Minnesota CranioSacral Therapy

Your Craniosacral session takes place in a lightly lit room with quiet music in the background while you lie on a padded table fully clothed enjoying the subtle smell of aromatherapy. Your craniosacral therapist will use a light, safe touch that’s different from other forms of bodywork. 

Most people leave feeling more relaxed and grounded and many experience a degree of symptom relief even after the first session. Conditions that tend to be more chronic will often take more sessions.  Everyone’s experiences are individual and may differ from one session to the next.  Sometimes symptoms can be aggravated by the work as things come to the surface. These sensations are temporary and a normal part of your body’s natural healing process and taking some time after a session to rest and relax is helpful.  Drinking more water following your session will be helpful as well. Conditions that tend to be more chronic will often take more sessions.

How a person responds to CST varies from individual to individual as well as from condition to condition.  Even if the condition is similar to anyone else’s.  It may be that one session is enough and it may be that a person benefits from 3 times a week over the course of several weeks.  Your therapist and you will discuss your options with you.

CST is a gentle technique of treating the membranes and cerebral spinal fluid that surround and protect both the spinal cord and brain.  This treatment supports the self-corrective nature of the nervous system by releasing tight structure/restrictions therefore improving the movement of information through the nerve channels, reducing pain and stress, strengthening immune system recovery and boosting health and well-being.  

CST is increasingly used as a preventive health measure for its ability to bolster resistance to disease. Its effectiveness supports a range of medical problems associated with pain and dysfunction.

The body depends on the brain and spinal cord (Central Nervous System) to function properly.

The health of your brain and spinal cord is heavily influenced by the craniosacral system (the fluid and membranes that surround, nourish, and protect the brain and spinal cord). The CranioSacral Fluid is essential, measurable, and tangible as our breath and heart rate. The craniosacral system follows a rhythm, and the skull bones accommodate its pulse.

CranioSacral Therapy uses a light, healing touch, to free the soft tissue around the brain and spinal cord, allowing the cerebrospinal fluid to circulate more freely, releasing compression and enhancing the functionality of the nervous system. Just as a cardiologist seeks to improve the cardiovascular system, a craniosacral practitioner evaluates and optimizes the pulse of the craniosacral rhythm. This is a gentle, often deeply intuitive technique.

CST would not be recommended in the following conditions

• Conditions where there is a variation and/or slight increase in intracranial pressure would cause instability. 
• Acute aneurysm
• Acute cerebral hemorrhage
• Other pre existing severe bleeding disorders 

It was in 1970, during a neck surgery in which he was assisting, that osteopathic physician John E. Upledger first observed the rhythmic movement of what would soon be identified as the craniosacral system. None of his colleagues nor any of the medical texts at the time could explain this discovery, however.

His curiosity piqued, Dr. Upledger began searching for the answer. He started with the research of Dr. William Sutherland, the father of cranial osteopathy. For some 20 years beginning in the early 1900s, Sutherland had explored the concept that the bones of the skull were structured to allow for movement. For decades after, this theory remained at odds with the beliefs of the scientific and medical communities. Dr. Upledger believed, however, that if Sutherland’s theory of cranial movement was in fact true, this would help explain, and make feasible, the existence of the rhythm he had encountered in surgery.

It was at this point that Dr. Upledger set out to scientifically confirm the existence of cranial bone motion. From 1975 to 1983 he served as clinical researcher and Professor of Biomechanics at Michigan State University, where he supervised a team of anatomists, physiologists, biophysicists and bioengineers in research and testing. The results not only confirmed Sutherland’s theory, but led to clarification of the mechanisms behind this motion – the craniosacral system. Dr. Upledger’s continued work in the field ultimately resulted in his development of CranioSacral Therapy.

Taken from https://www.upledgerclinic.com

There doesn’t have to be something wrong with you to receive CranioSacral treatments.      It increases your overall sense of vitality and inherent health across the board.

Using a soft touch, we release restrictions in the craniosacral system to improve the functioning of the central nervous system. Re-balancing of these structures is oftentimes necessary even decades after injuries (or surgeries, illness, etc.) have occurred in the body.

Many injuries (or effects from surgery, illness, etc.) hang on for years just because this system was never rebalanced following trauma, illness, or surgeries.

CranioSacral treats the cause or the root of the problem and not just the symptoms oftentimes resulting in relief from the pain they’ve had for years.  The body will always move toward balance or homeostasis and once given the support, it often can then begin to work on self-correcting the imbalance. 

CranioSacral Therapy isn’t necessarily a ‘one-off’ type therapy; although many people report feeling relief from one session, oftentimes with chronic pain, your body will let go of the ‘layers’ of tensions as it’s ready to and may benefit from more sessions.

Racing heart. Constricted breathing. Tense shoulders. Shaking hands. Churning stomach. Pounding head.

 Chronic stress and anxiety put your mind and body through the wringer. Originally evolved to help us respond to danger, the stress response has become a danger in itself when we constantly react to environmental factors out of our control that our bodies perceive as threats.

Because we aren’t actually in danger, the stress hormones produced in anticipation of the fight-or-flight response are left swimming in our bloodstream with nowhere to go. As a result, stress becomes trapped in the tissues of the body, the muscles, connective tissue, bones, and organs. Anxiety, a pathological reaction to chronic or traumatic stress, may set in.

The flow of cerebrospinal fluid has its own subtle tidal rhythm that’s separate from—but influenced by—your heartbeat and breathing. When this tide becomes impeded, often because of physical or emotional trauma, the fluid can stagnate, leading to even more emotional stuckness.

1. How does CranioSacral help me release stress and the effects it has on my body?

Craniosacral therapy can bring profound healing from stress and anxiety as it can release stored emotion from your muscles and tissues. Your craniosacral system is responsible for circulating the cerebrospinal fluid that surrounds your brain and spinal cord.  It’s this fluid that helps keep your central nervous system fed, clean and stable.

It also transports hormones, neurotransmitters, and releasing factors that help oversee your body’s reaction to its environment. The crazier your environment, the harder it has to work.

By gently manipulating the cranium and sacrum (head and pelvis), we can stimulate the flow of fluid and help release blockages that keep emotions trapped in the body. We are taught to “listen with our hands” for the subtle rhythm and apply gentle manual techniques that increase mobility and circulation within the craniosacral system.

People often find it induces a deep state of relaxation in which healing from stress and anxiety can occur. By reducing the body’s stress response, also helps rebalance the nervous system and optimize the production of precious cerebrospinal fluid.

When people experience craniosacral therapy, the body relaxes, the brain activities slow down and the ego with its defense mechanisms gets out of the way. The stored emotions often will surface for the purpose of release and healing.