I understand your frustration completely! I've walked in your shoes!
I struggled with chronic back/neck pain and anxiety for years. A colleague who I was working with in 1997 suggested I see a craniosacral therapist.
I was absolutely amazed after only a few sessions how my pain subsided along with my anxiety level.
This was the missing link for me! Over the years I tried a variety of treatments including chiropractic, massage and traditional physical therapy. All of these modalities were helpful but I felt there was something missing from my plan of care.
I decided after having great success and overcoming my own chronic pain that I needed to learn this powerful technique so that I could share it with my patients.
I immersed myself in learning craniosacral therapy and became an advanced certified craniosacral therapist. I trained at the Upledger Institute and became one of their teaching assistants.
It has changed my life and the lives of many of my patients.
I have been practicing craniosacral therapy since 1997 and have witnessed its power both as a patient and clinician.
So What Is Craniosacral Therapy?
It is a gentle light-touch manual therapy that addresses the central nervous system releasing tensions deep in the body to relieve pain and dysfunction. It decreases stress in the body, improves whole-body health, and increases the immune system.
How does it decrease pain or stress in the body?
Craniosacral therapy addresses our autonomic nervous system. The ANS(autonomic nervous system) is comprised of our parasympathetic and sympathetic system.
The sympathetic system is is known as the "fight/flight/freeze response. For example, when you are in a burning building you need your sympathetic nervous system to kick in so that you can flee and get help.
During this sympathetic response our heart rate increases, senses heighten, pupils dilate, digestion temporarily shuts down, blood pressure increases, muscles tighten, cortisol is released and we are ready to either fight or run away.
The other part of our nervous system is called the parasympathetic nervous system. This is known as the rest and digest response. The PNS(parasympathetic nervous system helps to create balance.
Once a stressful event disappears, all body systems that were highly activated start to slow down again. Heart rate decreases, breathing rate decreases, digestion increases, and calmness sets in.
What does all this mean?
Short term stress is good. It is meant to help us survive. However, if your body is in long term sympathetic stress response it is very bad for your physical and emotional body.
I want to share with you some of the health consequences of our bodies being in a state of prolonged stress activation:
In summary, sympathetic stress is very bad for your body and overall health. It also interferes with your physical therapy outcomes. It causes increased cortisol, increased tightening of the muscles, restricts blood flow and contributes to inflammation in the body.
Craniosacral therapy helps to decrease the sympathetic activation in the body and increase the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system. It helps to balance the body, release the tight tissues, decrease blood pressure, improve circulation and promote healing.
It is also helpful in reducing the adverse side affects of chemo and radiation with cancer patients.
If you are wanting to:
Then click the button below to schedule a consultation to see if Craniosacral therapy is a good fit for you.