Craniosacral Therapy

What is Craniosacral Therapy?

Craniosacral Therapy (CST) is a form of osteopathic manual manipulation. The name indicates head and sacrum, and while it does touch in on cranial bones and the fascinating system that supports and sustains the brain and spinal cord, it really is a whole body balancing system. Every part of the body should move in it’s own rhythm independent of it’s neighbor, and craniosacral therapy is my #1 to create that change.

Who is it for?

Craniosacral Therapy is for everyone. If you’ve got a body in time, space, and gravity, you’ll surely benefit. It’s may be most commonly sought out by people who have had head injuries, jaw tension/issues, migraines, ear troubles, sinus congestion, back/tailbone pain, and trauma, but if I put my hands on you I’m sure to find something to work on.

I do have extra craniosacral therapy training to work with babies, as well as pregnant and postpartum people, and this can be especially beneficial for people who have fear around touch.

I find that people who are constantly anxious and full of tension really benefit from this, because the fascia is so used to being held in that freeze pattern, that once we melt it away it can really reshape the way a person exists in their body.

I’ve got a guilty pleasure for old injuries because I love how the body has accommodated to them over time, and I think it’s fun to unravel and unwind it, similar to unknotting a necklace chain.

What does a session look like?

At the initial intake I’ll ask you about your experience in your body this far, and if you’ve had significant accidents, bumps, surgeries, or pain in general.

During a CST session you’ll stay fully clothed, so it’s best to wear something comfy and sort of loose fitting. I may assess you standing or laying down on the massage table. If someone were to look at us, it might not look like much is happening,

As a trained craniosacral therapist I can feel into the tissues of the body to see where they are mobile or restricted. Instead of following a cookie-cutter protocol, I allow your body to show me where it needs attention and go from there.

What’s the difference between this and a regular massage?

I’ll tell ya what, I had been a massage therapist for 8 years by the time I started learning craniosacral therapy, and it was so hard for me to learn. The real difference (to me) is therapeutic massage rubs and kneads the area that it’s working with, and as the massage therapist I’m taking the lead and doing what I think is best. Cranisacral Therapy forces the practitioner to deeply listen with their hands, and let the body guide the way. And even though my hands are on your belly, you may feel it in your knee. Since implementing CST into my practice in 2016, I have seen more deeper and lasting sustainable change in just a session or two than I did working on people with massage week after week for years.

Is it energy medicine, like reiki?

Because it doesn’t look “deep” from the outside, I get asked this question a lot. Although there are CST schools who have a deep philosophy around the energetics of the patient and practitioner, it IS a tactile hands-on therapy, and I am personally more rooted in the physicality of it.

Yoopers, imagine you’ve got your underwear, long underwear, jeans, and maybe snow pants on top (not to mention your socks). Say the seam of your long underwear gets a little twisted, and it’s not the worst, but eh, it’s a little distracting and you notice it every time you move. To me, craniosacral therapy would be like if I carefully worked through all of the layers you were wearing to put the seam back in the right spot without having you taking off your pants.

What is true for sure, is you’ll be so deeply zen after a session you won’t believe it isn’t energy work.

What should I expect afterwards?

As with all bodywork, you might feel like you’re in an altered state, or a little wobbly. You may also feel insanely clear headed and like yourself for the first time. Every session could be a little different. No matter what, we’ve physically changed your cranial bones, fascia, and maybe more, and with change comes… change. Your orientation in your body could shift, your gait could change, you may feel more alignment in your jaw, or less tension in your head and neck. You may feel like you have more space in an area where a scar had been forever reeling the surrounding structures in. My biggest piece of advice is that you don’t put yourself in a huge social setting or have to make a lot of decisions for a few hours.

How many sessions should I have?

After the initial session, my follow-ups last 60 minutes. As a rule of thumb, when actively healing or working on an issue I think a few sessions closer together are key. This might look like once a week for three weeks. I consider sessions once a month to be “maintenance”, in other words, basically staying the same. In my ideal world, I’d still get to see everyone every 1-3 months just for a tune-up as you continue living life.