KARUNA HEALTH

What is Craniosacral Therapy?

 

Craniosacral Therapy is based on a number of findings about the body's subtle physiology, which were made by osteopaths nearly 100 years ago.

These findings show that every cell in a healthy body expresses a rhythmic movement, which is fundamental to life - and which has been called Craniosacral motion.

At the core of the body the cerebrospinal fluid, which bathes and cushions the brain and spinal cord, expresses this motion in a tide-like ebb and flow; while bones, organs and other structures in the body each follow their own particular pattern of movement.

In response to physical knocks or emotional stress, the body's tissues contract. Sometimes, particularly when the shock is severe or occurs within an emotional situation, the tissues stay contracted.

Any stresses, strains, tensions or traumas, which have been “stored” in this way, will restrict the body's 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 body's 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 identify areas where there is congestion or restriction. In this way they can identify the possible origin of a problem.

Then, using the hands to reflect back to the body the pattern it is holding, the therapist provides an opportunity for the body to let go of its restrictive pattern and return to an easier mode of functioning.

Craniosacral Therapy 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. Since it is your body-mind (rather than your mind) that sets the priorities, you may find that the reason you came for treatment is not what changes first. Also, some people find that it can take a few sessions to get used to what they are feeling. For these reasons, you may need to consider having a series of treatments to gain the full benefit of Craniosacral Therapy and its cumulative effects.

Craniosacral Therapy is so gentle that it is safe and suitable for people of all ages, from babies to the elderly, and also in fragile or acutely painful conditions.

The work can be profoundly relaxing, exhilarating, deeply moving or involve a resolution of old material. Sometimes the benefits are not immediately noticeable but become obvious on returning to a familiar environment.

 

Craniosacral Therapy for Babies

One of the joys of treating babies is that they tend to respond so well to treatment and more quickly than adults. Many infant problems like, sucking problems, breathing difficulties, restlessness and irritability may result from Craniosacral imbalances caused during the birth process. Treatment of young infants may help to relieve such problems.

 

What is the difference between Craniosacral Therapy and Cranial Osteopathy?

 

Both stem from the original osteopathic tradition, but over the years have developed differently. Craniosacral Therapists study cranial work exclusively for a two-year period. The training’s are post-graduate in nature and are only open to people already qualified as health care practitioners, with a corresponding foundation of clinical experience and knowledge of anatomy, physiology and pathology. Cranial Osteopaths initially train in Osteopathy, a more mechanical tissue-based approach, and then undertake post-graduate training, of variable length, in the Cranial field.

Craniosacral Therapy tends to integrate a number of areas that are not traditionally found in Cranial Osteopathy. These include psycho-emotional issues, shock and trauma resolution and a detailed understanding of prenatal and birth affects. There is however, a variable amount of overlap between individual approaches in the two professions depending on personality and which particular training was followed.

 

As a whole body therapy, Craniosacral Therapy may aid people with almost any condition, by raising the vitality and enabling the body's own self-healing processes to be utilized. On the right you find a list of some of the wide range of conditions which may respond favourably to treatment.

 

To find out more details click on the Craniosacral Association Link

call:    020 8337 0707 or

Email: karunahealth@tiscali.co.uk