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CranioSacral Therapy
CranioSacral Technique fits into the energy category of alternative therapies. Those people who are attuned to feeling energy through human touch do well with this technique and respond well. Children, people who have experience a Near Death Experience, and animals respond especially well.
I have heard of many positive stories having to do with autistic children being helped by CranioSacral Therapy. Many adults feel the energy, but talk themselves out of it. If you are a skeptic or one who rationalizes everything, this would not be the best use of your time or money for treatment modalities. You won’t believe that is works and will be disappointed. For those of you who can feel energy easily, find a practitioner that you feel comfortable with. There are usually several practitioners in the larger areas.
Cranio Sacral Therapy is a gentle energy work using a 5-gram pressure (about the weight of a nickel). CranioSacral helps alleviate pain and discomfort by allowing bones to shift within the head and spinal column freeing restrictions caused from adhesions or scar tissue that sometimes binds organs or the dural tube. The dural tube consists of three meninges which are connective tissues surrounding the brain and spinal column.
Within this dural tube is a fluid called cerebral spinal fluid. This fluid, sometimes abbreviated as CSF, protects your brain and spinal column from getting damaged by trauma. When the dural tube is traumatized in some way, it creates fibrin threads and slight restrictions that disrupt the natural cyclic flow of the cerebral spinal fluid.
What to expect from a CranioSacral Treatment:
The cerebral spinal fluid has its own pulse and rhythm much like the heart beat or the respiratory rhythm and can be felt with light pressure. During a CranioSacral treatment, the practitioner puts their hands on the clothed body in various places and feels how the pulse of the CSF is moving.
You may see them start out with their hands on the person’s feet or holding the head under their hands. As the treatment proceeds it is common to experience gentle rocking as the practitioner gently cradles the spine and sacrum. They will also do very mild traction on the jaw and spine, or push on the bones in the head and pelvis area. At the same time the practitioner also directs energy through prayer and intention to modulate the pulses teasing the body into responding. Often the practitioner is communicating with your sub or super conscious.
Modifications from the Basic CranioSacral Treatment:
Some practitioners also do a process called unwinding where they take a limb and feel how it wants to be moved. By moving the limb in the way it wants you be moved, emotional blockages can be cleared from the body very quickly.
Who can benefit from CranioSacral Therapy?
- Pregnant women
- Babies
- Elderly
Also included are people with:
- Brain injuries
- Headaches, including migraines
- Autism
- Reflux
- Stress
- Asthma
- Difficulties in learning
- Chronic and acute pain
- Dyslexia
- Problems in the central nervous system
- Mobility impairments
- Colic
- Arthritis
- Attention deficit disorder (ADD or ADHD)
- Cerebral palsy
Some indications for CranioSacral Therapy include:
Headaches, vision problems, tinnitus, scoliosis, learning difficulties, autism, depression, pleurisy, back pain, chakra imbalances, numb hands, brain fog and memory problems, swallowing difficulties, whiplash injuries, PMS, prostate problems, PID (Pelvic Inflammatory Disease), adhesions due to surgeries or spinal tap procedures, irritable bowel syndrome and more.
CranioSacral Therapy encourages your own natural healing mechanisms to dissolve negative effects of stress on your central nervous system. It also benefits overall health and resistance to disease.
The Upledger Institute:
CranioSacral Therapy was developed by Dr. John Upledger. His institute, The Upledger Institute, (www.upledgerinstitute.com) has trained over 40,000 healthcare professionals worldwide including: Medical doctors, veterinarians, chiropractors, naturopaths, nurses, dentists, psychiatrists, psychologists, physical therapists and massage therapist. There are about ten different classes available for using CranioSacral. Practitioners who work with children will have had a minimum of three class levels completed before they are allowed to accept children as patients.
You should be able to find a practitioner in your local area by calling a few healers, massage therapists or chiropractors.
Helpful Links and Resources for CranioSacral Therapy:
- Book: Your Inner Physician and You by Dr. John Upledger (He has written many books, but this is the easiest reading for the lay person.)
- The Near Death Experience: https://naturalhealthtechniques.com/near-death-experience-nde/