Craniosacral Therapy

What is Craniosacral Therapy?

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Craniosacral Therapy is a form of gentle therapeutic touch that calms the nervous system and helps the body heal at the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual level. 

Craniosacral Therapy is a subtle yet profound healing modality. It releases points of tension within the connective tissue and balances the body’s energy systems in order to improve the flow of cerebrospinal fluid around the brain and spinal cord. In addition to nourishing the entire central nervous system, Craniosacral Therapy relaxes the body and brings it into a state of harmony and coherence that promotes deep healing. 

Craniosacral Therapy reaches people at every level of their being, including their physical body, their mental and emotional self, their energy systems, and their spiritual self. Given the depth and breadth of positive shifts this modality can facilitate, no two sessions or session outcomes are alike. 

While one person might experience a dramatic reduction in chronic pain, someone else might clear past trauma and old emotional wounds from their body. Another person might gain a new perspective on a challenging issue in their life, while yet a final person might receive a healing message from a deceased loved one on the other side. 

I invite my clients to trust that whatever kind of healing is most appropriate for them is the exact kind of healing they will receive. Our conscious mind doesn't always understand the connections between our emotions, thoughts patterns, beliefs, etc. and the symptoms we experience in our physical body. Thankfully our body/subconscious mind does understand these connections, and it is the one guiding us through our healing process. It might know, for example, that the pain we feel in our body will persist until we clear the energetic imprint of past trauma from our tissues and cells, or until we shift our attitude about a challenging situation from our past or present.

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What is the connection between Craniosacral Therapy, the nervous system, trauma, and health?

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The benefits of Craniosacral Therapy are compounding. That means that when people receive this work on a somewhat regular basis (perhaps bi-weekly, monthly, or bi-monthly), they are likely to experience a gradual re-tuning of their nervous system and notice positive shifts in their physical, mental, and emotional well-being. 

It’s hard to overstate the significance of shifting the nervous system in this way. A regulated nervous system is the best medicine for any health challenge we might be experiencing. We simply cannot heal when we’re in a state of stress — we can only heal when we’re in a grounded state of ease. ‍Therefore a regulated nervous system is a non-negotiable pre-requisite for the body to do any kind of meaningful healing work.

Our bodies store the memory of the trauma we experience in our lives — big or small — and trauma programs our nervous systems to be on the lookout for threats in our present day lives that look like the trauma we experienced in our past. This programming is brilliant and its intention is to keep us safe, but it also undermines our ability to relax, experience joy and peace, and heal. This trauma-driven programming keeps our nervous system in a state of dysregulation, which we experience as many different flavors of "stress."

Craniosacral Therapy helps calm the nervous system into a state of regulation and change the system's programming so it's no longer fixated on scanning for potential threats. The nervous system operates below the awareness of the conscious mind, and this is why we cannot use our words to tell it or convince it that we are safe. Instead, we must show our nervous system that we are safe by allowing our body to do things and have experiences that only a safe body could do or have. When we receive Craniosacral Therapy, we are showing our nervous system that we are safe and that we can afford to relax. This is the way by which Craniosacral Therapy canre-tune our nervous system and optimize its programming for ease and well-being.

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What is it like to receive Craniosacral Therapy, and what are the benefits?

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At the close of their Craniosacral Therapy session, most people report feeling some combination of the following effects: relaxed, calm. cleansed, light, open, grounded, clear-headed, and at peace. These effects might last for days — and sometimes weeks — after the session. Most people report a significant improvement in the quality of their sleep after receiving even just one session. 

Some people experience therapeutic emotional releases during or after their Craniosacral Therapy session, and many experience immediate shifts, such as reduced muscle tension or pain, a more profound connection to the body, and/or the quieting of anxious or intrusive thoughts. The improvements people experience as a result of this work build on themselves, so when some receives Craniosacral Therapy on a somewhat consistent basis, they commonly report experiencing a greater sense of ease, comfort, mental clarity, joy, and safety in their body on a day-to-day basis.

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What kinds of conditions does Craniosacral Therapy help treat?

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The following are specific issues/conditions for which Craniosacral Therapy is known to bring about improvements: acute pain, ADD, autism, developmental problems, learning disorders, cerebral palsy, clicking/popping jaw, TMJ dysfunction, compressed vertebrae, herniated disks, spinal problems, depression, anxiety, PTDS, personality changes, digestive problems, IBS, dizziness, tinnitus, hearing problems, chronic ear infections, epilepsy, post-concussive syndrome, headaches, migraines, immune deficiencies, hormonal problems, irregular menstrual cycles, menstrual cramps, ovarian cysts, endometriosis, low back pain, neck tension/pain, lung/breathing problems, sinus problems, pre-op/post-op stress, prenatal and postnatal stress, sciatic nerve pain, scoliosis, strains/sprains, thyroid problems, and more.

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"A vacation for my conscious mind is maybe the best way to describe it, and I came out of my session feeling grounded, calm, and restored. I still do not have a great understanding of what exactly was happening in my body, but whatever it was, I know it was good for me. I cannot wait to come back and see Laura Lea."
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Grace