What is Craniosacral therapy?
Craniosacral therapy or CST is a gentle hands on method that realigns the body tissues, the bones, fascia and muscles and helps the body to heal itself. The beauty of CST is that in a skilled pair of hands it enables tensions and structural imbalances to unwind and drop away, allowing the body to heave a sigh of relief. The technique was developed by the late Dr John Upledger, osteopathic physician. The cranial bones and underlying membranes move in relation to the production and absorption of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that surrounds and bathes our brain and spinal cord. CSF is produced in the ventricles of the brain and reabsorbed back into the brain’s venous sagittal sinus. This cycle of CSF production and reabsorption creates a palpable motion of the cranial bones and this can be observed by your therapist and used to gently treat the craniosacral system. The subtle rhythmic flow of this fluid is a little like the breathing rhythm or cardiovascular rhythm. This tidal pulsing affects the lining of the vessel containing this fluid (the meninges) aswell as the delicate nervous tissue housed within it (the brain and the spinal cord).