Craniosacral Therapy (CST) is a very gentle hands-on therapy which assists the bodys capacity for self-repair. This gentle approach does not use manipulation.
CST is client-led. Your body will set the pace of work, so you will remain comfortable, in control and able to integrate the changes that occur. You may feel a deep sense of relaxation and become aware of heat, tingling, pulsations or other sensations.
During the course of our lives, our bodies become patterned, shaped and conditioned according to how were able to deal with any stresses or traumas. If these become overwhelming, they become locked in the body as sites of inertia – until such a time as we are able to access resources that allow them to be processed and released. With deep palpation of bio-dynamic forces and skilled reflective touch, reorganisation can take place and the inherent healing processes will be facilitated.
In response to physical injuries or emotional stress, the bodys tissues contract and sometimes, particularly when the shock is severe or accompanied by strong emotions, the tissue stays contracted. Any trauma, stresses, strains or tensions which remain in the body restrict the bodys functioning and may give rise to problems over the years.
The effects may be both physical (such as back pain, migraine or digestive disorders) and emotional (such as anxiety or depression). Restrictions in the bodys functioning show up in the way that craniosacral motion is expressed.
Craniosacral therapists are trained to feel this subtle motion in the body and can use it to find where there is congestion or restriction. Then using the hands to amplify the pattern the body is holding the therapist provides an opportunity for the body to let go of its restriction and return to an easier way of functioning.
This frees the energy which the body was previously using to hold itself in contraction. The resulting changes can bring greater ease on a mental or emotional level, as well as to the body and leave you feeling more energised.
Craniosacral therapy is client-led. That is, CST encourages your body to tell its own story rather than meeting presenting symptoms with a pre-ordained treatment regimen. Since it is your body (rather than your mind) that sets the priorities for healing, you may find that the condition for which you came for treatment is not what improves first. Therefore, it may be necessary to consider having a series of treatments to gain the full benefit of CST and its cumulative effects.
CST is suitable for people of all ages, from babies to the elderly. CST is often beneficial for fragile or acutely painful conditions, as well as during pregnancy, after an operation, accident, fall or injury, and for young babies. By helping raise vitality and supporting the bodys own self-healing process, CST may aid people with almost any condition.
You do not have to be ill or have any particular symptoms to benefit from CST. The easing of lifes stresses, and the increased sense of vitality and well-being that CST can brin, is welcome at any time.
Restrictions arising during birth may result in colic, suckling problems, breathing difficulties, restlessness and irritability. Babies and small children appreciate the way that CST speaks to them. It is a nonverbal language which they respond to particularly well.
Your practitioner will take a written case history, listening with care to the reasons for your visit. The sessions typically lasts an hour, although this can vary.
You remain clothed and will usually lie face up or on your side, or you may be seated. The practitioner makes light contact with your head, the base of your spine, and other areas, encouraging your body to relax and begin to make the changes it needs.
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