CranioSacral Therapy

CranioSacral Therapy:

CranioSacral Therapy (CST) is a gentle, non-invasive hands-on treatment for evaluating and enhancing the functioning of the Craniosacral System.  The Craniosacral System is a physiological system of membranes and fluid that surround, protect, and nourish the brain and spinal cord.  By normalizing the environment around the brain and spinal cord and enhancing the body’s ability to self-correct, CranioSacral Therapy is able to alleviate pain and dysfunction to improve whole-body health and performance. 

Using a soft touch which is generally no greater than 5 grams – about the weight of a nickel – the CST practitioner aligns with the subtle rhythms of the client to release restrictions in the soft tissues that surround the Central Nervous System.  Craniosacral Therapy is beneficial for individuals of all ages and is increasingly used as a preventive health measure.  CST complements the body’s natural healing processes, and helps bolster resistance to disease and other associated medical problems.  

CranioSacral Therapy can benefit:

* Brain & spinal cord injuries
* Headaches & migraines
* Stress & tension
* Sensory disorders
* Immune disorders
* Motor-coordination
* TMJ dysfunction
* Concussions
* Chronic fatigue
* Hyperactivity

The History of CranioSacral Therapy:

CranioSacral Therapy was pioneered and developed by Osteopathic Physician John E. Upledger after years of clinical testing and research at Michigan State University where he served as professor of biomechanics.  

It was in 1970, during a neck surgery in which he was assisting, that Dr. John E. Upledger first observed the rhythmic movement of what would soon be identified as the craniosacral system.  However, at this time there weren’t any colleagues or medical texts that could help explain this discovery.

His curiosity piqued, Dr. Upledger began searching for the answer.  He started with the research of Dr. William Sutherland, the father of cranial osteopathy.  For some 20 years beginning in the early 1900s, Sutherland had explored the concept that the bones of the skull were structured to allow for movement.  For decades after, this theory remained at odds with the beliefs of the scientific and medical communities.  Dr. Upledger believed, however, that if Sutherland’s theory of cranial movement was in fact true, this would help explain, and make feasible, the existence of the rhythm he had encountered in surgery.

It was at this point that Dr. Upledger set out to scientifically confirm the existence of cranial bone motion.  From 1975 to 1983 he served as clinical researcher and Professor of Biomechanics at Michigan State University, where he supervised a team of anatomists, physiologists, biophysicists, and bioengineers in research and testing.  The results not only confirmed Sutherland’s theory, but led to clarification of the mechanisms behind this motion – the craniosacral system.  Dr. Upledger’s continued work in the field ultimately resulted in his development of CranioSacral Therapy.

“When there is a very close correspondence between self-image and truth, our self-healing powers may be virtually unlimited.”  

~John Upledger