What to Expect with CranioSacral Therapy
“After my sessions, you might feel lighter, clearer, and be able to tackle some of the challenges of life that held you back before. This will allow you to sleep better, improve posture, feel more fluid, and have a more positive outlook.”.~Joaquina Cante
Let’s look at the origins of craniosacral therapy, its inner workings in the body, and Joaquina’s personal craniosacral method.
What are the Origins of CranioSacral Therapy?
William Sutherland was the founder of cranial osteopathy, which led him to the founding of what is now called Craniosacral Therapy. He believed the therapist should be guided by revelation, trust, perception, and trained intuition. I personally believe craniosacral to be a profound spiritual work that, when guided by a gifted healer, can effectuate deep healing and awareness.
One of the ways to better understand craniosacral is to look at the three waves present in the body: the breath, the heartbeat, and the cranial wave. Of these three, the cranial wave pulse is the most subtle and can only be felt in meditative practice. The normal rate of craniosacral rhythm in humans is between 6 and 12 cycles per minute and does not fluctuate with motion and exercise, as do the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. This pulse can be palpated for rate, amplitude, symmetry, and quality during a session.
I like to think of the cranial wave as the subtle voice of the “spirit”; whatever needs to be seen or heard during the session will surface. “Spirit” refers to what Chinese Medicine calls the “qi,” the invisible energy field that runs throughout our body, giving all of our organ systems and our body life.
How Does the CranioSacral System Work?
Functionally, the craniosacral system is intimately related to the central nervous system, the autonomic nervous system, the neuromusculoskeletal system, and the endocrine system. The cerebrospinal fluid is contained within the meningeal membranes, specifically the dura mater. While this system can be complex to understand, you can think of it as a feedback loop between the vascular system, the dura mater, and the brain. Cerebral spinal fluid runs between these structures, acting as our body’s internal waterway.
The motion of this system, which can be felt from anywhere on the body, is very subtle and short in range. It is considered physiological because it is involuntary and unconscious, which makes it necessary for the continuation of life. Like all systems in the body, our craniosacral rhythm must be balanced by gently encouraging its motion into the direction of ease depending on the area being treated.
Craniosacral therapy involves gentle placement of the therapist’s hands on specific areas of the skull, sacrum, feet, and other locations on the body. Sessions are often very relaxing, and many patients will dose off into a dream-like state.
Joaquina’s CranioSacral Method:
CranioSacral therapy, to me, is a heart-based medicine. It involves the developed skill of listening deeply with the spiritual heart and the whole being to feel and access the information hidden within the cranial structures. I believe that our body holds all of our untold stories that are ready to be heard, healed, and transformed. I become the witness to these stories, which helps release them so that you can have something tangible to work with in your life. This is a great way to connect with the Self where you can quiet the mind and sink into the session much easier. It is a meditation of the physical body, which opens possibilities that were unseen before.
My sessions can help release old patterns around thoughts, beliefs, and physical constraints that have become self-limiting. This opens the door to profound changes in consciousness and more profound levels of healing. To me, this is the place where your gifts can be discovered.
References:
CranioSacral Therapy with Upledger
CranioSacral Therapy
CranioSacral Therapy Treats PTSD
