporary of Sutherland, called this approach craniology. The graduates of these two disciplines have refined and enhanced these original approaches and renamed their work as sacro-occipital technique, cranial movement therapy , or craniosacral therapy.
Dr. John Upledger, an osteopathic physician, and others at the Department of Biomechanics at Michigan State University, College of Osteopathic Medicine learned of Sutherland's research and developed it further. He researched the clinical observations of various osteopathic physicians. This research provided the basis for Upledger's work which he named craniosacral therapy.
What is CST and what does it do?
Craniosacral therapy is an holistic healing practice that uses very light touching to balance the craniosacral system in the body, which includes the bones, nerves, fluids, and connective tissues of the cranium and spinal area.
This also includes the entire body, since the fascia (connective tissue layer(s)) surround or encapsulates every muscle, organ, bone, brain, spinal cord, etc of the body- we are totally connected within our body and each part is integrated into the whole.
Thus, when one piece of our body is out of balance or blocked in some way, it effects everything around it and has a cascading effect over time. This creates multiple imbalances which doesn't allow our body to perform effectively or even feel good.
How Does CST Work?
CranioSacral Therapy is a gentle, non-stressful technology for releasing tensions in the tissue of the body and rebalancing all the systems operating in your tissues, organs, structures and even within the Emotional Body.
By creating support for imbalanced tissue, that structure has a chance to relax, re-organize and recover from the stress energy it's storing.
We store physical traumas in our body as "Energy Cycts",in which, like medical cycsts, the body builds a protective barrier around this stressor to prevent it from damaging surrounding tissues. These blockages accumulate and end up blocking flow of energy, lymph, blood, nerve impulses, etc through that area. When an area of our body doesn't get nourished and cleansed- it develops Dis-Ease.
We help the body to release these blockages, causing return of effective function to the tissues involved and relief of Dis-Ease symptoms.
FAQs
- What happens during a session?
Client lies fully clothed on a massage table on his/her back. Therapist gently lays hands on respectfully and checks the CranioSacral Rhythym to find imbalances. Then the therapist lightly applies hands to affected areas to support the internal tissue and allow the body to release any stored disturbances. The head is often worked on extensively and the client generally experiences a slowing down of the breathing and body in general as well as a sense of peace and well-being during the session. When a trauma is discovered and worked on, sometimes the body may move on its own or the client may visualize or feel emotion or discomfort while the trauma is being released- this is usually very brief and signals a permanent release.
- How long is a session?
A session generally lasts forone hour, but to the client, it may seem to fly by, leaving them feeling relaxed, lighter and a sense of freedom
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