The CranioSacral System
CranioSacral Therapy is a potent tool using the functions of the
Cranial System which maintains the environment in which the Central
Nervous System functions. It 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 (which comprise the cranium) down to the area of the tailbone (sacrum).
Like the pulse of the cardiovascular system, the CranioSacral
system has a rhythm that can be felt throughout the body. The
whole body expands and contracts with this rhythm. The core of
your being, motor-function, learning patterns, emotions and ways of
perceiving the world, and your experience in it, are affected by
the balance of your CranioSacral System.
Using a touch generally no heavier than the weight of a nickel, a
skilled practitioner can monitor this rhythm at key body points to
pinpoint the source of an obstruction or stress.
By balancing the CranioSacral System we have an effect on the
brain, spinal cord and thus the whole of the individual. Messages
travel from the brain down the spinal column to the sacrum and to
the tip of the coccyx. From there, messages travel from all parts
of the body via the nerves exiting the spinal cord.
When the cranial bones are well aligned and the spinal cord is free
of tension, then the cerebral spinal fluid flows freely. This is
why cranial work has such a profound effect throughout the entire
body.
Effects of CranioSacral Work
Most people feel a deep sense of relaxation during a CranioSacral
Session. At times a certain degree of emotional processing and an
opportunity for repatterning occur.
When a practitioner assists the client to relax and facilitates
release of tension, the body moves into a state of rest and
relaxation. A body that returns to a state of relaxation allows
nature to take over. The innate ability of each person to heal
themselves lies naturally within every body when that body is in a
state of ease rather than dis-ease.
Reduction of pain or an increase in function may occur immediately
after a session, or it may develop gradually over the next few
days. 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 to the release of
previously held patterns.
CranioSacral Therapy is continually being researched by the
Colorado Cranial Institute, The Upledger Institute, and The Society
of Ortho-Bionomy, among others. The work is increasingly gaining
recognition and acceptance as people search for alternative methods
that work.
This work is especially appealing because it is safe, noninvasive
and painless, as well as recognizing the individual as a
multidimensional, dynamic being.
CranioSacral therapy has been shown to be effective for a wide
range of issues including, migraines, chronic neck and back pain,
autism, CNS disorders, othopedic problems, learning disabilities,
chronic fatigue, depression and anxiety, fibromyalgia, TMJ, immune
disorders, post-traumatic stress, and post-surgical dysfunction.
The CranioSacral Session
Clients remain fully clothed for a CranioSacral Therapy
session and there are no rapid adjustments, painful contortions,
or deep muscle probing. The session is performed with the client
reclining on a massage table while the practitioner stands or sits,
positioned at various times throughout the session at the client's
head, middle torso, or feet. The practitioner uses techniques
involving very light touch to rebalance the bones of the cranium
and to release restrictions in the membranes within the Cranial
Sacral System. This approach asssists the hydraulic forces inherent
in the CranioSacral System to improve your body's internal environment
and supports its ability to heal itself.
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