A new video has been uploaded to the Craniosacral Therapy Asssociation website under the “About CST” button .

This video gives you an overview of what Craniosacral Therapy is and how it works with the source of the pain and dysfunction in the body, and allows our own innate healing mechanism to be supported. The video features Kate Mackinnon, a well known Craniosacral Therapy Practitioner.

She has authored a book called “From my Hands and Heart: Achieving Health and Balance with Craniosacral Therapy” published with Hay House in May 2013.

Here is a introduction to her book:

“Craniosacral therapy (CST) is a powerful hands-on treatment that supports the body’s own wisdom and innate ability to heal. Tens of thousands of practitioners around the world can attest to the effectiveness of this rapidly growing therapy. In From My Hands and Heart, Kate Mackinnon interweaves her personal journey of using CST with case studies and detailed, easy-to-understand explanations of the theory behind it. Whether you’ve never heard of CST before, thought it didn’t apply to you, or are currently undergoing treatments, this book has something for you.”

Mackinnon guides you through creating a team of practitioners focused on your well-being, and explains how to help yourself at home between sessions. You’ll learn simple, safe techniques that almost anyone can perform and receive. Most important, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the amazing powers of the human body and how, with individualized support through CST, it can find its own way to balance and health.

Peter Farnsworth N.D.

For centuries, people of Asia, the Middle East, the Baltic regions and numerous island nations have recognized the symptoms of trapped emotions and have practiced various forms of release.

In this day and age, it’s more critical than ever for hands-on practitioners to understand the options for releasing trapped emotions. Emotions have a powerful effect on our psyches, as well as our bodies. Positive emotions generate a sense of lightness and ease of movement. They can manifest as a desire to run, sing, smile and even dance. Negative emotions also generate body responses. They cause our shoulders to slump, our muscles to contract and our blood pressure to rise.

The negative emotions that become lodged in the tissues are the culprit in many cases of emotion-generated ailments. Emotions are designed to move through the body. When someone tells you a joke, your natural tendency is to laugh. The feeling it generates eventually moves through your body and out via the diaphragm and vocal chords. In the same way, if you stub your toe, you might experience a flash of anger and then curse or pound your fists into a pillow. These are all natural responses that allow emotions to effectively move through and then out of your body.

It gets fascinating when you look at the differences between the life cycles of positive emotions versus their negative counterparts. Emotions such as joy, humor and empowerment move freely through our bodies. We enjoy, even encourage their presence, so they can travel unimpeded through our bodies and efficiently complete their life cycle.

Negative emotions aren’t as welcome as positive emotions. When we experience sadness, anger, resentment, loneliness or sorrow, we feel it deeply. And because it hurts, we sometimes suppress those parts of ourselves to keep the pain from intensifying or spreading. Imbalances often occur when we resist an emotion and its natural path through the body. Resistance can cause an emotion to lock into body tissue, eventually leading to physical ailments.

Locating Trapped Emotions

As therapists who work hands-on with clients, we regularly see cases in which traditional medicine has been ineffective in providing relief from common impairments. Trapped emotions often are the underlying cause. We can locate the emotions when we encounter areas of the body so tight that the energy flow, fluid flow and craniosacral motion are all restricted.

These restricted flow patterns indicate an imbalance that the body needs help dealing with. Often, simply placing your hands there begins a natural process that releases the emotion. Other CranioSacral techniques also can cause the emotion to regain movement along its natural trajectory out of the body.

Intellectually, we also might be curious to learn which emotion has created the disharmony. There certainly are times when an emotion will manifest or even declare itself. But what we are seeking is the release of the held emotion, not its identity. We are not psychoanalysts; we are body-based therapists. Our goal is to assist the body in its own natural self-corrective capabilities so it can regain its full health and function.

There are a variety of ways to release trapped emotions: acupuncture, journaling, talk therapy or even exercise. But the most reliable method I know of is SomatoEmotional Release (SER), an approach I developed along with biophysicist Zvi Karni at MSU. SER was designed specifically to release trapped emotions and allow the physical ailments that often accompany them to resolve naturally. The powerful results often include improved body functioning, loss of pain, greater mobility and more enjoyment of life.

Understanding the Full Range of Responses

The release of painful or hurtful emotions can cause clients to react in many different ways. They might burst into tears, curl into a fetal position, curse, shake, laugh uncontrollably or even strike the massage table.

When you’re well-versed in SER, you’ll understand that these outbursts are merely components of an emotional release. You’ll also learn ways to guide your clients through releases without their needing to have these reactions. After all, the purpose of an emotional release is not to get your clients in touch with their feelings. Rather, it’s to guide them to a natural state that allows the emotions trapped within them to dissipate on their own.

