Craniosacral (crane-e-o-say-crawl) Therapy started in the late 1800’s by osteopathic physicians as a way to feel restrictions in the cranial bones of the skull and their associated connective tissues of the spine and sacrum. By returning the natural and inherent mobility of the cranial bones and sacrum, the craniosacral therapy practitioner is able to assist the body in returning to pain free optimal functioning.

It is important to understand that our nervous, lymph, hormonal, myofascial, and gastrointestinal systems are all directly influenced by our craniosacral system due to its intimate connection with the brain and spinal cord. As well as the influence our myofascial connect tissue system has on our craniosacral system.  Keeping in mind that the brain and spinal cord pretty much control all of the body’s processes and actions, it is not too difficult to see how restrictions on these structures can prevent them from working efficiently and eventually leading to dysfunction and dis-ease.  Just like if you unknowingly parked your car on the garden hose and left it there while you went on vacation, water would be prevented from nourishing your lawn and it wouldn’t take long until your lawn started showing signs of dehydration and mal nourishment.  It’s the same with restrictions in the craniosacral therapy system, unless they are removed the dysfunction of a compressed blood vessel, nerve, hormonal gland, or myofascial structure will continue, leading to more dysfunction and further dis-ease.

  Craniosacral Therapy is a unique whole person therapy focused on the belief that the body has a tremendous capacity to heal when given the optimum environment to do so. Therefore one of the primary goals in a craniosacral therapy session is to not only treat the cause of symptoms, but also to maximize overall health by restoring balance in the craniosacral system.

What is involved in a Craniosacral Session?

      Craniosacral Therapy is one of the most gentle, non-invasive hands-on therapies available. Practitioners  follow the subtle natural inherent movements of connective tissue by lightly placing his/her hands on different areas around the body and help facilitate the body to gently release the areas of immobility and restriction in the craniosacral system.  Patients do not necessarily need to remove any clothing to participate in a craniosacral therapy treatment.
What do people usually experience with Craniosacral Therapy?
     Patients most often report feeling very relaxed and sometimes may even fall asleep during a craniosacral therapy session.  Many people can feel the movement s inside their bodies that practitioners are tuning into and describe it like they are floating on water.  Pulsing, heat and tingling sensations are also commonly felt as fixations are released.  
 
What is fascia?

     The fascia of the body is one continuous uninterrupted sheet of tissue from the top of your head to the soles of your feet.  Connective tissue or fascia suspends organs, compartmentalizes muscles, forms pathways for nerve and blood vessels and provides the body with a medium to “connect” or integrate all of the other systems of the body to each other.  Think of the connective tissue system like a large body stocking that wraps around every structure in the body down to the cellular level. In fact if we took all the other structures out of the body and just left the fascia we would have a detailed 3 dimensional representation of the whole body.  

What are fascial restrictions or adhesions?

      Many different processes can create immobility in connective tissue.  The most common sources of fascial adhesion come from the various forms of trauma and adaptation that can happen to the body, such as motor vehicle accidents and posture strain, respectively.  Traumatic injuries and posture strain adaptation to the body will most often result in inflammation which will lead to the body dispensing its “glue” to help with tissue repair. This “glue” is the raw materials of connective tissue, and the body is not so discerning as to how mobile or functional the “glue patch” or scar tissue is at a site of injury, therefore the repaired tissue is often shorter and less mobile.  Scar tissue tends to also bind itself to other structures in the area of injury such as nerve, blood, and lymph vessels influencing their function.   The enormous pressure involved in the birth process can also produce fascial restrictions that may show up as learning disabilities, chronic disease processes, or chronic pain processes later in life.

How does a fascial restriction affect the craniosacral system?

Even though fascia is one continuous sheet throughout the body it is more or less layered in the body where we have a superficial layer and a deep layer of connective tissue. The craniosacral system is the deepest layer of our fascial system.  The brain and spinal cord are covered by a thick and tough connective tissue called: Dura. The dura attaches itself to the inside of the skull bones, the upper spinal vertebrae and finally down at the end of the sacrum.  To put it simply, the dura of the craniosacral therapy system blends into the rest of the fascial system through the sutures of the skull and the openings between the vertebrae where our spinal nerves exit.  So if we endure restrictions elsewhere in our fascial system through injury or adaptation then over time these restrictions can begin to influence and create strains within our craniosacral system. As well injuries to the spine or head that create restrictions or adhesions within the dura will eventually influence the mobility of fascia throughout the rest of the body.     

     
What can be effectively treated with Craniosacral Therapy?

1.    Headaches-all types
2.    Migraines
3.    Chronic musculoskeletal pain
4.    Arthritis  
5.    Female Pelvic Problems: PMS/ Painful cramps
6.    Gastrointestinal Problems: Ulcers/ Irritable Bowel Syndrome/ Crohn’s Disease /Constipation/ Reflux
7.    Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMD)
8.    Motor-Coordination Impairments
9.    Common Paediatric Conditions: Colic/ Allergies/ Ear Infections/ Autism
10.    Central Nervous System Disorders
11.    Traumatic Brain and Spinal Cord Injuries
12.    Adaptive stress syndrome
13.    Fibromyalgia and other Connective-Tissue or Autoimmune  Disorders
14.    Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder