CranioSacral Therapy (CST), developed by osteopathic physician John Upledger, is a gentle, hands-on approach that releases tensions deep in the body to relieve pain and dysfunction and improve whole-body health and performance. Using a soft touch, generally no greater than 5 grams (about the weight of a nickel), our practitioners will assess your craniosacral rhythm and release restrictions in the soft tissues that surround your central nervous system. By normalizing the environment around the brain and spinal cord and enhancing your body's ability to self-correct, CranioSacral Therapy is able to alleviate a wide variety of dysfunctions, from chronic pain and sports injuries to stroke and neurological impairment.
Few structures have as much influence over your body's ability to function properly as the brain and spinal cord of the central nervous system, which is, in turn, heavily influenced by the craniosacral system, the membranes and fluid that surround, protect, and nourish the brain and spinal cord. Every day your body endures stresses and strains that it must work to compensate for. Unfortunately, these changes often cause body tissues to tighten and distort the craniosacral system, which then contributes to tension and restrictions forming around the brain and spinal cord. This can create a barrier to the healthy performance of the central nervous system – and potentially every other system it interacts with. Fortunately, such restrictions can be detected and corrected using simple methods of touch. With a light touch, your CST practitioner will evaluate the craniosacral system by gently feeling various locations of the body to test for the ease of motion and rhythm symmetry of the cerebrospinal fluid pulsing around the brain and spinal cord. Soft-touch techniques are then used to release restrictions in any tissues influencing the craniosacral system.