Craniosacral_2Craniosacral Therapy

Craniosacral Therapy is a powerfully relaxing light touch massage technique. It is an alternative to traditional skin-contact massage, as it is done through clothing. It is excellent for anyone who would like to remain clothed or who prefers to be touched without the use of cream or oil. A client could easily have a craniosacral session while wearing a business suit.

Craniosacral_1In this approach, the client lies face up on the table. Instead of touching the skin, the therapist works through the clothing by placing his or her hands on certain places on the body (for example, head, ankles, sacrum and lower back). The amount of pressure used is very light and is similar to the feel of the weight of a nickel. For example, the therapist might sit at the client’s feet and hold the ankles in a certain position for as long as five minutes. Or the therapist might sit at the client’s head and hold the head in a very specific way for several minutes. The gentle pressure combined with sustained holds works to release tensions deep in the body and nervous system. Craniosacral therapy gets its name because it targets the tissues in the head (cranial), down the spinal cord, all the way to the sacrum at the base of the spine (sacral). It is especially effective for headaches, TMJ syndrome, neck and back pain, and general relaxation.

It might seem hard to believe that a very gentle touch could penetrate the body so deeply, but many people walk away from a half hour of craniosacral work feeling completely different from when they walked in. This is a terrific approach for anyone who would like to “de-stress” but who does not want a traditional massage or who would rather remain clothed for the session. Craniosacral therapy can be done on its own as a stand-alone massage modality or it can be integrated into a traditional massage.