Frequently, releasing emotions also provides the client with important bursts of insight. You might never learn what the emotions were, but your clients may gain a profound understanding of their affliction, what caused it, and what it means to them personally. This can be invaluable information that serves them well as they continue to progress through their lives.

While releasing emotions is a highly rewarding aspect of hands-on therapy, it’s not recommended for beginning therapists or for those who prefer to suspend their own thought processes while working on clients. However, if you are a therapist who wants to grow and gain a better understanding of stubborn afflictions, I highly encourage you to learn more about SomatoEmotional Release.

Written by John Upledger, DO, OMM

Yet for all of our technological wizardry, it is more apparent every day that nothing dreamed up in a laboratory has more power to facilitate true healing than the essence of nature itself.

When we refine our ability to channel that power through our bodies and minds, we become the living medical instruments we were meant to be. This is demonstrated to me every day with stories like that of Donna Busse, LMT, CST-D. Here she shares an experience she had with a migraine client who couldn’t be helped by conventional medicine alone. (The client’s name has been changed to protect her privacy.)

Theresa is a 36-year-old practicing RN who is married with a 3-year-old child. She presented with migraine headaches that started in 1993. The migraines usually would occur once a week for two to three days at a time. She had discomfort behind her right eye. Lights and noise aggravated her pain and she experienced nausea, but no vomiting.

Under physician’s care, Theresa tried numerous therapies to relieve the pain. The first consisted of food elimination and special diets, with no results. She attended the headache clinic at a nearby teaching hospital and received a CT scan, which was negative. She tried numerous drug therapies, but none of them reduced the length or duration of the pain. By the time she came to see me, her physician was scheduled to inject her scalp with Botox to relax the musculature.

After arcing her body, I was drawn immediately to her sacrum. It was extremely tight with little range of motion. Her sacral base was pulled to the right. Her O-A (occiput-atlas axis) was very tight, especially on the right side. Her dural tube appeared twisted.

All of Theresa’s cranial bones felt tight, especially the sphenoid and temporals. The sphenoid had an extension lesion and a right torsion. Her maxillae and vomer were compressed. The right palatine presented in a locked superior-medial position.

After further examination and discussion, Theresa remembered she had experienced pain in her right lower back after lifting a patient years ago. I found her right quadratus lumborum to be extremely tight. After helping her stretch this muscle and performing some muscle energy techniques, her pelvis was balanced.

Using the L5/S1 iliac gap and mild traction, her sacrum mobilized and became midline. After several sessions, the O-A also had a nice release. After decompressing the maxillae and vomer, I felt more movement in the sphenoid. Then, after addressing the sphenoid, the extension lesion and right torsion were balanced. Theresa’s right palatine mobilized and balanced nicely.

Throughout her sessions with me, Theresa’s entire membrane system demonstrated increased movement, especially in the tentorium after the temporal and sphenoid work. I used direction-of-energy techniques to help release several energy cysts from her sacrum, right iliac crest and sphenoid. The twist in her dural tube appeared to be gone.

The day after her first session, Theresa experienced a headache, but she was amazed because it lasted only one day. Two-and-a-half weeks later, she had another one-day headache. On the day of her fifth visit, she had a small headache, but it was gone by the end of our session. Since then, Theresa has remained headache-free. She said that during this time period (60 days), she usually experienced at least 28 days of pain. While under my care, she had only two days of mild pain.

I saw Theresa for a total of six sessions, each one hour in duration. The first three sessions were a week apart, and the remaining two were two to three weeks apart. The cost of CranioSacral Therapy has been $300. She said her previous treatments cost about $3,000.

Written by John Upledger, DO, OMM

Originally defined by Dr. John Upledger and a team of researchers at Michigan State University in the 1970s, the model explains the palpable, rhythmic expansion and contraction of the craniosacral system.

The brain and spinal cord are surrounded by cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). This fluid transports nutrients, hormones and peptides. It removes metabolic waste and toxic substances. It serves as a shock absorber, floating the brain to counteract gravity. It even influences respiration and cerebral blood flow, among its many functions. Given all this, it’s easy to see how essential it is for CSF to flow unimpaired. If an area of brain tissue is even partially deprived of optimal CSF motion and flow, that area will be forced into some degree of functional compromise.

Cerebrospinal fluid is held within the dural membrane that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. This tough, watertight sac takes the shape of the interior of the cranium and intervertebral canal. Though dura mater doesn’t stretch much, this fluid container is flexible and allows for CSF pressure changes. When pressure increases, the dural membrane expands, and the bones of the cranium and sacrum move along with it. When pressure decreases, the reverse occurs.

This filling of the craniosacral system is known as flexion, and the emptying is known as extension. During flexion, the head becomes wider transversely and shorter in its anterior-posterior dimension. The whole body externally rotates and widens. After flexion, this motion passes through a neutral zone on its way into extension, during which the head narrows and elongates and the whole body internally rotates.

