Please note that in Cranio Sacral Integration like in many other practices outside of the recognised medical mainstream we need to be careful about what we can claim its’ benefits and uses are. Advertising Standards Agency will for instance not tolerate saying that we can “treat” any conditions. Please bear this in mind when reading this section. Everything that is written about bellow is based on experience of previous generations of Cranio Sacral practitioners and patients. From legal point of view this is however treated as “anecdotal.”
Cranio Sacral Integration is a practice that is based on using attention and touch to bring awareness to an area of the body, different body systems, underlying natural rhythms of our organism or even an event that has caused an imbalance in the system. We can use it to work with physical injuries, emotional states or states of mind.
We work with few basic principles:
– our hands have a natural electromagnetic charge, this charge can affect tissues in the clients body
– attention being trained on anything will change the state of that thing
– all living systems have a natural intelligence that is always working towards the state of homeostasis, sometimes this may be obstructed in some ways and if these obstructions are eased the system will be able to organise itself to a greater state of balance
– everything is connected – literally – we have a network of fascia running through our body that is wrapped around every muscle, organ, nerve and any other structure of our body. The fascia has protective function but also a communication function, if the fascia is impinged in any part this could exert pull to any other part of the body therefore symptoms could be quite remote from the root cause of the issue
– if the system is pressed into a change this can inspire a protective reaction and resistance to treatment might arise – therefore we don’t ask the system to change but rather we follow its’ natural tendency to return to balance
– we work with nervous system as a whole – we look through the network for any areas under stress and trace any issues along the nerve path to likely sites of impingement causing pain/problems downstream
– we work towards downregulation of the nervous system as everything is better when the system is calm. Many conditions are a direct result of nervous overstimulation or their symptoms can be eased through downregulation
– all body structures move with cranio sacral rhythm, if they are not free to move in this rhythm, imbalance and symptoms will follow. We aim to restore a healthy cranio sacral rhythm
– we work from a strong sense of grounding and centering, not forcing, not over reaching, just following with what the system is willing to do
What will a session look like:
In a typical session we will have a chat at the beginning to check in how you are doing and then you will lie down on the couch. I would first spend a few moments doing bit of grounding with you and then progress onto doing various holds that are mostly placed on the head, along the spine and around sacrum. Some holds are over the face as well.
The touch is always very gentle and everything is optional. For issues with limbs and neck a gentle unwinding might be done on the arms, legs or neck to release various stuck patterns than might show as tension, pain or reduced mobility.
For clients who cannot lie down alternative arrangements can be made. It is also possible to work off the body if the client wishes so.
At the first session I take your medical history to help me decide on the course of action and understand your expectations and needs.
What is Cranio Sacral Practice suitable for?
The list of issues people turn to cranio sacral practice for could literally be endless. We can focus on any tissues of the body and work on any levels from the very physical to nervous to emotional to mental – so you can see that this list could encompass many human conditions. Of course as any practice cranio system has it’s strong points, things it is well known for being effective with. Below I have listed things people have come to me with and I have experience with. The list is ever growing so it will always be slightly out of date but it is here to give you an idea of the range of conditions we can look at.
Repetitive strain injuries
Bad neck, shoulders, back
Frozen shoulder
Injuries to knees
Whiplash
Headache
Painful or blocked sinuses
Tinnitus
Difficulty to sleep (adults and children)
Overwhealm due to stress
Overwhealm due to neuro diversity
Anxiety
Stress
Toothache
Teeth clenching or Grinding
Recurring Ear ache or inflammation involving ears
Chronic fatigue
Migraine
Pregnancy – overall sense of tiredness and inability to sleep, anxiety
After effects of fall on the head
Side effects of terminal disease – as a supportive measure to manage the stress, the pain, the emotional turmoil