CranioSacral Therapy
The craniosacral system of the body consists of
fluid and membranes that surround and protect the spinal cord. The system encompasses the
bones of the skull, face, and mouth, which make up the cranium, or head, all the way down
to the sacrum and coccyx, or tailbone. This physiological system begins functioning in the
womb and continues its function until death.
Like, and separate from, the cardiovascular and
respiratory rhythms, another body rhythm -- the craniosacral system (AKA the
cerebrospinal pumping mechanism)-- influences many body functions. An imbalance in this
system can adversely affect the development of the brain and spinal cord, which can result
in sensory, motor and neurological dysfunction. CranioSacral Therapy (CST)
encourages your body's natural mechanisms to improve the functioning of your brain
and spinal cord, dissipate the negative effects of stress, and enhance your general health
and resistance to disease. CranioSacral facilitators recognize health as an active
principle, and that it is a natural expression of Life - an innate ordering force.
CranioSacral Therapy is a subtle and profound healing form, which assists the natural
bodily intelligence. CST helps increase physical vitality and well being, not only
affecting structural change, but also having much wider implications.
T he positive effect of CranioSacral Therapy relies
largely upon an individual's natural self-corrective physiological activities. The
therapist's light, hands-on approach assists the hydraulic forces that are inherent in the
internal environment of the body.
Life Processes and the Vitalistic Principles
CranioSacral practitioners recognize health as an
active principle, which is the clear full expression of Life processes. CranioSacral
Therapy is a subtle and profound healing form, which aids the natural bodily intelligence,
by assisting to remove encroachments which have been created within the cranium and spinal
cord. A nervous system, which is free of impingement, allows fuller support of the
processes of healing.
T he whole of our life history is held in our
physical form. An integral part of this work is the patient’s developing awareness of
how his/her story is held, and how it unfolds. We are a unit of life function, and this
premise is completely respected in CranioSacral work, as it is in Network Chiropractic
principles.
I f one realizes that
the mental and emotional aspects of our lives cannot be separated from our bodies, and
that one affects the other, particularly at the level at which CranioSacral Therapy
operates, one can see that CST is indeed a profound healing system. Because the touch,
which is used, is very gentle, it can often be applied where other more direct
interventions are too invasive.
The History of Cranial Adjusting
A s a student of Osteopathy, at the turn of the
century, Dr William Sutherland was taught in school that, in the adult, the bones
of the skull (the cranial bones) were fused at their sutures. For the longest time, nobody
in the medical profession believed the bones in the cranium could move at all. At that
time, he noticed that the edges of the individual cranial segments were shaped, as if they
were designed and created to perform a function, that being, movement. As research
now indicates, the segments of the skull do slightly shift, and they can be gently, slowly
adjusted in a non-invasive way for improved joint flow and health. In fact, the
kinesthetic energetics of the cranial work is phenomenal.
Dr. Sutherland, as an American osteopath,
continued his discovery of the intrinsic movements within the cranium. His further
research revealed different rhythmic tidal motions in the body. These movements,
which can be measured with delicate scientific instruments, are a direct expression of the
health of the nervous system. Palpation of these tides allows CranioSacral practitioners
to monitor and facilitate change, in areas of restriction, i.e. where the health is not
being fully expressed.
Movement is an important concept in Chiropractic
and Osteopathy, as any restriction to a natural physiological movement will lead to a
reduction in the function of that area. In his continued search for a "truth",
Dr Sutherland used a slightly unorthodox method of research. He set out to prove that the
cranial bones did move, by personally wearing a helmet he had specially designed with bolts,
to hold still the individual bones of the skull. These abnormally produced restrictions,
within the varying positions of his head, led to a number of very distinct states in him,
ranging from gastric disorders to severely disturbed psychological states. Dr. Sutherland
concluded that movement was vital between the cranial bones, in order for health to
exist. Over his 60 years of research, the good doctor further discovered that this rate of
motion was 8-10 cycles per minute.
Three of the essential concepts in
Craniosacral Therapy are:
- function is dependent on form and form is in constant movement
- the body is self-healing and self-regulating
- the human system is a unified whole and functions as such
This movement comprised an expansion/contraction,
and ebb and flow movement, which he called "The Primary Respiratory Mechanism"
(of the cerebrospinal pump).
