What makes craniosacral therapy such a powerful treatment? Most likely, it is because craniosacral therapy (CST) treats the individual as a whole and does not separate out the physical body from the influences of the spiritual, emotional and mental bodies. As science is further discovering, there is no separation between these aspects of our beings.

CST is a way of being with life through an intention to be more vital, whole and alive. We allow the body’s consciousness/inner wisdom to precede and guide the session instead of mental intelligence of what “should” be. By tapping into and melding with the consciousness of the individual with the intention of healing, the unconscious level of being may step forward, revealing thoughts, emotions and memories of unresolved issues stored in the client’s tissues. From a place of nonjudgmental neutral and acceptance, the body’s wisdom can then direct and release healing down to the cellular and mystical level.

There has been much debate over what is the craniosacral rhythm (CSR), its rate, amplitude and symmetry for over a century. Studies performed by Danish scientist Thomas Rasmussen, Ph.D., MSC, MST-D have now put much of that to rest. Working with Karl Christian Meulengract (who built a machine to measure and record the CSR), the two were able to verify the presence of the CSR and its variance within a group of 50 normal individuals. They were able to identify this rhythm separate from the respiratory and cardiac rhythm, noting that the average CSR was between 4 and 7 cycles/minute. It is believed that this rhythm reflects tension stored in the nervous system or tissues. Release of this tension allows for greater circulation to the nervous system or other tissues, allowing for more vitality, improved self-regulation and wellness of the being.

Rasmussen then did further testing of what happens to the CSR during a craniosacral treatment. In advanced trainings in CST referred to as somato-emotional release, the therapist is taught how to induce a still point (a sudden stop in the CSR) and to sense when the body experiences a sudden stop of the CSR, called a Significance Detector (SD). The SD indicates that something significant is “speaking” from the body/mind/spirit. While the CSR feels as if it has stopped, actual testing showed that it continued throughout the treatment. However, as practitioners and clients experienced, the CSR itself seemed to have stopped. It’s as if a doorway into Karionic/Aionic Time (time of the self—a limitless, timeless awareness) has opened.

Many of us have experienced this time-space moment when painting, writing or observing a beautiful scene. Time seems to have stopped, yet creation continues. It was also noted that during the SD and nearing the end of this space-time experiential treatment, the amplitude of the skull increased significantly, compared to the previous monitoring during the session. This large shift in amplitude is believed to increase fluid to the brain (ease circulation and flow of cerebrospinal fluid) and have a positive change in the fascial tensegrity of the structures of the skull, its contents and that of the entire body. It is during this experience that clients sense a large shift within themselves.

We currently do not have the instrumentation to measure the changes that may be occurring at a cellular, physiological, emotional and spiritual level. This treatment is one that often eludes our own explanations as to what the client is experiencing. Perhaps this advanced craniosacral treatment allows the client to touch the self in a timeless space, where self-realization becomes a possibility. From a place of timeless space, stepping into the knowing of a new possibility allows for the self-healing mechanism of the body to cascade on all levels for the client. They have an improved sense of wholeness, well-being, resolution and insight to a deeper knowing of themselves after a treatment.

Jean Read offers craniosacral treatments, which may also be combined with visceral manipulation, lymphatic stimulation or myofascial techniques. She has been trained by the Upledger Institute on using CST for specific brain structures. Connect at 956-566-5443, [email protected] or IAHP.com/Jean-Read. See ad, page 33.