The Healing Power of Gentle Touch
Written by Cheryl Kiraly |
Most people have not heard of CranioSacral Therapy, a light touch technique which can create dramatic improvements in your life. Particularly for those who are trying to recover from injury, CranioSacral Therapy can shorten healing time and reduce pain by releasing tensions deep in the body.
What is CranioSacral Therapy? CranioSacral Therapy deals with the flow of energy through the body. If any part of the body experiences a disruption of that energy, that part does not function properly. Since all the nerves of the body pass through the spine, and nerves carry the body’s energy impulses back and forth to the brain, it is essential to keep these nerve pathways free from injury, compression, swelling or misalignment. The term CranioSacral is referring to the area between the top of the spine, the cranium, and the bottom of the spine, the sacrum. This therapy focuses on repairing and maintaining energy flow between those two points, and thus throughout the body.
Let’s look at what happens after a bad fall or a car accident. Impact causes misalignments of the spine and other body parts. Chiropractic and massage can treat most of the injury with therapy directed at bones, joints and muscles. If even a small amount of the nerve trauma remains, there can be ongoing discomfort and pain. The injury seems to never fully subside.
In the same way, long-term stress affects the body in ways similar to injuries caused by sudden trauma. Stress is like a slow-motion train wreck. Your body can only handle so much prolonged stress and strain before tissues begin to tighten and potentially affect the brain and spinal cord. This can compromise the function of the central nervous system and the performance of nearly every other system in your body.
All the nerve pathways through the body are encased in sheaths of protective material. If any part of a nerve sheath is damaged or compressed, the nerve does not function properly and some part of the body suffers. In CranioSacral Therapy, the therapist identifies the area of restriction and applies gentle pressure to release any restrictions they find, allowing the entire body to relax and self-correct. This is all done while the client is fully clothed.
CranioSacral Therapy has been found to be effective in relieving migraines, chronic neck and back pain, stress-related disorders, spinal cord injuries, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, motor-coordination disorders, central nervous system disorders, ADD/ADHD, among others. Because it is so gentle CranioSacral Therapy can be effective for all ages, from newborns to seniors.
References:
1. Upledger John E. Your Inner Physician and You: CranioSacral Therapy and SomatoEmotional Release. North Atlantic Books, Berkeley 1997.
2. Upledger John E. CranioSacral Therapy I Study Guide. The Upledger Institute, Inc. Berkeley 2000.
For more info, contact Cheryl Kiraly LMT at (775) 772-9101.
