I wrote this article a couple of days ago. It will be published by the Highbury Directory which is a free monthly paper distributed in Islington. The aim of these paragraphs is to modestly explain and maybe dispel a little bit the shroud of mystery surrounding Craniosacral Therapy.
Stop, remove your backpack and breathe!
How can Craniosacral Therapy (CST) help you
How many times do we feel emotionally drained and physically tired? That we are carrying too much weight in our lives even though our present circumstances may not be that difficult, realising many times that we have forgotten how to relax?
As a craniosacral therapist I see clients presenting a wide array of conditions. We, urban beings, living in this metropolis share the side effects of this stimulating, but arduous, way of living.
Deep emotional patterns such as anxiety, depression and panic attacks are just a few of the challenges our Central Nervous System (CNS) has to daily cope with. These emotional irritants will most always manifest at a tissue level as well, as the CNS unfolds from our brain, down the spine and through the nerves all the way to our feet and hands finishing in our skin.
This mind/ body relation therefore directly affects our posture, muscle tone, and our skeletal structure bringing muscle pains, spasms and cramps to name just a few. Wouldn’t it be refreshing to be able to peel away these layers of experience keeping us feeling light in our bodies and happy in our minds?
The osteopath William Sutherland, founder of this work, noticed that using a feather-like touch he could tune into the patient’s body and was able to listen to the inherent motions of muscles, organs and cranial bones. He felt rhythms of contraction and expansion in the whole body, and with experience he understood these to be the natural expression of harmony and health.
Craniosacral therapy uses this level of perception to listen and locate patterns of distress allowing them to re-align themselves; supporting the body and the whole person in moving to a more clear and balanced way of being.
In this manner, when a painful or afflicted area of the body finds its expression back to its right place (in harmony with the body as a whole) balance and health are restored and healing takes place.
Because cranial work is so gentle and respectful it is an ideal treatment for mothers and babies who often need extra support and care after the birth process. Even the easiest birth may imprint stress patterns in the nervous system and soft tissues creating discomfort, colic, constipation and disrupted sleep patterns in a baby.
New mothers often find craniosacral therapy speeds their own recovery from the birth process, eases anxiety and supports them through their transition into motherhood.
When a practitioner listens to the clients body with respect, acknowledging all the processes that are present at that moment in the patient, a safe and profound relationship is created where the forces than can be manifested from within are far more effective than anything else that can be applied from outside.
Lift the weight off your shoulders and relax with a deeply and profound treatment. This is craniosacral work.