THERAPIES IN FOCUS - CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY
An article by Alison Hall, published in Here's Health, October 2000
This gentle, but powerful treatment is popular for healing
a wide range of emtional and physical conditions in adults and children.
Alison Hall explains
Your body has two constant rhythms - the heartbeat and the breath. What you may not be aware of is a third rhythm, called the craniosacral rhythm. By using this rhythm to detect imbalances, therapists can treat a host of conditions from asthma to autism.
WHAT IS IT?
Craniosacral therapy was developed by osteopath William G Sutherland in America in the 1930s, and brought to England in the 1970s. The craniosacral rhythm is believed to flow through the craniosacral system, which is made up of the central nervous system, the surrounding fluid membranes and bones.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Craniosacral therapy measures the balance and flow of this craniosacral rhythm, which manifests throughout all the body tissues. Craniosacral therapists consider this flow essential for good health. Any disruption in the flow can indicate a physical or psychological problem.
Craniosacral therapists are trained to feel the wavelike motion of the craniosacral rhythm with their hands and discover any restriction in the system. Restrictions can be caused by a difficult birth, through physical injuries, emotional trauma or through genetic weaknesses. By using the hands to apply minimum pressure, the therapist encourages the body to transform these patterns of restriction and resistance by letting go of old patterns, which can be held in the muscle and tissues like a memory for years, and so restoring health.
WHAT HAPPENS?
As with other complementary treatments, a therapist will begin by looking into the patient's medical and emotional history. The patient then lies down fully clothed while the therapist gently rests his or her hands on various parts of the body to listen to the patient's rhythm. The therapist's hands will move with the flow, dissolving any restrictions. 'It's not something magical, anyone with sensitivity and training can feel this rhythm and identify the different types of restriction,' says John Wilks, chairman of the Craniosacral Therapy Association. `Therapists can identify all sorts of emotional and physical conditions, even identifying things that happened years ago such as a knee injury, or details surrounding the patient's birth, just by touching different parts of their body.'
The treatment is a two-way process - the patient's body needs to be ready to respond positively to the gentleness of the therapist's hands to be fully open to healing. Patients have different reactions but most feel intense heat and a sense of release. Most patients feel the experience on physical, mental and emotional levels.
'I felt a rush of energy, like air bursting inside me and then the sense of something being released from my body. There was an intense sensation of heat rushing like liquid through my body. It was a profound experience,' reported one client.
WHAT CAN IT HELP?
Because it deals with the whole person, craniosacral therapy is believed to be effective for any physical or psychological condition. It has been commonly used for a wide range of conditions including arthritis, asthma, autism, muscular pain, cancer, cerebral palsy, depression, hormonal imbalances, PMS, migraine, hyperactivity, pregnancy problems, birth trauma and stress-related illnesses. It's particularly renowned for its effects on babies and children, as it's very gentle.
'I treated one nine-month-old girl who had been having epileptic fits for three months. She was having a fit every five minutes. She'd been given every drug possible in the hospital before I was called in to treat her,' says Thomas Attlee, founder and principal of the College of Craniosacral Therapy. 'I worked with her for two hours in her mother's arms and she stopped fitting. For the next week she had a few fits every day then they stopped.'
HOW MANY VISITS?
The number of sessions needed depends on the person and the condition. Children often only need a couple of sessions, as they respond more quickly because their problems are relatively ‘new’; others may need months of treatment.
'My migraines have virtually disappeared' Lyn Law, 46, an external examiner, sought help from a craniosacral therapist after experiencing frequent migraines: 'I've had migraines for about 20 years, ever since I had a motorcycle accident. Over the years they became more frequent, then about a year ago I was getting two or three a week and became desperate. I went to a chiropractor who manipulated the bones in my neck, which got rid of the migraines once I had an attack, but it didn't stop them coming. Then I read an article about craniosacral therapy, and decided to give it a go. The therapist explained that having my bones manipulated wasn't stopping the attacks, as the pattern of illness was deeper in my muscles.
'The treatment was wonderful. I felt his hands moving as if they were inside my body and there was a feeling of heat throughout me. I have had four sessions over about eight weeks. In that time I've had one migraine, which was milder than usual. I've been told I will probably need one more treatment before I am cured, but my life has changed already.'
'What I Felt was nothing short of amazing' Jane Smith, 40, found craniosacral therapy helped her overcome a traumatic past: 'I had an abusive childhood and I've always experienced the psychological effects of this. I was in counselling when a friend of mine suggested that craniosacral therapy might help. What I felt during the treatment was nothing short of amazing. In counselling I talked about my problems but I felt I was going round in circles. However, as soon as the craniosacral therapist laid his hands on me I felt a deep psychological release. It was as if something tangible was being brought up from deep within myself and then disposed of outside my body. After the treatment I just couldn't stop weeping, the experience had been so emotionally profound.
I have had four treatments and feel as though my psychological being has been brought into balance and that I can cope more with life. I have also taken my son for treatment, as his behaviour borders on hyperactivity, and he is already calmer after just a few treatments.'
Lyn and Jane were both treated by John Wilks, then, the Chairman of The Craniosacral Therapy Association.
