Cranio-sacral therapy supports the body’s innate capacity to heal itself.  With complete presence for the here and now, I feel and listen to what the body has to say. It is a communication beyond the mind; thoughts and judgements dissolve into the background. The intention of each treatment is to enhance the body’s flow of energy.

Treatment 
cranio-sacral session consists of soft hands-on techniques. With a gentle touch, tension in the body is explored and given the opportunity to release and dissolve itself. 

Application 
Applications of cranio-sacral therapy are wide ranging.  It can bring relief and insight to many physical and emotional issues, such as; stress, burn-out, CVS, ME, back- and neck pain, depression, whiplash, RSI, tinnitus, insomnia, fears and traumas. When injured, the body is not always able to fully recover on its own.  When this happens, an acute pain may become chronic.  Cranio-sacral therapy is also ideal for relaxation, for increased energy, and to just plain feel better in your skin.  

How it works 
The therapy is based on the cranio-sacral and connective tissue systems of the body. The cranio-sacral system consists of membranes (dura mater) and fluid (cerebrospinal fluid) around and in the brain and spinal cord. The dura mater is the lining of the cranium. As a tube that encircles the spinal cord, the dura mater connects the cranium with the sacrum. ‘Cranio’ stands for skull and ‘sacral’ for sacrum. The movement of the cerebrospinal fluid in the tube creates the so-called cranio-sacral rhythm. This rhythm can be sensed throughout the entire body, thanks to the conductive quality of connective tissue.    

Connective tissue is found from head to toe. In fact it is a giant fabric that embraces all of the body’s bones, veins and organs.  In addition to protecting and supporting the structures of the body, it has the ability to stretch and separate those structures from each other.  As its name would imply, it is a connecting agent.  Engaging with connective tissue in one part of the body may enable the practitioner to   discover restrictions in another.  Subsequently one can regain movement in those restricted areas.   

The powerful influence of cranio-sacral therapy is often subscribed to the direct relationship of the aforementioned systems with the central nervous system (the brain and the spinal cord), as well as with the pituitary gland and the thyroid.  

Background 
In the early 1970s, American doctor John Upledger assisted in an operation of a patient’s upper neck/cervical spine.  His sole task was to hold and immobilize the outer layer of the spinal cord, the dura mater. To his and everyone’s surprise he was not able to do that, because of the rhythmic movement of the dura mater. The rhythm had no correlation with the patient’s breathing or heartbeat. This observation interested John Upledger, eventually becoming the fundament on which cranio-sacral therapy was developed.