“How is it possible that such light touch used in CranioSacral Therapy (CST) can help the body correct problems?”
Andrew T. Still, D.O., the founder of Osteopathy, said, “The little things are the big things in the science of Osteopathy.” and “It may be that by measurement we can discover a variation one-hundredth of an inch from the normal, which, though infinitely small is nevertheless abnormal.”
Minute strain patterns of the body’s tissues, nerves, or fluids, which are often overlooked, can cause compromise ranging from minor aches or pains to severe disabling pathology. In CST we are working with tiny areas of compromise. Sometimes dysfunction is due to only one area of compromise, and at other times many areas merge into larger patterns. The effect of a strain can remain in the area where the strain is located, or it can affect other regions of the body, even the body as a whole. Each person has their own unique patterns of compromise, and each person has their unique patterns of correction, both of which can be expressed in infinite ways.
In CST it has been shown that using a light and delicate touch aids the corrective process of the client, and helps the practitioner perceive stressful and corrective patterns. An example may be a cork floating in water. It requires minimal pressure to feel the cork moving and the smallest amount of force to help the cork move. If one uses more than minimal pressure to feel the cork then its patterns of motion will be disturbed.
A primary focus of CST is to feel tissue and fluid patterns as they are within the client’s body moment to moment. To do this a practitioner uses light touch which supports the unique corrective patterns of the client in response to treatment; the practitioner does not determine how to correct but rather supports unique patterns of self-healing as they arise within the client. At the same time light touch helps the practitioner perceive a client’s patterns since the practitioner’s touch is not disturbing the client’s unique expression of strain and correction.
Reference:
Still, A. T., Philosophy and Mechanical Principles of Osteopathy, Hudson-Kimberly Publishing Co., Kansas City, MO., 1902.
