What is craniosacral?

The most common question I get about craniosacral bodywork is “What is it?”

Simply put, craniosacral is a bodywork modality that came from osteopathy.

The more complex answer to “What is craniosacral therapy?” is such a long answer, that I started writing articles in this blog to answer that very question over time.

Receiving a craniosacral session is usually a very gentle experience, especially if you’re used to deep tissue massage. As the receiver, you lay on your practitioner’s table, commonly fully-clothed, and you experience a series of holds administered by your practitioner.

It is the intent and attention of your practitioner to feel your body’s subtle nervous system fluids as they effect the entire body.

By feeling for your body’s cerebrospinal fluid “tides” your practitioner can determine a wealth of conditions present in your body and, in turn, effect them.

The result of this attention from your practitioner is that your body unwinds and heals itself.

The guiding principle of craniosacral is – that the body holds within it, the ability to heal itself. Just as the scab heals over a cut on the skin or re-knits the deep fleshy incision of an open-gut surgery – the inner fluids and tissues of your body have the innate ability to heal your body’s tight spots and old injuries.

What craniosacral bodywork does, is help your body remember to heal itself a bit faster and more efficiently.

The problems that keep our bodies stuck in pain, disassociation and disease are caused by trauma of a physical or emotional sort.

The cranio practitioner finds the places in your body that are stuck and immobilized by that trauma and gently instigates movement and a re-connection to the body’s in-born ability to operate as a whole healthy unit.

If this seems confusing, don’t worry, it’s a lot to digest.

What I can assure you of, is the experience of receiving craniosacral therapy is a deeply relaxing and healing one. Most enthusiastic fans of craniosacral equate it to everything from being more effective than the deepest tissue massage to the most relaxing, grounding experience they’ve ever had. Some evangelical lovers of craniosacral call it a spiritual experience!

For me, as a practitioner, I see craniosacral as a non-invasive safe method for healing trauma of physical as well as emotional types. It takes a great deal of study, discipline and patience to do it and yet it is such a fulfilling and exciting form of bodywork, that it enlivens my interest in bodywork even after 20 years of practice.

Craniosacral therapy will be the method that will continue to delight and challenge me for the rest of my life.

I look forward to sharing the gift of craniosacral with you. 🙂