Craniosacral Therapy

The efficacy of Craniosacral therapy lies in its ability to directly support the nervous system, using a combination of subtly attuned and anatomically informed touch, and deep attention to creating the conditions for safety and settling. Our nervous systems cannot heal and protect simultaneously, and so many of us have spent the majority of our time in protect mode against the many stressors we encounter. When this is the case, it is more efficient for the nervous system to stay in activation, rather than down-regulate. Craniosacral therapy helps to re-teach the body to move more seamlessly and frequently between activation and rest—this is what we call regulation, and is the foundation for any and all healing to occur.

On an anatomical level, Craniosacral therapy treatment engages the structures of the nervous system to support the wider health and healing capacity of the whole body. More specifically, we are working with:

• the dural tube: a very strong layer of connective tissue that surrounds and protects the brain and spinal cord, and contains the cerebral spinal fluid, which cushions and nourishes these structures

• the fascial network: a continuous matrix of connective tissue that contains, supports, and connects every structure in the body, notably with attachment points directly at the dural tube at the level of the cranium and sacrum

• and, the bony landmarks of the cranium, sacrum, and spine, which serve as handles to access the craniosacral system through their attachments to the dural tube.

With gentle hands-on contact and subtle listening, the therapist orients to the craniosacral rhythm, also called the tides: a full-body cyclical movement pattern of flexion and extension in the midline bones and internal and external rotation in the lateral bones. The rhythm is expressed through the entire body and is quite steady and consistent.

Current theories suggest that the craniosacral rhythm is a function of the autonomic nervous system—the part of the nervous system that also governs other automatic rhythms such as our heart rate and breathing rate—and is the palpable expression of our heart rate variability (HRV). The HRV is a measure of the variation in time between heartbeats, and reflects the balance between sympathetic (faster heart rate) and parasympathetic (slower heart rate) forces on the heart. This variability causes alternating vasodilation and vasoconstriction in the blood vessels, which then initiates the palpable craniosacral rhythm.

These autonomic rhythms are an expression of our primary and immutable impulse toward homeostasis, and are doing the real healing work in the session. The quality of the craniosacral rhythm can offer insight into how a client’s nervous system is coping with stress on a deeper level and can reveal patterns of holding or restriction throughout the body. As the client’s system settles into homeostasis, and with the hands-on contact gently supporting the rhythm, restrictions in the fascial network that may inhibit the craniosacral rhythm can begin to resolve and fall away. This allows the tide to be expressed with more ease, allowing the fullness of the body’s healing capacity to emerge.

Craniosacral therapy is not a quick fix—it takes time for the nervous system to unwind and repattern, and regular sessions will allow the cumulative benefits of the practice to come through.

Generally, I recommend that new clients receive three sessions within 6-8 weeks to determine if this work feels supportive for them or not at this time, and if we are a good practitioner-client fit.

From there, we can discuss the cadence that feels most appropriate for you—this is flexible and entirely up to you and what feels most supportive. You may wish to receive sessions 2-4 times a month in the more intensive healing phases of your life, and once every month or two for nervous system maintenance when your symptoms are less acute.

A common question that comes up after a Craniosacral session is some form of: How do I feel so relaxed? It didn’t feel like you were doing anything! While CST is anatomically based, there is an energetic component to the work that extends beyond the hands-on techniques. 

We can’t deny that our energetic and emotional experience of the world has a profound effect on our physical body—this is essentially the purpose of our nervous system. When we sense fear or danger, the body shifts its internal physiology to meet the survival demand, and when we feel safe and connected, our physiology shifts to focus on restoration. So, creating the energetic and emotional conditions in which the nervous system can feel safe is a huge part of what makes Craniosacral therapy a healing modality. 

