WHAT IS IT?
According to Mike Boxhall: craniosacral therapy is an extremely subtle and gentle form of medicine which focuses on facilitating by touch, almost just by intention, the optimal functioning of the body and mind.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?
To put it simply, this work is a panacea. Ok, ok, it may not be for everything or for everyone, but there are things cranio can do that other healing modalities can’t come close it in either the depth of the healing or how long the changes stick.  Some of the benefits include

• alleviating back pain, neck pain, whiplash, headaches, migraines
• promoting restful sleep
• coping with trauma, depression, anxiety, chronic fatigue syndrome
• muscularsceletal issues, such as misalignments, connective tissue problems
• various central nervous system conditions
• arthritis
• heart disease
• autism
• birth defects
• chronic middle ear and/or sinus infections
• general health maintenance

As you can see from this list, it works on a much deeper level than just the physical, and can resolve issues that occurred as far back as the person’s conception.

BRIEF HISTORY
The first written reference to the movement of the spinal nerves and its importance in life, clarity, and "bringing quiet to the heart" is found in a 4,000-year-old text from China. Craniosacral work was referred to as "the art of listening." Bone setters in the Middle Ages also sensed the subtle movements of the body. They used these movements to help reset fractures and dislocations and to treat headaches.

In the early 1900s, Dr. William Sutherland, an American osteopathic physician, discovered the movement of the cranial bones. Before his research it was believed that the cranium was a solid immovable mass. He then created a helmet that allowed him to restrict certain cranial bones, and found himself developing a number of disorders, ranging from indigestion to a general sense of disorientation. Sutherland reported that the skull is actually made up of 22 separate and movable bones that are connected by layers of tissue. He called his work cranial osteopathy. Nephi Cotton, an American chiropractor and contemporary of Sutherland, called this approach craniology. The graduates of these two disciplines have refined and enhanced these original approaches and renamed their work as sacro-occipital technique, cranial movement therapy, or craniosacral therapy.

HOW DOES A TYPICAL SESSION GO?
Basically, like a meditation on the table. The patient lies fully clothed on a massage table, and the practitioner gently holds various body parts - feet, head, shoulders, lower back - to tune in to the patient's internal biorhythms and the flow of the cerebrospinal fluid. Sessions last usually from 45 mins to 1 hr.

WHY DOES IT WORK?
Listening and Resonance. During a session, craniosacral therapists feel for disturbances in the rate, amplitude, symmetry, and quality of flow of cerebospinal fluids. The act of conscious and non-judgmental listening to this fluid re-balances its flow. Once the cerebrospinal fluid moves freely, the body's natural healing responses can function.

SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND GENERAL ACCEPTANCE
More than 40 published scientific papers document the various effects of craniosacral therapy. There are also 10 authoritative textbooks on this therapy. The most notable scientific papers include Viola M. Fryman's work documenting the successful treatment of 1,250 newborn children with birth defects. Edna Lay and Stephen Blood showed the effects on TMD, and John Wood documented results with psychiatric disorders. The American Dental Association has found craniosacral therapy to be an effective adjunct to orthodontic work.

HOW CAN I TRY IT OUT?
Contact me over email to schedule an appointment or call 301.537.6649..