What is Cranio Sacral Therapy?

The cranio-sacral system consists of cerebrospinal fluid, the sacrum at the base of your spine, spinal column and nervous system within it, cranial bones and the membranous tissues within the cranium. 

There is an acknowledgement within all modalities of alternative or Eastern medicine, especially those within the realm of bodywork that there is an unknown, silent force working in and around the body that provides vital energy and intelligence to maintain and sustain our complex body/mind entity. This force of nature can be referred to as Qi, Chi, Prana, Spirit, energy etc depending on which modalities you are familiar with. This force within the realm of biodynamic cranio sacral therapy is known as the ‘Breath of life’ and is described as an animating, intelligent energy that enters the body and accesses the cranial-sacral system at the sacrum. The ‘Breath of life’  then begins its journey of potentizing our body and nervous system through the medium of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). 

CSF fluctuates between sacrum at the base of the spine, up to the cranium at the head and bathes the nervous system within this complex. In a perfectly healthy physical and energetic body the flow of CSF is moved by the Breath of life and rises and falls without interruption, facilitating a healthy body, mind and spirit.  

What actually happens in the real world is that the flow of the Breath of life is impeded by physical, mental and emotional trauma, which appear as blocks in your energy field. This not only affects cranio-sacral mechanism but can affect any area in your body. Similar to eddy’s appearing along a river, obstructing its known path, energy eddy’s appear in your body field denying the locale its vitality and life force causing the physical manifestation of conditions or disease.

The practitioner is trained to listen deeply to the rhythm or ‘tides’ that flow within and around the body and is able to identify these distortions that obstruct its flow.  Practitioners offer space to the tissues and energy field surrounding the distortions and encourage it to take the opportunity to release tension and pressure that is holding the trauma in place. Profoundly positive results are known to happen when the patient reaches a sufficiently deep place inside that allows the body to fully let go and surrender to the experience; this deep place of surrender is known as a ‘state of balance’ where all distortions have the opportunity to resolve themselves.