Craniosacral uses a gentle touch without massage and without manipulation
What is Craniosacral Therapy (CST)?
Craniosacral Therapy is an alternative treatment for physical pain and emotional distress. Craniosacral therapy (CST) is a gentle but powerful way of working with the body using a light touch. It supports your body’s natural ability to balance, restore and heal itself as well as helping to reduce stress and build underlying energy. It is suitable for everyone, from newly-born babies to the elderly.
Through the simplicity of gentle listening touch, CST offers a distinctive stillness that allows your mind and body to rest deeply and begin to restore a natural balance. CST recognises and assists the connections between body, mind and emotions. In the peaceful space created during a session, these connections can become more fully integrated.
How does CST relate to psychotherapy and counselling?
CST is a perfect complement to talking therapies. Physically processing emotional issues and trauma held in the body supports the work of counselling and psychotherapy.
During
treatment
During treatment
Craniosacral therapy takes place while you are fully clothed. This gentle therapy originates from osteopathy so the body is seen in a similar way. Craniosacral sessions use ‘still’ hands, with no massage and no manipulation. In order to get the best out of the craniosacral therapy session it is advised to do the following:
• Drink water before your session
• Breathe deeply
• Try and close your eyes so you can relax and rest
• Focus on different parts of your body
• Change position if you need to in order to be more comfortable
During your session, we may talk or there may be periods of silence. I may ask what physical sensations you are aware of. You may feel nothing except the therapist’s hands on your body as the work can be very subtle. However, each session can vary.
You may feel pulsing, tingling, a pulling sensation within your body, warmth, cold or numbness amongst other things. You could feel like your body is reorganising itself from the inside, or as if a weight has been lifted off your shoulders. There may be subtle rhythmic movements, deepening relaxation in your body and heightened body awareness. It helps if you relax and keep an open mind, but it isn’t necessary to believe or fully understand what is happening.
Most people find the sessions pleasant and relaxing. Often clients feel like their “batteries have been recharged”. You may go into a deep meditative state, simply fall asleep or you may even want to share your feelings. I work with the nervous system in your body, which is made up of your brain, spinal cord and all the nerves. I use my hands to feel the tissue and spinal fluid that surrounds and protects the brain. The spinal cord is located from the bones of the skull (which make up the cranium) down to the tailbone area (or sacrum). This is how the word cranio-sacral came into being. Like your pulse, the craniosacral system has a rhythm that can be felt throughout the body. Using gentle touch, I can monitor this rhythm at key points in your body to check where your body needs the most support. I assist this natural movement of the fluid and related body tissue to help the body self-correct.
Post
treatment
Post-treatment
Usually, people feel relaxed after a session. Changes are felt gradually over days. As the energy in the body is freed, it can improve your condition and bring more balance to your body. A healing reaction can take place, where you experience general aches and pains. This is very common as the body reorganises, rebalances and adjusts towards a healthier state. These sensations normally disappear after a few hours but can last a couple of days. It’s important to listen to your body and give yourself space. Drink plenty of water on a regular basis and rest to support the healing. As the body releases old restrictions, certain emotions may surface. Emotional shifts can occur during the session or in the days or weeks that follow. It helps to be open to whatever may come up. Healing can take place on many levels.
The therapy helps the body resume its natural healing process and it is common for improvements to continue happening, even weeks after the session. Craniosacral Therapy works with the whole person and not just the symptoms. The body, rather than the mind, sets the priorities. It is quite possible that the reason you came for treatment is not what changes first.
Each person progresses at their own rate according to what their body can handle. Sometimes one session can successfully solve a problem, but this is rare. A few sessions in a short space of time can help your body to adjust to new patterns and access the full benefits of Craniosacral Therapy and its cumulative effects.
Sam trained with The Cranioscral Therapy Educational Trust (London) and qualified in 2008.
She has additional qualifications in Anatomy & Physiology and Stress Management. She has a BSc (Hons) Biological Sciences.
Book a supportive session with Sam: hello@samrehan.com
Disclaimer: Please note that while Craniosacral Therapy can help a multitude of problems, it is not to be used as replacement for medical treatment, but can usually be used in conjunction with it. The information on this website is purely for educational purposes and does not in any way replace the requirement for medical and psychological diagnosis and treatment. Please do seek professional medical and psychological diagnosis and advice for all medical and mental health conditions. It is advised to always book any consultations with qualified professionals.