London Bridge Massage Works

Craniosacral Therapy – also spelled Cranial Sacral Therapy, depending on the author – (CST) is a gentle, hands-on approach to bodywork.  It deals with the bones of the head, the spinal column, the sacrum, and the underlying structures. Typically, the main objective of this work is to find restrictions and/or compression in these areas and use specifically designed techniques to release the areas.

The craniosacral system produces a rhythm, much like the cardiac and circulatory systems.  This pulse is referred to as the cranial rhythm. By learning to feel the movement of the cranial rhythm, a therapist can determine where lack of movement exists.  These areas of non-movement are known as compression or restrictions.  Compression and restrictions in the craniosacral system are caused by injury and/or trauma and if not corrected, can cause dysfunction and disease in the body.

Craniosacral Therapy can be used alone or incorporated with other bodywork techniques and can be useful in relieving the following symptoms:

• chronic pain, especially in the back and neck
• headaches (tension, migraine, cluster)
• TMJ dysfunction
• emotional trauma
• auditory trauma
• stress-related dysfunction
• arthritis
• colic, inner ear problems, or learning/behavioral disorders in infants and children
• whiplash
• vertigo
• alleviate chronic depression

After receiving Craniosacral therapy, most clients feel a sense of lightness, well-being, peacefulness and joy. (One of my clients said he left with “the London Fog”!) I have also heard CST described as a balancing to the central nervous system just like re-organizing the hard drive in a computer. (For those less computer savy – like me – that is a much bigger deal than just a re-boot.)

 A session can last from 30 – 60 minutes, depending on the body and the goals of the client and therapist.

STORIES:

Craniosacral Therapy was able to help a young lady who already had a regular massage therapist, and wanted specific help with her vertigo.

When I was in my first year of bodywork, I had a client who I treated once every 2 weeks with massage. I was working out of a chiropractic office, and the Dr. always told me to work on that left shoulder. After seeing her for about 8 months, I asked her if she would be willing to try 5 consecutive weeks of CST, because of her chronic migraines and low back pain.  She agreed. After only four sessions, she was no longer feeling her back pain, her headaches were much better, and (to my surprise) her shoulder was better!!!

A gentleman who sees one of my colleagues for massage (she is AWESOME, by the way), wanted to try CST. He loved it so much that he is sending me a friend who suffers with terrible headaches. He said that his neck and shoulders relaxed more than they have in years. (Hooray for CST!)

A client (we’ll call him Bob) has had regular sinus allergies in the Spring.  In February 2010, we added CST to his massage treatments.  He kept waiting for his allergies to flare up.  They didn’t – until he missed about 3 weeks!  He came back a believer, and I was re-dedicated to my respect for CST.

A client (we’ll call Sue), came to me with very debilitating depression.  She was on the highest doses of medication that she could take and still had to be hospitalized at times for her depression.  I have a great passion to help others with depression, as I have suffered with it myself, and I so deeply wanted to help Sue. I asked her if she would be willing and able to commit to 10 weeks of 30 minutes each week, and she chose to give it a try. I am so grateful and happy to report that Sue’s depression has been much more manageable.  She continues to come about once every 2 – 4 weeks.

I have SO many CST success stories that they won’t all fit.  If you have any questions, please email me.  I would LOVE to share more with you.