CranialSacral Therapy

CranialSacral Therapy in action. Image by Johannes Kirchherr from Pixabay

Dr. John Upledger, an osteopath and the eventual founding father of CranialSacral Therapy, was assisting with a surgery in the 1960s. The supervising surgeon’s objective was to scrape a calcified plaque off the membrane surrounding the spinal cord of a patient – delicate work wielding a scalpel so near the spinal cord itself where one slip could be disastrous for the patient. Upledger’s task as the assistant was to hold the spinal cord still with forceps while the surgeon scraped away the plague – a simple precautionary task according to the understanding of the day. The spinal cord and column were thought to be static and ossified structures, so there should have been no problems with this operation. To Upledger’s great embarrassment, he found that he could not hold the spinal cord still – it moved continuously with a subtle-respiration-like cycle, slowly and subtly undulating back and forth. Somehow, the operation was completed without incident, but the phenomenon they had encountered was a mystery. Standard medical texts of the day made no mention of it.

Shortly after, Upledger had the opportunity to attend a training on cranial bones and their purported movement (a controversial and disputed notion at the time), and he realized that the phenomenon he had encountered in the surgery was the same one he was being taught about in the training. The cranium, the spinal cord, and the sacrum were all connected as a living, unified and integrated system, and Upledger discovered this system could be accessed, evaluated, and worked with through palpation to relieve inhibitions or blocks in the circulation of cerebrospinal fluid and thereby improve the health of patients.

Upledger eventually became a professor of osteopathy at Michigan State University (1975-83), also working in biomechanics. After his academic stint, he moved to establish the Upledger Institute, as he realized the techniques he was developing in what came to be known as CranialSacral Therapy (CST) could be taught to great effect to other health care therapists and to members of the general public. Dr. Upledger passed away in 2012, but his work continues through the Institute. Today, CST thrives world-wide; over 150,000 practitioners trained in more than 122 countries have taken Upledger courses.

CranioSacral Therapy (CST) was pioneered and developed by osteopathic physician John E. Upledger following extensive scientific studies from 1975 to 1983 at Michigan State University, where he served as a clinical researcher and Professor of Biomechanics. CranioSacral Therapy (CST) is a gentle, hands-on method of evaluating and enhancing the functioning of a physiological body system called the craniosacral system – comprised of the membranes and cerebrospinal fluid that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord. Using a soft touch generally no greater than 5 grams, or about the weight of a nickel, practitioners release restrictions in the craniosacral system, which has been shown to improve the functioning of the central nervous system, as well as many other systems of the body, such as digestive, musculoskeletal, respiratory, circulatory, and more. CST has also been shown to help with the physical components related to such somatic conditions as Post Traumatic Stress, depression and anxiety.

Upledger Institute International, What is CranialSacral Therapy?

By facilitating the body’s natural and innate healing processes, CST is increasingly used as a preventive health measure for its ability to bolster resistance to disease, and is effective for helping people with a wide range of healthcare challenges associated with pain and dysfunction, including:

Above from the Upledger Institute website

What does the cranialsacral rhythm feel like? A very subtle tide, coming in, going out. It takes some practice, stillness, and sensitivity to feel it for the first time. Palpation usually begins at either the ankles or the head. When the rhythm is picked up, there is a gentle undulation happening, six to twelve times a minute, distinct from the other rhythms one would feel in the body – the heartbeat, the respiration, etc. While there is a slight rise and fall to the rhythm, it more frequently manifests as a turning out away from the body midline, followed by a turning back towards the body midline, termed flexion and extension respectively. The following video does a masterful job illustrating the tidal nature of this rhythm.

CranialSacral Therapy in practice:

Clients most often report sessions as being extremely relaxing, even comforting, as cranial sessions tend to be suffused with stillness and presence, from both therapist and client. The touch is very light (“sattvic” in polarity therapy lingo), usually with no more than 5 grams of pressure (the weight of a nickel) applied. A good therapist has the knowledge and ability to induce still points in the session, temporary pauses of varying duration in the CSR system, used to promote balance, integration, and healing within. Cranial sacral work honors and expresses the deep value of the entire person, making clients frequently feel, perhaps for the first time, that they have been deeply “listened” to (both audibly and physically) in a nonjudgmental and supportive space. Clients usually report pain reduction and/or energizing afterwards; their countenances glow and frequently there is a smile on their face. Cranial work is sometimes called the “Rolls-Royce” of bodywork modalities for these and other reasons.

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