10 Reasons to have Craniosacral therapy!
One of the most popular therapies in Vico Health is Craniosacral therapy. We love offering this therapy as it is so gentle and non-invasive, works on clients of all ages and works on the physical, emotional and spiritual levels. Here are 10 reasons to include it in your wellness routine!
- Reduction in musculoskeletal pain
- Structural realignment
- Improved well being
- An Increase in vitality
- Improved sleeping pattern
- Mental clarity
- Improvement in mood
- Increased ability to cope with stress
- Improved endocrine function
- Regular treatments may help prevent more serious conditions from developing in the future
For the following conditions we use CST on its own or in combination with acupuncture particularly for long standing conditions.
- Back Pain
- Neck Pain
- Disc Herniation/Prolapse
- Sciatica
- Whiplash
- Joint and Muscle Pain
- Recurrent sports injuries, for example, hamstring tears
- TMJ
- Arthritis
- Post orthopaedic surgery
Why is Craniosacral therapy such an effective therapy?
Even though the cranial bones only move half the thickness of a sheet of writing paper, the human head is so delicate, and so suffused with vital nerve pathways, that even slight deformations of a bone’s movement or position can produce physical or psychological symptoms, and often both.
What to expect from a Craniosacral therapy session.
A typical Craniosacral session at Vico Health takes 1 hour 10 minutes. The client reclines on a treatment table while the therapist sits, positioned at various times throughout the session at the client’s head, middle or feet. The client is clothed throughout.
What you may experience during a CST treatment session
Clients’ experiences of CST vary enormously. Most people feel a general sense of deep relaxation (many fall asleep during the treatment). This is usually associated with an increase in endorphins. During the session clients may recall memories, they may see colours, they may become aware of different emotions. Clients may feel tissue stretching out or have sensations of heat or cold or a sense of various parts of the body unwinding.
What you may experience after a CST treatment session
Most clients report feeling deeply relaxed after a session of CST. Just as individual experiences can differ, so can the immediate results. This relaxed state may cause some to sleep for many hours after a session. Others may experience an increase in energy. Some people report that they feel as if somebody had moved things about in their body.
Reduction of pain or an increase in function may occur immediately after the session or it may develop gradually over the next few days. Sometimes clients report feeling like the tissue in the body is rearranging itself and settling into a new pattern. There can be a reorganization phase as the body adapts to the release of previously held patterns of muscular holding. Sometimes there can be an emotional release after a cranial session where a client becomes aware of feelings and thoughts that come up to the surface for release.
What a CST therapist does during a session
The craniosacral system has a rhythm that can be felt throughout the body, this rhythm is independent of cardiovascular and respiratory rhythm. The therapist can tune into the patient’s body ‘listening’ with their hands or, in Sutherland’s words, “with thinking fingers”. This non-intrusive palpation permits examination without evoking resistance.
As a practitioner I listen to the rhythm and assess it for symmetry and quality and amplitude. If there is a physical restriction in the connective tissue the rhythm will often feel sluggish. Similarly if there are patterns of emotional holding which are affecting the tissue the cranial rhythm will feel altered. My role as a Craniosacral Therapist is to work with the person’s body to release the restriction and restore the body part to better health. The treatment is very gentle and releases physical and emotional tensions in the system at a pace that is right for the patient.
During the treatment we gently follow the cranial rhythm through the spine, the skull, the cranial sutures, diaphragms and fascia, by doing so restrictions are eased, the movement of CSF fluid is optimised and any misalignments may be resolved.
How safe is Craniosacral Therapy?
CST is a non-directive, non-analytical, non-invasive approach – essentially the art of listening and enabling the body to heal itself. It is not contra-indicated with any medications nor would we expect any client to cease medication use without conferring with their Medical Practitioner.
There are several Contraindications for CST: A medical history is taken at the beginning of the session to assess for any contraindications. If there is any cause for concern the client is referred back to their GP.
- Recent Head Trauma
- Skull Fracture
- Acute Stroke
- Cerebral Aneurysm
- Or any other condition in which fluid pressure changes within the skull could prove detrimental.
How many sessions will I need?
The number of sessions required depends entirely on the condition being treated. Acute injury and disease states can benefit enormously from 2 – 6 sessions; with chronic debilitating disease or severe injury, it is usually necessary to work for longer. Initially sessions are usually a week to a fortnight apart. Maintenance treatments may be required for longstanding problems or the management of a particular condition – although it is difficult to generalise and each individual situation needs to be assessed on its own merit.
FOOD FOR THE BRAIN…… The brain requires 750 ml of oxygenated blood every minute to maintain normal activity. Balancing the craniosacral rhythm increases the production of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). This in turn enables the adequate nourishment and maintenance of the tissues of the brain and spinal cord.