Feel. Yourself. Again
At Applied Somatic Therapy, we are amazed at the subtle yet profound healing potential of Craniosacral Therapy and the ways it helps to regulate the nervous system.
What is Craniosacral Therapy?
Craniosacral Therapy (CST) is a non-invasive treatment attuned to the subtle rhythms of the craniosacral system—the membranes and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that surround and protect your brain and spinal cord.
In the late 1860s osteopaths named and put on the science map the discoveries of the bonesetters of the Shawnee tribe that they lived amongst: that the skull bones were not fused solid, but had beveled sutures like gills of a fish to accommodate movement. As the CSF circulates through the brain and spinal cord, the skull bones move slightly. This movement can be felt due to what is known as the reciprocal tension membrane system (RTM).
Difficult childbirth, falls, head injuries, whiplash, etc, can cause the bones of the skull and tailbone to become stuck, impeding the flow of CSF and thus creating health issues. During a CST session your nervous system has the opportunity to adjust as the fluid membrane system balances and bones gently release.
Is this movement only felt at the cranium and sacrum?
Scientists recently discovered that cerebrospinal fluid travels to peripheral nerves1. The peripheral nerves network extensively into fascia, both superficial and deep. Because fascia extends throughout the entire body, the pulses of the CS system, via the nerves, are palpable anywhere on the body. Think of the ripple effect when a pebble makes contact on a still body of water. For example, I’ve received CST sessions in which the practitioner was holding my feet and I could feel my sinus bones shifting!
It can be challenging to describe the wondrous phenomenon that is CST. But to try and explain how it “works” makes me sound like a babbling idiot.
The best way I can describe it is, “It’s like a massage for your nervous system” or a “re-boot for your hard drive.” Your nervous system is your body’s computer. And daily stressors, chronic survival mode, and all the things we have had to adapt to throughout life can inhibit nervous system functioning, creating 80% of the symptoms for which patients seek medical attention.
Who Can Benefit from Craniosacral Therapy?
Clients find benefit from CST who experience symptoms of stress, fear, anxiety, depression, trauma, PTSD, ADHD, TMJ dysfunction, vertigo, concussion, and/or have digestive, sleep, or autoimmune issues, earaches, migraines, phantom pain, pain that recurs after injuries have physically healed or that increases with stress, brain fog and feeling “off center.”
Your Craniosacral Therapy Session
During your session at Applied Somatic Therapy, you’ll remain fully clothed while lying comfortably on a treatment table. Your therapist will use a light touch (about the weight of a nickel) to listen to the expression of your body’s health via the measurable pulses and rates of the fluid membrane system.
Many clients report feeling a deep sense of relaxation during treatment, often experiencing:
- A profound state of calm/stress melting away
- Deep restful state of restoration
- Interconnectedness of mind/body
Sessions typically last 60 minutes, but can be useful as a 30-minute add-on to integrate targeted bodywork such as MyoFascial Release.
Why Choose Applied Somatic Therapy?
We believe in empowering you with knowledge about your body’s innate healing capacity and providing supportive therapies that enhance your overall wellbeing.
About 60-70% of those trained in CST take two or three 4-day workshops. Our practitioners are extensively trained in a 2-year, 850-hour Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy certification program with a curriculum of Somatic Experiencing, Neuroscience, Embryology, and Somatic Pre/Perinatal work. We believe in meeting the client where they are at in their healing process. Biodynamic CST does not elicit any change that your system is not ready to integrate. We honor your experience, and listen to your nervous system!
References:
- Cerebrospinal fluid flow extends to peripheral nerves further unifying the nervous system.