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CranioSacral TherapyCranioSacral Therapy is a gentle hands-on technique developed and used to evaluate and treat problems affecting the craniosacral system - the environment in which your brain and spinal cord develops and functions, which is responsible for the health and well-being of your whole body.HistoryCranioSacral Therapy started out as a branch of Osteopathy. Its origins stem from the teachings of Dr. William G. Sutherland, a turn of the century Osteopath who believed that the skull was designed to expand and contract in response to the body's production of cerebrospinal fluid, and that the craniosacral system was the "primary respiratory mechanism" of the body. Although Dr. Sutherland obtained some remarkable results with his cranial work, it eventually came under the scrutiny of mainstream medical practitioners. Currently, CranioSacral Therapy is most commonly associated with the Upledger institute (founded by Dr. John E. Upledger) who not only pioneered the field of CranioSacral Therapy, but ironically, was a member of the Michigan State Team originally investigating Dr. Sutherland's work and theories.CranioSacral therapists are trained to lightly manipulate the base of the skull, sacrum and coccyx, and in so doing, they manipulate the membranes that support the brain, as well as the cerebrospinal fluid that cushions and bathes the brain and spinal cord. CranioSacral Therapy is based on the principle that the motion of the skull helps move cerebrospinal fluid around your brain and down to the spine and to the sacrum, which gently rocks in rhythms as clearly palpable as the rhythm of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. CranioSacral therapists seek to realign the skull bones at the sutures (fibrous joints that hold the skull bones together) so that they move in sync with one another, thus allowing the cerebrospinal fluid to circulate freely. CranioSacral Therapy can be performed on people who are fully dressed. Aside from its profoundly relaxing properties, it has been used effectively to treat numerous conditions such as T.M.J. (problems with the joint of the jaw), headaches, depression and gastrointestinal disorders. |
