Health Matters
From "Maple Street Co-op News", Feb/Mar 2005
Craniosacral Therapy for Release and Balance
by Susanna Molinaro
The body heals itself all the time. Working with the intention of stimulating
the body's innate healing system is in essence a mysterious process.
Working in this mystery, we honour the healing power of nature.
At the centre of the brain are hollow spaces that empty and fill, and
fill and empty, constantly in a gentle rhythm which can be felt anywhere
on the body. This rhythm is called the "cranial wave". It
is an intelligent form of communication, a form of movement that enables
the therapist to detect
what the body and spirit need. These spaces in the brain are called
ventricles, and what they fill with is a filtrate of blood known as
the "cerebrospinal fluid". The fluid surrounds the brain and
spinal cord and is contained in a tough waterproof bag of membrane called
the "dura".
The bones of the skull, C2 and C3, the sacrum and the coccyx are firmly
attached to this dural membrane and so move with the cranial wave. Hence
the name "craniosacral therapy". You cannot see this movement,
but you can feel it with your hands. It moves slowly, between 4 and
14 cycles per minute.
The cranial wave radiates out from this core by way of the fascia, a
thinner membrane which wraps everything in the body. Every organ, every
blood vessel, every nerve is wrapped in a fascia and it, too, is connected
to the dura. So the whole body gently moves with the ebb and flow of
the cranial
wave. When the fascia is disturbed by impact or pressure, imprint happens
and sometimes needs help to be released. The fascia has memory.
A gentle, hands-on approach
Craniosacral therapy is a hands-on form of bodywork with a very gentle
approach. It is a way of "doing non-doing". The average pressure
exerted by the craniosacral therapist is generally less than the weight
of a 20-cent piece. The treatment is of the whole body as it is reflected
in the cranialsacral
system. This continuity means that treating any part of the body affects
the whole body. There are various techniques, ranging from releasing
specific areas of restriction to following the movements of the restriction
itself, never forcing it to go anywhere it doesn't want to. Releasing
starts to happen when the system comes to a "still point",
which is when the cranial wave stops by itself for some time and then
starts to move, usually in a less-restricted pattern.
The approach is not to directly treat organs, muscles, nerves, etc.,
but to improve the environment in which they function, improve hydraulic
flow patterns and optimise the brain temperature by reducing muscular
tension and increasing heat dissipation. Because of this indirect or
lateral approach,
the list of conditions that can be treated is long and diverse.
Correcting patterns from childhood
In the unborn child, the bones of the skull are in circular plates which
grow towards each other as the child develops. At birth, the skull has
much exposed dural membrane. During birth, the skull undergoes considerable
strain and pressure as it is pushed down the birth canal. The cranial
wave readjusts the skull after birth.
With the easiest of births, this readjustment may not happen completely.
With a difficult birth (forceps, ventouse or caesarean deliveries or
prolonged second-stage labour), readjustment can be seriously impaired.
If the membranes of the skull are restricted after birth and the body
is unable to release them, the bones will follow this restricted pattern
as they grow. These patterns can give rise to conditions like autism,
cerebral palsy, dyslexia, hyperactivity, squint, colic and sleeping
difficulties. So many things could be corrected in a baby which could
become serious conditions later in life and take much longer to heal.
Craniosacral treatments will usually take one to one-and-a-half hours
for adults and less time for children and babies. Five to ten sessions
may be required for adults and one to five sessions for children, although
this can vary. Conditions that can be treated range from birth trauma,
emotional trauma, whiplash, migraine, period pain, head injury, insomnia,
learning difficulty, obsessional
behaviour, back pain and neck pain, to name a few.
Look at the Australian Institute of CranioSacral Therapy website, http://www.cranio.com.au,
as well as the US website, http://www.craniosacral.com,
for more information.
[Maleny-based Susanna Molinaro has had a long-time interest in health
and the healing process. She has a diploma in craniosacral therapy,
which she's been practising since 1998, and is also an accredited massage
therapist and Bowen therapist. For an appointment, contact Susanna on
(07) 5494 2791.]
[From "Maple Street Co-op News", Feb/Mar 2005; published by
The Maple Street Co-operative Society Ltd, 37 Maple Street, Maleny,
Qld 4552, Australia, tel (07) 5494 2088, email maplest.coop@serv.net.au,
website http://www.maplestreetco-op.com.au]