CranioSacral Therapy: Light Touch for Deep Healing

CranioSacral Therapy is a gentle and effective method for resolving physical and emotional issues. The therapist takes advantage of the continuity of the body's connective tissue (which connects and supports every part of your body) to be able to access and correct any restrictions within this connective tissue. Because the therapist uses a very light touch, tissue "guarding" does not occur and the therapist is able to work deeply - all the way down to the level of the central nervous system.

Once the central nervous system is involved, it is possible to work with a very wide array of problems. Unlike many other health care modalities, CranioSacral Therapy's goal is to locate and treat the cause of the condition, rather than the symptom. There are no side effects as with medications and no scarring as with invasive procedures.

This therapy is empowering for the person receiving it because it works with the body's ability to self-correct. This is the same mechanism that allows the body to heal a cut or to fight an infection. There are times when the body's self-correcting mechanism is overwhelmed and when intervention is necessary. A deep cut may require stitches, but once it is closed it is the body that takes over and does the actual healing. Antibiotics are useless if the person's immune system is not able to function properly. There is nothing that will "cure" a medical condition if the body is not able to take over and complete the healing process itself.

Once a person understands this, they develop a better appreciation for their body's "inner wisdom" and they can become more active in their own health. The therapist acts as a facilitator for this process to gently help the body to overcome the restrictions that may be preventing it from correcting itself more effectively.

Because CranioSacral Therapy works through the connective tissue to gently unravel restrictions and to allow better functioning of the central nervous system, it can effectively treat a diverse range of conditions, such as headaches and migraines, TMJ dysfunction, chronic neck and back pain, ADD/ADHD, orthopedic problems, post traumatic stress disorder, brain and spinal cord injuries, chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia, infantile disorders, post-surgical problems, learning disabilities, and a myriad of other problems.

In addition, most people find that a CranioSacral Therapy session is pleasant and relaxing.

CranioSacral Therapy was developed by Dr. John E. Upledger, osteopathic physician and professor of biomechanics, at Michigan State. Together with a team of scientists, he spent eight years (1975-1983) researching the work of Dr. William G. Sutherland, the developer of Cranial Osteopathy. Through this research, many of Dr. Sutherland's original ideas were verified. Based on his own clinical experience, Dr. Upledger went on to modify his approach and eventually develop what has become known as CranioSacral Therapy.

Through his work in his clinical practice, he came to understand that an "open mind and a caring attitude" were what was most important to being able to do the work well. Working with parents and caregivers, he eventually realized that, with a little instruction, they were capable of getting great results. To the displeasure of his colleagues, he began teaching non-physicians how to do the work.

In 1985, he founded the Upledger Institute which now oversees worldwide training of CranioSacral Therapy. The Institute's Healthplex Clinic has treated patients from all over the world.