Managing the nervous system is key to managing your stress. Craniosacral Therapy is a tender non-invasive treatment that supports the nervous system. It has shown great promise for lowering stress levels and improving general health.
When facing stress, which is often caused by external forces or circumstances, your nervous system becomes activated and energized. Fight-or-flight reactions are regulated by your sympathetic nervous system and prepare you to confront or run away from situations that your brain perceives as threats.
The fight or flight response ensures your survival in dangerous or what seem to be life-threatening situations. However, uncontrolled, this response can emerge amid the most benign circumstances and eventually lead to anxiety, panic attacks, and a host of other mental and emotional health concerns.
The Connection Between the Craniosacral System and the Nervous System
The craniosacral system is closely related to the nervous system. It’s composed of the membranes and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that envelop and protect the brain, along with the spinal cord. CSF is essential for maintaining the health of your central nervous system.
Cerebrospinal fluid acts as a cushion around the brain and spinal cord, shielding them from trauma and absorbing shocks. It also serves to cleanse waste materials from the brain so that it can function optimally. Moreover, this liquid helps lessen the pressure on the base of your brain stem or other structures.
When we are stressed out, our central neural activity goes into overdrive: at such times CSF flow may be obstructed causing an imbalance within the craniosacral system by increasing tension and pressure. By restoring normality in CFS movement, CST supports the central nervous system and overall well-being.
What Happens When We Are Stressed
When stress becomes chronic, it can result in a variety of physical and mental challenges. When our bodies and minds are constantly in a state of alert, they experience increased levels of hormones connected with stress, primarily cortisol, which can easily disrupt a variety of bodily functions: Muscles can become tense, emotional states can emerge and remain, headaches can appear amid the smallest stressors, and digestive troubles or sleep problems can appear due to prolonged stress. On an emotional level this can result in anxiety, depression, or worse.
Relieving Stress: Helping the Nervous System
In order to handle and alleviate stress properly, it’s essential that we support our nervous system by activating the parasympathetic nervous system which is responsible for rest, digestion and restoration. Breathing deeply, meditating quietly, and therapies like CST can help trigger the parasympathetic nervous system and awaken your naturally peaceful state of being.
How Cranial Sacral Therapy Helps You Relieve Stress
Studies show that CST can dramatically reduce symptoms of stress and anxiety through deep relaxation and increasing the natural flow of the cerebral spinal fluid.
A study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that subjects receiving CST experienced a significant decrease in their perceived levels of stress as well as substantial improvements on general well being.
Another study in the The Journal Of Bodywork And Movement Therapies found that CST may decrease anxiety and hyperarousal states found in PTSD patients. By initiating relaxation, stored emotional tensions can more readily be released.
For some, crying can be difficult, but when regularly practiced, the most healing salve imaginable. CST can help even the toughest personality release deeply held stress through tears.
Patients lie down fully clothed and receive gentle touches along the back, starting from the neck, down to the feet, all along the spinal cord. Some people fall asleep during the session and experience a deep state of relaxation. Over time, through multiple sessions, the individual can release the vast majority of what they hold deeply within their emotional, mental, and physical bodies.
During a CST session, the therapist uses light intuitive touch to awaken and nurture the craniosacral system. The therapist manipulates different parts of the body, including the skull, spine, and pelvis, among others. This helps release even the most stubborn blocks, allowing for adequate flow of the CSF.
The therapist tunes into the client’s body sensing rhythmic impulses known as craniosacral motion occurring within the cerebrospinal fluid. As such, it improves circulation and supports brain function, greatly improving the functions of the nervous system.
The CST acts by engaging natural regulatory mechanisms which enable self-correction processes inherent in the human body. This occurs after the parasympathetic part of the autonomic nervous system is fully activated. This downregulates stress responses within the body.
As a result, stress hormone levels can dramatically decrease, muscle tension will dissolve, and mood greatly improves, among a host of other benefits. Regular craniosacral sessions over time help to reset your physiological reaction to stressful situations, making you more resilient when faced with everyday challenges.
Who Can Use CST?
Craniosacral Therapy is appropriate for individuals of all ages and conditions – and for anyone who wants to relax and improve their health.
It is equally helpful for:
- People with chronic stress and anxiety: CST helps soothe the nervous system, lowers stress hormone levels, and induces relaxation.
- Individuals having chronic pain: CST can relieve migraines, TMJ syndrome, neck ache, backache, and other types of chronic pains.
- Children who have developmental delays: CST promotes social interaction skills as well as motor function by regulating the central nervous system in autistic children – and those suffering from ADHD and any other developmental delay.
- Survivors of trauma: Because it gently releases pent up emotional energy, this form of therapy is especially useful during post traumatic recovery periods whether physical or mental occurred.
- Those seeking general well-being : CST calms down a person’s overall state of mind and emotion, therefore anyone wishing to enhance their health may benefit from it.
Who Should Avoid CST?
CST is widely considered a harmless modality. However, this does not mean that it can be used by everyone without exception. People who have had head injuries, suffer from intracranial conditions like brain hemorrhage or aneurysms, suffer from bleeding disorders, or have severe infections should seek western medical guidance before embarking on this path.
CST may also cause significant emotional releases in individuals who have psychological challenges. Before embarking on a CST program, be certain you’re prepared for these releases. If you have concern, reach out to your medical doctor or a licensed psychologist for guideance.
Experiencing CST: What to Expect
The initial CST session can be a transformational experience for many people. It begins with discussing health history, current issues, and potentially some of the deeper or unresolved issues. Following this initial discussion, the physical healing portion of the session will start. You’ll lay down or sit up fully clothed, and the therapist will evaluate your craniosacral rhythms. They’ll use light touches to locate points of stress, tightness, or imbalance.
During this remarkable process, the therapist moves their hands gently along your skull, spine, and other important areas while applying light pressure. This will help you to release tension and allows cerebrospinal fluid to flow better. Most individuals usually feel very relieved and relaxed, while some drift into meditation or even fall asleep. Warmth, tingling, and gentle pulsations are common sensations as the body responds to these therapeutic interventions.
Following your CST, you might experience immediate relief from old stressors and enjoy a feeling of lightness of Being, with an enhanced mental clarity. Some may notice improvement in symptoms straight away, whereas others may observe gradual changes over multiple sessions.
If you are looking for a gentle, beautiful way to release stress, I hope you give CST a try. In our fast-paced, modern lives, it is increasingly difficult to find genuine moments of respite and healing. Let a CST session to nurture you back to feeling like yourself again.