Under normal circumstances, the craniosacral system proceeds cyclically through flexion and extension at a rate of about six to 12 cycles per minute. We can feel this rhythm at various places on the body because “this whole-body response is probably due to the pumping effect of the cerebrospinal fluid upon the motor system … which causes a rhythmical tonification and detonification of the myofascial system in response to rhythmically fluctuating nerve signals.”2

Tracing the Flow of Cerebrospinal Fluid Through the Craniosacral System

So, we have a hydraulic system that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. To understand how it is semi-closed, we must first understand how CSF enters and leaves the system. Within the ventricles of the brain, you’ll find a capillary network – the choroid plexus – that produces CSF. In essence, blood circulating through the choroid plexus is “turned into” CSF, which then enters the craniosacral system.

he choroid plexus has stretch- and compression-sensing receptors within the saggital suture of the cranium. As CSF is added to the craniosacral system and its volume increases, the dural container expands, spreading the bones of the head. The parietal bones then move apart and spread the saggital suture. When this happens, the whole neuromechanism signals the choroid plexus to stop or greatly reduce the production of CSF. As the fluid drains from the system, the dura and cranium shrink and the parietals come together, compressing the saggital suture. The pressure-sensing nerve endings connected to the choroid plexus then send a signal to resume CSF production and the cycle repeats.

Normally, the system seems to operate on a cycle of about six seconds; CSF is produced for about three seconds and then production ceases for about three seconds. This creates the rhythmical rise and fall of fluid pressure within the system.

From the lateral ventricles, CSF enters the third ventricle via the foramina of Monro, then the fourth ventricle via the cerebral aqueduct. The CSF then enters the subarachnoid space and the central canal of the spinal cord via the foramina of Luschka and of Magendie, where it joins the CSF that is already bathing the brain and spinal cord, and all neural tissue enclosed by the dura mater. The fluid then circulates down and around the spinal cord and up and around the brain.

Cerebrospinal fluid passes out of the semi-closed hydraulic system via folds – called arachnoid granulation bodies or arachnoid villae – of the arachnoid layer of the cranial meninges that project through the inner layer of dura mater into the venous sinuses of the brain.3 CSF is reabsorbed into the venous blood through these arachnoid villae, which are primarily in the saggital venous sinous.

Although the rate of reabsorption is fairly constant, it seems to be regulated (think of a car idling) by a cluster of arachnoid granulation bodies found at the anterior end of the straight sinus. From its position at the “crossroads” of the intracranial membranes, this cluster can become aware of any tension within the membrane system and may regulate the outflow of CSF accordingly.

To summarize in a different way, the craniosacral system is like a leaking toilet with the tank cracked into pieces and lined with a giant exam glove (which is the dural membrane). The float-switch in the toilet tank is the saggital suture, which causes an inflow whenever enough water/CSF leaks away down the drain (sinuses).

Generating Whole-Body Effects

The craniosacral system is intimately related to the nervous, musculoskeletal, vascular, lymphatic, endocrine and respiratory systems. Just as abnormalities in the structure or function of any of these systems can influence the craniosacral system, abnormalities in or injuries to the structure or function of the craniosacral system can have profound and deleterious effects on the development or function of the nervous system, especially the brain.4

There are also ways in which the craniosacral system directly influences important, ongoing physiological processes. For instance, the continuing rhythmical movement of the system may serve to “milk” the pituitary gland and affect the neuroendocrine system. The rhythmic motion may also be an important stimulus for the development of the brain. Similarly, the motion around the skull sutures may pump the newly formed red blood cells out of the flat bones of the skull and into the general circulation.5

Of course, any abnormality of the craniosacral system could impact the body or any of its parts through the central nervous system. Any deficiency in circulation of CSF could affect brain and nerve functioning. Any restriction of nerves passing out of the craniosacral system due to restrictions in the cranial sutures or membranes may affect their end organs. Thanks to the Pressurestat Model, we can see why.

References

1. Upledger JE. Cerebrospinal Fluid: What It Is and Where To Find It. The Upledger Institute, Inc., 1988.
2. Ibid.
3. Tabor’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary. FA Davis Co., 2001.
4. Upledger JE, Vredevoogd J. Craniosacral Therapy. Eastland Press, 1983.
5. Upledger JE. Craniosacral Therapy II: Beyond the Dura. Eastland Press, 1987.

Written by John Rollinson, D. Eu, CST-D; guest author for John Upledger, DO, OMM

Personally, I feel like I was preparing to do this work from the time I was 4 years old. I can remember one specific event in December of 1931. My parents were throwing a holiday party and in walked this guy holding an accordion. The more he played, the more fascinated I became. For days afterward I kept telling my dad, “I want to get a ‘stomach squeezer’ like that.” I didn’t know what the instrument was called, but I sure knew that I liked it.