What has often been referred to as energy work can be thought of as a type of co-regulation. There has been extensive research into the concept of mirror neurons, which explain why interacting with someone with a calm and soothing presence can help us feel more regulated too. Think of how yawning is contagious: our own neurons fire to trigger a yawn after seeing oreven just hearing someone yawn. When we are with someone whose body is operating as if there is no danger, it supports our body to also settle into safety and regulation. So while we can’t necessarily see or consciously feel or maybe even intellectually understand this aspect of Craniosacral work, it is fundamental to the efficacy of the practice.

The lineage of Craniosacral Therapy that was originally developed by osteopath Dr. William Sutherland, now taught primarily through the Upledger Institute, is categorized as "biomechanical" CST. In this style, the therapist performs subtle assessments to identify fascial restrictions in the body, followed by gentle, targeted adjustments to unwind these tension patterns on the craniosacral system. It is a more active approach to CST and can be most helpful for more acute or physical conditions, though for some systems can be too direct.

Biodynamic CST is a newer adaptation, first taught in the 1980's by Franklyn Sills. Rather than seeking out the areas of imbalance in the body, the therapist attunes to the areas of health in the client's system. When we can enhance and support the areas of health, we often see that the body is able to resolve the areas of imbalance on its own. Instead of performing adjustments to instigate a change or release, the therapist moves with and enhances the client's existing cranial rhythms, giving support for their system to resolve blockages at its own pace. Biodynamic CST is especially supportive for clients who are seeking support for chronic conditions as well as mental, emotional, and nervous system support.

My practice is rooted in the Biodynamic school of Craniosacral therapy, though I do draw from my training in the Upledger style as needed. At times, the session may be focused more directly on treating areas of restriction, but most often, the focus will be on offering space for the body’s own healing intelligence to guide the process. Universally, Craniosacral therapy is not intended to fix or force, but create the conditions of safety and co-regulation in which our healing can take place.

Craniosacral Therapy traces its Western origins to the practice of Osteopathy—a school of medicine established in the late 1800s which sought to honor the inner wisdom and dynamic wholeness of the human body, and maintain elements of faith, mystery, and the natural world in medical practice. 

These principles were largely appropriated from Shawnee traditional bodywork and healing practices. Though codified by Dr. Andrew Still in Missouri, we now understand that the principles of this osteopathy were heavily influenced by traditional Native American bodywork and healing traditions. Dr. Still lived among and learned from the Shawnee people, who had been forcibly removed from their land in southwestern Virginia and relocated to Kansas. Similar osteopathic healing practices were common in the Cherokee people of Virginia as well. Though there are doctors and healers practicing medicine in the Cherokee tradition today, much of these traditional healing practices were devastatingly lost with the arrival of colonizers, settlers, and Christian missionaries.

By the early 20th century, Dr. William Sutherland, applied the principles of osteopathic work to the bones of the cranium. He most notably realized, through extensive self-experimentation, that the sutures between our cranial bones allow for very slight movement, though previously believed to be fully fused beyond early development. This led to the understanding of the craniosacral rhythm, palpable anywhere on the body, and an initial anatomical concept of the central nervous system. A cranial osteopathic treatment was strictly biomechanical initially, though later in his life, Sutherland’s understanding shifted to prioritize the energetic component of the work.

In the 1970s & 1980s, Dr. John Upledger, also a cranial osteopath, took Sutherland’s early work much further, leading extensive research into the anatomical structures of the craniosacral system and their impact on the body’s overall function and health. Soon after, the practice of Craniosacral Therapy—gentler and more holistically-focused than osteopathic osseous techniques—was formalized and applied therapeutically to a wide range of conditions. Dr. Upledger started teaching his CST protocol to non-osteopaths for the first time, and though the scientific understandings behind the practice have developed over time, the Upledger school continues to teach courses all over the world.

The newer school of Craniosacral Therapy is the Biodynamic school—influenced more by Sutherland’s later work incorporating the energetic and spiritual component he found to be fundamental to the efficacy of the practice. Sutherland’s lineage of Biodynamic work has been carried forth through osteopaths such as Rollin Becker, James Jealous, and Franklyn Sills, and is taught widely today as well.