What is Cranial Sacral Therapy? Listen to Body Cues
By Maria Allen, LMT
While vacationing in Tuscany, my husband and I took a bicycling tour through the gorgeous countryside.
Shortly into the ride, pedaling was a total struggle. The rolling hills felt like steep mountains, and my energy and attitude declined rapidly.
I finally stopped and asked for help, and our guide discovered the brake pads on my bike were sticking against my wheel. What a relief to have my brake pads released and be able to pedal with freedom and ease!
Are You Missing the Cues for Self-Healing?
Our bodies can sometimes hit the brakes just as we want or need to accelerate.
Chronic pain or stiffness, a nagging feeling of exhaustion, difficulty focusing, sleeplessness, and surfacing anxiety are common signals of overdrive we can experience as humans doing our best to navigate in an incredibly fast-paced, high demanding, competitive culture.
The pace of life and our attention to all things outside of us can lower the priority of listening to our body, and we miss the cues to slow down and take replenishing breaks.
Our bodies are constantly working to bring us back into balance and vitality. We receive cues like hunger rumblings, bathroom urges, and a tight achy back from sitting too long. Scabs automatically form to protect and close an open wound, and our immune system works constantly to fight off illness. When the body is overwhelmed, injured, or unwell, or has sustained a high level of stress over a period of time, it may struggle to resolve imbalances without outside resources.
During these times, we can benefit from assistance in the form of medicine, supplementation, and various modalities of therapy to recalibrate and rebalance.
One way I assist my clients in their own healing process is through Craniosacral Therapy.
What is Craniosacral Therapy and How Does it Work?
Craniosacral Therapy (CST) is a gentle, hands-on therapy received while lying down, usually on a massage table, face up and fully dressed in comfortable clothing.
The Craniosacral paradigm is based on the understanding that the body is self-healing. The CST techniques I use in my sessions were developed in the mid-1970s and early 1980’s by Dr. John Upledger, Doctor of Osteopathy and clinical researcher and Professor of Biomechanics at Michigan State University.
Each CST session typically begins with lighctly touching several points on the body starting from the feet and ending at the head. This initial assessment helps to pinpoint areas of imbalance and tension in the fascia, the connective tissue that creates the stable framework and interconnectedness throughout our entire body. The fascia envelopes every structure of the body including our muscles, organs, bones, nerves, and even our cells.
In Anatomy Trains, Thomas Myers, an integrative structural therapist and expert in the fascial system, defines seven distinct lines of fascia in the body. The images below show the Spiral Line from three different views. It becomes apparent how a restriction in the hip fascia and musculature could transmit a pull across the front of the body and potentially cause pain and stiffness in the neck or back.
Fig.6.1 The Spiral Line, taken from Anatomy Trains, by Thomas W. Myers, pg. 130.
Throughout a CST session, I move around the body, following where the fascia is restricted and apply gentle holds with a minimum amount of pressure to assist in resolving areas of tension.
Almost always, a session includes subtle releases to the cranial bones and protective membranes surrounding the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). The Craniosacral System resides within one of these membranes (see image below).
The Craniosacral System produces, circulates, and reabsorbs fluid that provides vital nutrients to and removes waste from the brain and spinal cord.
When the Craniosacral System is functioning properly and the cranial bones and surrounding membranes are free to move, the central nervous system and all the other systems in the body governed by the central nervous system can rebalance and function optimally (i.e., musculoskeletal, digestive, endocrine, vascular).
In times of stress, illness, or overwhelm to the physical, mental, and/or emotional parts of us, the Craniosacral System and fascial network can become restricted in movement. When the system is unable to rebalance on its own, CST can guide the body back into alignment and flow.
The Healing Power of Relaxation
CST soothes and regulates the sympathetic (fight, flight, freeze, fawn) aspect of the nervous system and initiates the parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous system function. When the body is in a parasympathetic, restful state, healing can take place much more easily and effectively throughout the body. What often emerges during and after a CST session is a felt sense of ease, calm, clarity, and regained energy.
Together we can assist your body in letting go of what no longer serves you and discover what is helpful for your happiness, ease, and vitality. Here’s to easy pedaling, brakes (and breaks!) when you need them, and open roadways.
