Craniosacral Therapy

Craniosacral Therapy

Craniosacral therapy, also known as CST, is an alternative medicine modality embraced by physiotherapists, osteopaths, massage therapists, naturopaths, and chiropractors.

During a craniosacral therapy session, the therapist places their hands on the patient to attune themselves to the craniosacral rhythm. Advocates of craniosacral therapy assert its efficacy in addressing mental stress, neck and back pain, migraines, TMJ Syndrome, and chronic pain conditions like fibromyalgia.

Critics have categorized craniosacral therapy as pseudoscientific, lacking a biologically plausible mechanism and diagnostic reliability.

Typically, a craniosacral therapy session involves the client remaining fully clothed in a supine position for about an hour. In the Upledger method, practitioners follow a ten-step protocol that serves as a general guideline.

These steps include analyzing the base cranial rhythm, inducing a still point at the skull's base, manipulating the sacrum, elongating the lumbar-sacral spine, addressing various diaphragms, releasing the hyoid bone, and addressing each cranial bone individually.

Practitioners exercise discretion in selecting which steps to apply to each client and may not always follow them sequentially, considering factors like time constraints and the extent of trauma.

Therapists lightly place their hands on the patient's body, attuning themselves to the patient's condition by "listening" with their hands, or as described by Sutherland, by using "thinking fingers."

The practitioner's sense of being attuned to the patient is termed entrainment. Patients often report experiencing deep relaxation during and after treatment sessions, sometimes feeling light-headed. While this relaxation is commonly associated with increased endorphin levels, research indicates that the effects may be influenced by the endocannabinoid system.