CRANIO-SACRAL THERAPY

by Marie Saraspi, LMP & Cranio-Sacral Practitioner

Cranio-Sacral Therapy (CST) is a very gentle, non-invasive bodywork modality, working with the Cerebrospinal Fluid (which bathes the brain and spinal cord) and the movement of the cranial bones and sacrum.  CST addresses the whole person and operates on the premise that every Body holds the innate wisdom and intelligence to heal itself.  The Cranio-Sacral Practitioner acts as a guide using refined palpation and highly developed listening skills to communicate with the client's tissues to invite their healing response.  

In a Cranio-Sacral session, the client is fully clothed while gentle touch is placed on the cranial bones and/or sacrum as the Practitioner listens for asymmetries and restrictions in their movement until a Still-Point arises and equilibrium is felt.  A skilled Cranio-Sacral Practitioner also listens to the Cranial Wave (the rhythm of the flow of Cerebrospinal Fluid) for any obstructions.

CST is a highly effective treatment for a variety of acute and chronic ailments including Low Back Pain, Sciatica, Muscular Pain, TMJ Dysfunction, Headaches, Migraines, Fibromyalgia, Tinnitus, Whiplash, Vertigo, Anxiety, Depression, Grief and Autism, to name only a few.   CST works deeply rather than just at the level of symptoms.  A Frozen Shoulder that has its roots in an old football injury may find its resolution with CST, when fear that became locked in the tissue from the moment the client's body forcefully hit the ground is finally uncovered and released.    

While working on an around-the-world bicycle tour, a co-worker of mine was bed-ridden for two days following an injury to his back in Australia.  I gave him a one hour CST session and the next morning he was well enough to Scuba-dive pain-free in the Great Barrier Reef! He was shocked to find immediate relief, because twenty years earlier he had suffered a severe herniated disc that left him bed-ridden for two weeks. 

CST has long-lasting effects and continually works long after the client is off the table as the tissues, bones and Cranial Wave move toward and find their optimum balance and rhythm.  CST can bring on deep relaxation and freedom from pain, and over time, as deeply embedded issues and dysfunctional patterns dissolve, inner-peace and grace emerge. 

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*Some Practitioners incorporate some Cranio-Sacral techniques into a massage session while others are also able to provide full Cranio-Sacral Sessions (60, 90 or 120 minutes.)

The following practitioners at New Seattle Massage offer cranio-sacral work:

Alice Ambrose   Christine Coe   Jason Gooch    Julie McCoy Gibson  Leslie Maniccia 

Linda McCoy  Marie Saraspi