CranioSacral Therapy
What is 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.
Using a soft touch which is 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. CST is increasingly used as a preventive health measure for its ability to bolster resistance to disease, and it's effective for a wide range of medical problems associated with pain and dysfunction. SER is a type of CST. Book your Treatment now!
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, CST is able to alleviate a
wide variety of dysfunctions, from chronic pain and sports injuries to
stroke
and neurological impairment. BOOK APPOINTMENT
- Migraines and Headaches
- Chronic Neck and Back Pain
- Stress and Tension-Related Disorders
- Motor-Coordination Impairments
- Infant and Childhood Disorders
- Brain and Spinal Cord Injuries
- Emotional Disturbances
- Chronic Fatigue
- Fibromyalgia
- TMJ Syndrome
- Scoliosis
- Central Nervous System Disorders
- Learning Disabilities
- ADD/ADHD
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Orthopedic Problems
- And Many Other Conditions
How many CST sessions will I need?
Response to CST varies from individual to individual and
condition to condition. Your response is uniquely your own and can't be
compared to anyone else's — even those cases that may appear to be
similar to
your own. The number of sessions needed varies widely — from just one up
to
three or more a week over the course of several weeks.
Discovery of CST
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, however.
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.