Further explanation of Craniosacral Therapy
It's a bit of a mouthful to pronounce, and it sounds complicated, but Craniosacral therapy is in reality beautifully simple. With hands on the body we can feel whether or not the movements in the tissues and fluids of the body are healthful, and with hands on, any less healthful areas begin to unblock, allowing health to flow in!
One of the things I like best about this therapy is the way we let the body make its own changes. Of course, the body is making changes all the time, along with hundreds of other functions that are happening every second. During a Craniosacral session we press a fast-forward button in a sense, giving the body a little kick start in the direction of optimal health, in whichever areas it needs.
Below is a little more of in the way of explanation of how Craniosacral Therapy works:
Craniosacral Therapy has been developed over the past century, since research first carried out by Osteopath Dr. William Garner Sutherland revealed that the body has a ‘primary respiratory mechanism’, an inherent movement throughout the body over which we have no control, a movement which continues for a short time after secondary (lung) respiration has stopped.
Craniosacral Therapy is a form of hands–on therapy that encourages the body to release restrictions and contractions, which compromise the overall health of an individual. Contractions and restrictions, or traumas, can be generated from accidents and injuries, habitual body patterns, illness, emotions held in the body, shock, and birth. Any restrictions, or patterns of ‘held health’ in the body can be manifested physically, mentally, energetically and emotionally.
Using a light therapeutic touch to key areas of the body, Craniosacral Therapy encourages the body to initiate resolution of these blocked areas, which can improve blood-flow and circulation, breathing, digestion, organ function and muscular-skeletal biodynamics all over the body. Changes can be subtle or profound, shallow or deep in the system and can occur quickly or gradually.
Typical changes include a settling and rebalancing of the nervous system, adjustments and releases in the joints, a contraction followed by a release in the muscles, realignment to the midline (spine). Sometimes there are emotional releases where the body is able to let go of long held feelings that are no longer needed. However a BCST therapy session is not just a physical experience; the deep relaxation and sometimes meditative state can bring people to an awareness of their own phenomenal capacity for self–healing.
In this way, Craniosacral Therapy can give people tools to continue to heal long after they have had a few sessions of the therapy. There is no intention or force used by the therapist – instead, the body is entrusted to heal itself. This act of trust can activate the body’s capacity for self-healing, engaging it’s own innate intelligence.