My dad, who was a very good guy, said, “Johnny, I can’t afford an accordion right now. But we’ll work on it.” True to his word, he did a little research and found out that Wurlitzer was a good name for instruments. So one day he took me to the Wurlitzer store in downtown Detroit. They said they would give me accordion lessons, but I had to be at least 5 years old. Well, my birthday was coming up on February 10, 1932. So I had to wait rather impatiently. But sure enough, when the big day came, my dad gave me an accordion he had rented for three months. He started taking me for lessons every week.

The first couple times I went, I played the way the teacher told me to. Then I realized that I didn’t like the way it sounded, so I started changing the music. The teacher didn’t like that. She would whack me on my fingers with a pencil and say, “Do it the way I told you to.” And I’d reply, “But I like it like this.” Finally she complained to my father. And my father said to me, “I’ll tell you what, Johnny. Downstairs in the basement they sell popular music – three sheets for a dollar. Every time you come down from your music lesson with a gold star, we’ll get you three sheets of songs that you like.”

At 5 years old, that was about the most exciting news I’d ever heard. And you know what we would do? We would sit by the radio together at night and listen for what was popular at the time. Then we would get that sheet music and I’d pick up my accordion and learn how to play it. Eventually, I became good enough that my dad started taking me to parties and other places to entertain. I’d take my accordion and play for sometimes 100 people at a time. The first time we did it, Dad put a little cup beside me. At the end of the night there was about $40 in there. And I thought, “Wow, here I am just a kid, and already I’m a businessman!”

From then on, until my dad died shortly after my 14th birthday, he took me to entertain at least a few times a year. He knew I loved it. But even more than that, I loved the way he believed in me.

As I look back, I can see how tuning into the melody and vibration of music with my hands as a child was preparing me to intuitively sense the therapeutic effects of the craniosacral rhythm years later. Thanks to my dad’s love and support, I also inherited a strong sense of self, which served me well when I was developing CranioSacral Therapy and SomatoEmotional Release (SER) at Michigan State University. There was no real roadmap for this work, especially with SER. My undergrad degree is in psychology and I had always been fascinated with the body/mind complex. But when it came right down to it, when there was emotion trapped in the tissues, I could just hear it with my hands.

Now I tell therapists it’s as simple as this: Lighten your touch, listen with an intention to serve, and trust what you feel. If you can do that, then you’ve got what it takes to be a good craniosacral therapist. Chances are, you’ve had it all along.

Written by John Upledger, DO, OMM

When I reached him he was rehabilitating in a nursing home with little hope of recovery. His sole goal with CranioSacral Therapy was simply to gain enough function to operate his computerized wheelchair. Yet it quickly became clear to us that any improvement would be welcome. So at the approval of the nursing home, I led a “multi-hands” CranioSacral Therapy intensive program. I worked with Bill alongside multiple therapists for 2 weeks: 5 hours a day, 5 days a week. Kafka had arranged for several practitioners to join us; each one had basic craniosacral training and experience. My intention was not only to support Bill in his process, but also to help Cindy and her colleagues strengthen their skills and feel more confident in their ability to work with him on their own, after my departure.

Simple Techniques in Several Hands

At our initial evaluation, Bill’s gray complexion indicated very poor circulation; his cranial vault had the sensation of being fused; and there was no palpable craniosacral rhythm. He had a serious infection in his toes. And he told us that for 6 months, doctors had been unable to control his raging bladder infection. He couldn’t pass a normal bowel movement without pharmaceutical help. And as you would expect from dealing with a multitude of health problems, he was depressed.

As a therapeutic team, we blended together to support Bill in what would become a transformational journey. We listened deeply to his body, helped release restrictions in his craniosacral and fascial systems, encouraged the whole-body flow of fluid, and supported him in his process in whatever way he needed. Our job was to trust the work, trust our hands, and trust Bill’s body to lead us through his unique healing sequence.

“Cranial pumping,” a simple technique taught in entry-level CranioSacral Therapy, quickly proved invaluable. Essentially, the therapist tunes into the craniosacral rhythm while using gentle pressure to nudge the end range of flexion and extension. By day three, this technique had helped Bill’s coloring change so dramatically that his night nurse, who had no idea what we were doing during the day, insisted on checking his temperature.

Bill’s fluid circulation continued to improve every day. As he slowly gained more vitality, he became stronger, his outlook improved, and he began interacting more positively with everyone around him. On the fifth day of therapy, the infection in Bill’s toes was gone, and he also reported that he had finally started relieving his bowel independently.

Article written by Nancy Westphal, LMT, CST-D; guest author for John Upledger, DO, OMM