I sometimes hear confusion about CST.
I have a goal to demystify this bodywork and will attempt to do so here by collapsing a lot of conversations into just 1; Q&A style.
Is craniosacral a head massage?
A lot of people first receive craniosacral as part of a full body massage in the last few moments of their session and at their head, but it is not a head massage.
So if it isn't a head massage, then what is it?
A head massage addresses the muscles on the exterior surface of face and skull, while CS therapy is concerned with the membranes within the skull as well as along your central channel all the way to your sacrum.
Where is your main point of contact?
You can expect a gentle pressure at the head (cranium), the neck, throughout the torso (from shoulders to hips/sacrum), as well as along the legs and the feet. I make light contact (about the weight of a US nickel) at any point along the body depending on what your body indicates.
How does my body indicate?
The fascia that surrounds every part of you, that is essentially an envelope layer covering every part of you from head to toe, exhibits tension where your body has set up compensatory strain patterns in response to whatever you have experienced in your life.
The falls, bumps, births (your own and those whom you have birthed), surgeries, orthodontics, root canals, accidents, postural stagnation, usually at a desk while working, and repetitive movements are all part of your body's memory.
The body will always reach toward homeostasis with each challenge thrown his/her way and is uber intelligent in how it will compensate. Yet, the accumulation of a lifetime of compensations may reach a tipping point that then leads to symptoms of dysfunction. Often with dysfunction, comes pain signals and you end up looking for relief.
What about all the good I do and have done for my body?
Yes, absolutely!
All the healthy movement, activities, exercise, feelings of expansiveness, inner peace, sense of accomplishment, success, and the joy you feel is all part of your body memory too. And the really good news is that CST contributes to positive body memory. The most common comment I hear at the end of a session is, "Wow, that was so relaxing."
CST releases membrane adhesions at primary sites of restriction, at compensatory sites, along the spine, encasing the nerves traveling out from your central nervous system at the vertebrae, within the skull via intracranial membranes that hold your brain suspended as well as the cerebrospinal fluid your brain floats within.
These membranes that when affected during injury have essentially set up road blocks for the CSF to flow around, the road blocks are the body's reconstructive fibers which form adhesions. By releasing these adhesions and restrictions CST helps to bring the membranes back in proper form. In this way, the cerebrospinal fluid can flow freely and do it's healing work unobstructed.
This is my first attempt with this Q&A. I'm trying to keep these explanations as simple as possible. I may add to this page over time as I have more conversations.
If you have a question, send me a line or give me a call.
I'm always happy to talk about this therapy with you.
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