Healing on the Danforth

CranioSacral Therapy

What is craniosacral therapy about?

Every day the body endures stresses and strains. Perhaps you may be more aware of those that occur through accidents and injuries and less aware of others that are more subtle such as imbalances caused by incorrect posture, biomechanical faults in walking, or the physical stresses from sitting at a computer. All of these stressors, both acute and chronic, can disturb the central nervous system causing symptoms such as headaches,migraines, chronic neck and low back pain, sciatica and jaw pain.

These stresses and strains cause tension which then locates itself in one or more specific areas of the body. They appear as constrictions or restrictions in the muscle and connective tissue of the body. Eventually, these restrictions begin to tighten and then affect the function of the brain and spinal cord - the central nervous system. This can manifest as reduced circulation to the brain and changes in the movement and flow of spinal fluid. It is the rythym and flow of cerebral spinal fluid between the spinal cord and the brain that can be felt by a craniosacral therapist. A disturbed rhythm can help the therapist identify the location of restrictions and then help to release them.

What does a treatment involve?

A craniosacral treatment is given fully clothed on a massage table. Very gently , the therapist will touch various parts of the body to monitor the rhythm of the fluid that is flowing through the central nervous system. This is known as the craniosacral rhythm. Careful listening to it with the hands will help locate areas of weak flow or restricted tissue motion and allow the practitioner to locate the original source of the dysfunction. Then gentle touch manual techniques can release the problem areas.

What does a craniosacral treatment feel like?

It may seem at times that nothing is happening. The touch is so light that the client may not even feel the therapist's hands. At times, the therapist will gently hold parts of the body for extended periods of time to facilitate a release of a constriction. The therapist will move around the massage table treating different parts of the body. What a client feels during the session is highly individual. Generally, the hour is deeply relaxing often with feelings of warmth or gentle pulsing in the areas where the therapist is working. Some clients even fall in and out of sleep.

What will I feel like when its finished?

Someone may feel extremely relaxed and light. This is because the releases that occur in the body allow a self healing process to begin and it will continue for several days. Some restrictions and dysfunctions have been there for days, months, or even years and may not disappear with one session. Several or many sessions may therefore be necessary. Each client's physical and emotional history is different and they will react to the therapy in an individual way.