CranioSacral Therapy
CranioSacral Therapy is a gentle method of detection and correction that encourages your own natural healing mechanisms to dissipate these negative effects of stress on your central nervous system
The Therapeutic Value of CranioSacral Therapy
For nearly 25 years, osteopathic physician and researcher John E. Upledger, D.O., O.M.M., has been a proponent of using the rhythm of the CranioSacral system to enhance body functioning, and help alleviate pain and discomfort.
The CranioSacral system consists of the membranes and cerebrospinal fluid that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord. It extends from the bones of the skull, face and mouth, which make up the cranium, down to the sacrum, or tailbone area.
Since this vital system influences the development and performance of the brain and spinal cord, an imbalance or restriction in it could potentially cause any number of sensory, motor or neurological disabilities.
What Conditions Does CranioSacral Therapy Address?
CranioSacral 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 & Tension related problems
Traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries
Tempromandibular Joint Syndrome (TMJ)
Central nervous system disorders
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Emotional difficulties
Learning disabilities
Orthopedic problems
Chronic fatigue
Scoliosis
How is CranioSacral Therapy Performed?
CranioSacral Therapy is often performed on a person fully clothed. Using a light touch—generally no more than the weight of a nickel—the practitioner monitors the rhythm of the CranioSacral system to detect potential restrictions and imbalances. The therapist then uses delicate manual techniques to release those problem areas and relieve undue pressure on the brain and spinal cord.
A CranioSacral Therapy session can last from 30 minutes to more than an hour, and the initial evaluation alone is often enough to correct a problem. The result? A central nervous system free of restrictions. And a body that’s able to return to its greatest levels of performance.
How Did CranioSacral Therapy Begin?
CranioSacral Therapy dates back to 1970 when osteopathic physician John E. Upledger first witnessed the rhythmic movement of the cranio-sacral system during a spinal surgery. Yet none of his colleagues nor medical texts could explain the phenomenon.
Two years later, Dr. Upledger attended a short course on cranial osteopathy developed by Dr. William Sutherland. The course focused on the bones of the skull and the fact that they weren’t fused as doctors had been taught in medical school. Instead, Sutherland’s material demonstrated that skull bones continue to move throughout a person’s life.
Putting this new information together with the odd pulsing rhythm he’d observed years before, Dr. Upledger theorized that a hydraulic system of sorts was functioning inside the CranioSacral system. He then set out to confirm his theories.
In 1975 he joined the Osteopathic College at Michigan State University as a clinical researcher and Professor of Biomechanics. There he led a team of anatomists, physiologists, biophysicists and bioengineers to test and document the influence of therapy on the CranioSacral system. For the first time they were able to explain the function of the CranioSacral system, and demonstrate how light-touch therapy could be used to evaluate and treat malfunctions involving the brain and spinal cord.