The components of this "Primary Respiratory Mechanism" include:
- the gentle ebb and flow in the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, the
Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF)
- the slight curling and uncurling movement of the Central Nervous System (CNS)
- the small regular movement of the cranial bones which is transferred through the spinal
column to the sacrum
Dr. John Upledger, in the 1970s,
re-discovered the craniosacral rhythm for himself, while he was assisting in a surgical
operation, in which he had to hold still the thick membrane surrounding the spinal cord,
called the dural membrane. During this procedure, Dr. Upledger found great
difficulty preventing its motion, and discovered that it moved in a rhythm of 8-10 cycles
per minute. This original experience frustrated him, leading him to search for the cause;
followed by 25 years of research and dedication to the principles. In 1975, as a professor
of biomechanics, Dr. Upledger joined Michigan State University, where he led a research
team of biophysicists, anatomists and other professionals to perfect the scientific basis
for the craniosacral system, and to advance contemporary knowledge of how to alleviate
chronic pain and dysfunction.
Dr. Upledger's work stresses the importance
of the connective tissue in holding emotional patterns. He developed what he called the
"somato-emotional release", which is the release of the emotions as these
patterns of resistance are resolved.
Dr. Randolph Stone, in the earlier part of
this century, also worked with the cranial concept. He was an Osteopath and Chiropractor,
and developed Polarity Therapy out of an understanding of the energy, which underlies the
body. He developed a keen understanding of the energy centers that are described in
traditional Indian Ayurvedic Medicine and applied this understanding to his work with the
cranial system. This helped to unite the approach of energy-medicine with the structural
approach.
Clinical Significance
This rhythmic movement is generated in the central axis of the body, to which all the other bones and
the organ systems relate. This motion, therefore, is transferred to and taken up by the
more peripheral bones of the body, the connective tissue and all the organs. Hence, the
motion becomes a whole body motion.
A n important chiropractic and osteopathic axiom is
that "form affects function". This means that if our form or structure is
affected by restriction or congestion, then its function is affected.
Practical Application
A very gentle touch is needed to listen to
this slow pulsation throughout the whole body tissue. One can learn to find where this
motion is disturbed or affected by constriction or resistance within the body structure
and consequently where the body function is being affected. The therapeutic side of the
work is in helping the body to re-establish the original movement flow by assisting in the
resolution of any resistance patterns.
W hat one finds, in working in this way, is that
very little active work is often required of the practitioner, and that there appears to
be a capability within the body to bring itself to a more optimal functioning. Most often
the therapist acts like a catalyst in the healing process.
Adjusting procedures in CranioSacral work are all
geared toward bringing ease to the body’s own healing potential, to bear on the
affected tissue, organ or structure, and thus to allow a return of optimal functioning.
During this gentle adjustment, the facilitator can determine by touch, initially via the
bones of the cranium and spine, what is going on in the body. Cranial work is client-led;
your body sets the pace of work so that you remain comfortable and in control and able to
integrate the changes that occur. The patient/client may feel a deep sense of relaxation
combined with sensations of heat, tingling, and pulsation.
C ST works with the natural rhythms of the body. It
is non-invasive: a light touch is usually all that is needed to achieve a response. As we
frequently find with Network Chiropractic adjustments, distortional patterns in one part
of the body may be compensatory for imbalances in another area. For example, a condition
in the pelvis may arise from the cranium. It is quite usual for symptoms in one part of
the body to originate elsewhere, and for distortions to be corrected, when other
apparently unrelated distortions are adjusted.
Are CranioSacral Adjustments Safe?
Instead of using moderate physical forces, I work
with the body's natural waves and rhythms, and monitor for the ease, which
develops. CranioSacral Therapy is so gentle that it is suitable for babies, children, and
the elderly, and in fragile or acutely painful conditions. CST is suitable for anyone who
desires cranial peace!
H old a nickel in your hand and feel how little it
weighs. The weight of that single nickel is the same amount of gentle pressure used in a
holistic session of CranioSacral adjusting. This very gentle pressure and monitoring of
the 22 bones in the cranium and sacrum is performed over an extended period of time.
Network Chiropractic and CranioSacral therapy training are based on the understanding of
the human energy field and how to achieve the proper flow and balance of this energy - the
goal being the development of spinal flexibility, ease of the nervous system, and improved
general health. CranioSacral therapy is different from standard massage and structural
forms of chiropractic and osteopathic adjustments. Within different positions on the head,
I hold the fingers and palms of my hands, inviting the bones to move into ease ...
The movements are so subtle and sensitive, they are not at all hard, sharp or quick.
Such subtle qualities of touch are used in
CranioSacral work, that it is one of the safest adjusting methods. It is typically
non-directive, non-invasive in its approach—essentially the art of listening and
enabling the body to heal itself. When practiced by a qualified facilitator, CST is a very
safe method.
|
