CranioSacral Therapy

Optimal sinus function appears to have a considerable influence on our overall health.

Various functions of our paranasal sinuses continues to be explored with recent research focused on the molecule Nitric Oxide (NO). NO is involved in blood circulation, blood pressure regulation, neural transmission, mitochondrial function, the inflammatory process, weight loss, immune function, digestion, learning and memory. NO is produced in the lining of our blood vessels and paranasal sinuses.

The paranasal sinuses are found in the following bones: maxilla, frontal, ethmoid and sphenoid. CranioSacral Therapy can help maintain the most favorable sinus function by maximizing craniosacral rhythmic motion of the bones and sinuses. “Motion is Health and Stasis is Disease” 1. certainly seems to apply to our sinuses as well as our body as a whole.

1. John E. Upledger, D.O., O.M.M. CranioSacral Therapy and the Reversal of Pathogenic Processes Study Guide. Upledger Institute, Inc. 2005

Note: Illustration by Tad Wanveer, LMBT, CST-D. Copyright 2008, All Rights Reserved.

I recently gave a presentation on CranioSacral Therapy (CST) to a local North Carolina organization dedicated to improving the lives of children with disabilities. The presentation was in the format of real time video conferencing. This allowed me to communicate with individuals in numerous facilities thus providing ease of access for the participants.

Since I was asked to provide a brief description of CST for their online newsletter I have included it below. I hope you find it helpful while explaining CST to your clients.

Here it is:
CranioSacral Therapy (CST) can help children with disabilities attain optimal function by reducing abnormal strain upon their cells. Each cell receives vital elements, discharges waste, communicates with other cells, and organizes musculoskeletal motion within its surrounding medium. Helping a child decrease restrictive or imbalanced body patterns may improve cell environment, and this can boost cell function. In response a child can maximize her ability to correct dysfunction.

A primary focus of CST is to gently reduce adverse strain upon: 1) the craniosacral system (CSS) which surrounds, protects, nourishes and cleanses the central nervous system tissue; and 2) the body fascial system which surrounds all cells of the body. Cell structure and function can improve as abnormal strain of the CSS and fascial system decrease.

CST was created by John Upledger, D.O., O.M.M., in the early 1980’s and is based upon a model of the CSS he developed called the Pressurestat Model. The Pressurestat Model shows how the motion of the CSS, called the craniosacral rhythm (CSR), delicately moves the central nervous system and body as a whole.

Practitioners of CST can locate restrictive structural patterns by feeling the way the body moves in response to the CSR. The CSR is also used as a tool to aid correction of adverse tissue patterns. As abnormal patterns correct, cell environment and cell health can improve, which in turn can help promote improved function.

Sometimes when I’m in a session I’m overwhelmed by how much I don’t know.   Has this ever happened to you?  When it happens to me, I pause, remind myself to let go of the chatter inside my mind, and trust.  However, trust in what exactly?

At the moment I trust in:
•    life itself, which for me is a marvelous and mystical natural force creating and residing within everything;
•    a natural order which exists in all that is taking place, whether I understand it or not;
•    a client’s body as an organism of nature, which has within it an innate knowing of what is needed to create optimal health, moment by moment;
•    what I’m feeling rather than thinking (the thought process can be used later, after the session, as a wonderful learning tool); and
•    having my heart, my entire self, wide open and present each second to receive signals from the client, which can better guide the work at hand.

When I feel lost in a maze of “not knowing” I realize I am wandering inside my process.  I then use it as an opportunity, a reminder, and a pathway back into the moment while gently joining with the knowing graciously residing within each client.

A beautiful tool which we can use with a client is the craniosacral rhythm.  The rhythm ebbs and flows, softly swaying us into a harmonious blending, helping us feel nature expressing itself, each moment, as though nature is whispering “second by second there is something perfect here, sweetly listen and you will be guided in ways to help.”

Have you felt there is so much to know and you don’t know it all, or don’t know enough, or can’t figure out exactly what is causing a client’s symptoms, or how to help improve a client’s condition?  What helps you when you feel this way?

Quiet Descriptions Can Amplify Technique.
I’ll often use words to silently describe what I’m feeling during a session and find that activity helpful to the client and myself.  Identifying adverse tissue patterns while gently assisting the body as it self-corrects is a primary focus of CranioSacral Therapy. Describing the quality of a client’s tissue when it’s engaged, and as it changes, can add precision and effectiveness to the therapeutic process.

“Sensory Listening” Is a Valuable Tool.
“Sensory Listening” is an activity in which our hands are informing our brain of what they are feeling.  We can have greater understanding of sensory information as conscious descriptions inform us about our “felt” experience.  Our mind listens to perceptions while transforming sensations into words, which softly “pop” into our awareness.  The brain does not “grasp” for words, but rather rests comfortably as descriptions arise.

Descriptive Words Increase Understanding.
Actively listening to descriptive words elevates our awareness of adverse patterns (APs), such as:
•    What APs feel like,
•    Where APs are located,
•    When and How APs change, and
•    What the tissue feels like after correction.

Client Benefits Can Improve As Practitioner’s Awareness Increases.
Using a descriptive process while applying manual techniques can increase the effectiveness of a client’s corrective process by:
•    elevating our ability to feel body patterns which increases our therapeutic presence,
•    imparting clarity about tissue/nerve/fluid restriction and correction,
•    improving the way in which we listen to our perceptions,
•    helping describe the session to our clients, which aids their experience and understanding of their individual compromises and self-healing processes,
•    giving us invaluable information to use as a learning experience and note taking guide, and
•    compelling us to investigate the anatomy/physiology of what our sensed experience was during the session.

A Multitude Of Words Can Be Used During Sensory Listening.
A small example of descriptive words are: thick, rigid, heavy, bound, free, hot, cold, slick, smooth, dry, broken, like glass, like water, brittle, like steam, like ice, smashed, stitched, held, pulled, balanced, easy to move, full of life, lacking life, devitalized, energized, in harmony, isolated, lopsided, pliable, towards the middle, spike like, jumpy, toxic, metallic, gaseous, still, twisted, bent, compressed, overly stretched, flowing, easy, full, soft, harmonious, vital, and in synchrony.

What words do you hear when listening to your client’s tissue?