What is Cranio-Sacral Therapy?

The Cranio-Sacral System consists of the Meninges (membranes) and the Cerebro-Spinal Fluid that surround and protect the brain and the spinal cord. It extends from the bones of the skull, face and mouth (cranium) down to the tail bone area (sacrum).

It is a very gentle method (Fascia Mobilization and Osteopathic light touch Manual Therapy) of Detection and Correction of any restrictions or imbalances  that could cause any number of sensory, motor or neurological disabilities.

The Cranio-Sacral Rhythm could be described as a Primary Respiratory Mechanism, the way the Central Nervous Systems breathes; which, when properly balanced enhances Immune response and Homeostasis: Normal Bodily Function, Repair/Healing, and Detoxification throughout the body. The primary rhythm of the Cranio-Sacral System is described in patterns of Flexion and Extension (Filling Up and Emptying, respectively), in which; Cerebro-Spinal Fluid is produced to fill and bathe the ventricles of the brain, the meninges and the spinal cord.

An individual’s Experience of Pain and/or Disease is Unique and Personal, and this Perception needs to be acknowledged and respected without any judgment. There is an Internal Wisdom, an Inner Physician in our bodies that knows how to Heal, and using the information provided by the Cranio-Sacral Rhythm and very specific CST techniques, we allow the patient to tap into his/her own Healing Potential.

Information/Knowledge is Energy and “Energy is Universal Consciousness” and is available to our Conscious Awareness upon request. Dr. John E. Upledger, Osteopathic Physician, researcher and the founder of Cranio-Sacral Therapy, says: “I believe the study of consciousness must be significantly experiential, rather than exclusively experimental.”

Cranio-Sacral Therapy strengthens your body’s ability to take better care of You. It helps alleviate a range of illness, pain and dysfunction, including:

- Migraines and Headaches, Chronic Neck and Back Pain, Motor-Coordination Impairments, Stress and Tension related problems, Traumatic Brain and Spinal Cord Injuries, Chronic Fatigue/Fibromyalgia, Scoliosis, Central Nervous Disorders, Emotional Difficulties, Temporo-Mandibular Joint Syndrome (TMJ), Learning Disabilities, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Orthopedic problems and many other conditions.

The following is a list of some conditions which have shown to respond favorably to Cranio-Sacral Therapy ...

• Allergies

• Autism, Cerebral Palsy

• Back pain, Sciatica

• Birth trauma (both for babies and mothers)

• Bone joint disorders, including Arthritis

• Breast Cancer and other cancers

• Chronic fatigue, Exhaustion and ME

• Breathing disorders such as Asthma, Bronchitis

• Distressed babies (e.g. Colic)

• Depression

• Digestive problems, Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Chrone's disease

• Drug withdrawal

• Immune diseases such as Ankylosing Spondylitis and Rheumatism

• Emotional problems

• Headaches and migraines

• Menstrual pain and Hormonal imbalances

• Impotence and Infertility

• Insomnia

• Learning difficulties, including Dyslexia, Hyperactivity

• Muscular aches and sprains, Frozen shoulder

• Neck and shoulder pain

• Nervous disorders

• Sinusitis

• Spinal curvatures (Kyphosis, Scoliosis)

• Stress-related conditions

• Stroke

• Surgical scar tissue problems, and soft tissue trauma on the face or other parts of the body (from car accidents, etc.)

• TMJ / jaw disorders, dental trauma (e.g. wisdom tooth extractions) and tooth pain

• Trigeminal neuralgia

• Visual disturbances

Pediatric Cranio-Sacral Therapy

Cranio-Sacral Therapy for Children and Newborns:

  We Love Our Patients

With extremely gentle and compassionate touch,  reassurance and protection are offered to the baby or child to address the causes and effects of Birth Trauma, Toxicity, Body dysfunction, Physical and/or Emotional Pain, Genetic predispositions and Allergic reactions.

Parents and/or caregivers are instructed on ways to support the process, as necessary.
Pediatric CST may improve or avoid conditions such as: Colic, Vomiting, Hearing Problems, Motor Problems, Seizures, Strabismus, Pylorospasm, Cerebral Palsy, Erb’s Palsy, Klumpke’s Palsy, Torticollis, Chronic Otitis, Dyslexia, Aphasias, Hyperkinetic Behavior (ADD-ADHD), Spasticity, Down Syndrome, Autism, Hydrocephalus, Abnormal Fears, Failure to Thrive Syndrome and many other.

Somato-Emotional Release

Somato-Emotional Release is a dynamic therapeutic process that uses manual and verbal processing skills to encourage the patient's active and positive participation in his/her own healing process. SER expands on the principles of Cranio-Sacral Therapy to help rid the mind and body of the destructive patterns and residual effects of trauma.

The client is ensured to feel absolutely safe and sincerely supported in every step of the way. A Trauma Does Not Need to be Re-Lived to be Healed.

Resistance is seen as a protection mechanism of the body, mind or soul and will be addressed with ease and confidence.

Energy Cyst:

It is the way the body tries to protect us from not being able to Handle/Assimilate or Dissipate a foreign energy that comes into our bodies causing an Injury. It is an isolated form of concentrated energy that is kept away from the body’s normal functions and pathways to prevent further damage. The body learns to move and work around this disruption in the system.

Although a reasonably healthy body can adapt to Energy Cysts, extra vitality-energy is required to perform normal bodily functions. As years pass, the adaptive mechanisms of the body lose their effectiveness, and increasing symptoms and dysfunctions begin to appear and be more difficult to suppress or ignore.

Arching is the way the Cranio-Sacral Therapist asks the patient's body to show Active Lesions present in the form of Energy Cysts to assist him/her in its beneficial/positive resolution.

VISCERAL MANIPULATION

Visceral Manipulation, developed by Jean-Pierre Barral, Osteopathic Physician and Physical Therapist, who's research and clinical work with the viscera led to this form of manual therapy that focuses on the internal organs, their environment, and their potential influence in many structural and physiological dysfunctions.

The visceral system relies on the interconnected synchronicity between the subtle movement of all the organs and structures of the body. Every organ moves in 2 phases Inspir and Expir (active-away and passive-toward the center of the body or the midline), on an embryological migration pathway.

At optimal health, this harmonious relationship remains stable despite the body's endless varieties of motion. But when one organ cannot move in harmony with its viscera due to abnormal tone, displacement, restrictive adhesions from prolonged exposure to toxicity, unhealthy stress and tension, strong-negative emotions, trauma and surgeries; it works against the body's other organs and muscular, membranous, fascial and osseous structures.

This disharmony creates fixed, abnormal points of tension / restriction that the body is forced to move around. The chronic irritation in turn, causes multiple symptoms, pain, disease and dysfunction.

Visceral Manipulation is used to locate and correct problems throughout the body. VM encourages your own natural mechanisms to improve the functioning of your organs, dissipate the negative effects of stress, enhance motility of the musculoskeletal system through the connective tissue attachments, and influence general metabolism, hormone and enzyme production.