Craniosacral Therapy, originating in cranial osteopathy, is a gentle, non-invasive modality. The bio-mechanical approach to Craniosacral Therapy seeks to locate and treat primary restrictions or root causes of issues in the Craniosacral system and throughout the body. Restrictions within the Craniosacral system can lead to tension patterns, and effect the functioning of all bodily systems, leading to a variety of painful and disruptive symptoms.
The ‘Craniosacral system’ includes the membranes that surround the brain and the spinal cord, the cranial bones, sacrum, coccyx and vertebra the membranes attach to and the cerebrospinal fluid that circulates within these membranes. If these membranes are restricted it can cause misalignment in the cranial bones and an increase of inter-cranial pressure. The membranous connection of the sacrum to the cranium can be demonstrated with certain injuries. For example, a fall on the tailbone can results in headaches and a head injury can result in low back pain. Fascia, muscle and joint injuries and restrictions will also be addressed, allowing for the holistic integration and restructuring of the body.
CST helps to restore resilience to the autonomic nervous system by calming the sympathetic fight or flight stress response and initiating the parasympathetic functions of relaxation, repair, healing and digestion. This allows the nervous system and whole body to come into greater balance and is helpful for regulating and calming the effects of stressful and traumatic experiences held in the body. The light touch and presence of the therapist allows deeper access to the core of the client’s structure.
Craniosacral Therapy from a Biodynamic Perspective
I’ve practiced the bio-mechanical approach to Craniosacral Therapy, described above, since 2018. More recently I have discovered and been practicing the Biodynamic approach to Craniosacral Therapy. Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy (BCST) is the most profound and spiritual modality I’ve come across, in that truly meaningful healing and health can emerge from the stillness and being-to-being connection of practitioner and client.
To put it simply, the practitioner attunes to the inherent Health/Bioenergy/Life force/Qi/Prana of the body, while also deeply listening to the tissues and structures, without intention or expectation. This allows the Intelligence of the body to present what needs to be addressed in a session, rather than the treatment plan being based on practitioner diagnosis.
Stillpoints and Resourcing
As mentioned, the BCST practitioner is working directly with the intrinsic life force or Health of the body from which the nervous system, musculoskeletal system and all other systems in the body originate. This Health is always present and never depleted or diminished, even in times of poor health.
Often during sessions, clients drop into one or multiple ‘stillpoints’ of varying depths. A stillpoint is the cessation of the rhythmic tide of the life force, up and down the spine from the cranium to the sacrum. Stillpoints are palpable and noticeable by both practitioner and client.
Stillpoints are the point in time where the nervous system and body deeply resource in the inexhaustible reservoir of life force/Health, which organises and sustains all of the tissues and cells of the body. Stillpoints can range from a superficial ‘working’ stillpoint, where the body is actively processing an underlying disharmony, to very deep stillpoints where clients are very much ‘off with the faeries’. It is in the absence of normal consciousness in these, ‘off with the faeries’ moments, where the truly profound resourcing and re-calibration takes place.
The body naturally drops into stillpoints throughout the day. This is often overridden though by an activated fight, flight or freeze response which maintains a hypervigilant or shutdown nervous system state. Many people are not able to truly, deeply resource and come back to a relaxed, refreshed, vitalised state of being.
BCST guides the body and nervous system into stillpoints, which reboots the system and allows it to, once again, drop into stillpoints naturally throughout the day.
BCST, Stillpoints and Injury Recovery
Why do the effects of some injuries continue to last months or years after the event? There are many different reasons for this but a common one is that treatment plans after injury often only consider and target the physical effects of the injury, for example, damage to tissues, bones, muscles, organs, nerves, blood vessels, etc. The cause of the physical injury – the vector of force sustained at the moment of impact (for example a hard fall onto the tailbone/coccyx) – is often ignored or assumed to be no longer present or having an effect on the body.
Does the energy absorbed from the force of impact fully dissipate after injury? How does the body deal with what does not dissipate? These are essential questions that BCST practitioners consider in their treatment approach.
I come across varying degrees of unresolved vectors of force in client’s tissues daily in clinical practice. After an impact, the body dissipates and releases as much of the force of the impact as possible, based on the resources and energy available. That which cannot be immediately dissipated will be compensated for to minimise the disruption to the system as a whole.
“Potency [life force or qi] concentrates or condenses and becomes inertial in order to constrain and compensate for the presence of an added force. The intention is to contain the unresolved force in the smallest area possible.” Franklyn Sills (key contributor to the field of BCST)
This inertial state is often felt as a deadening of the area (to varying degrees) – a lack of feeling, energy and vitality. With the lack of energetic flow there will be a greater density in the affected tissues and reduced fluid exchange.
It is common for compensations to injuries and surgeries (especially if emotional trauma is involved) to continue decades after the event – until there are the resources and energy available to dissipate the force and revitalise the affected tissues. The compensation is not a one off event but an on-going one that is energetically taxing to the system.
This is where BCST is so helpful. BCST allows the body to enter into deep stillpoints which energetically recharge and resource the body. It is common in a BCST session for the body to resource for the first 30-45 minutes, and then to make known to the attuned practitioner where the inertial site is that needs to be addressed in the session.
The Intelligence of the body prioritises and makes clear the inertial site when it has sufficient resources to resolve the underlying issue. Working in this way is very powerful as the session treatment plan is directed by this Intelligence, rather than practitioner diagnosis.
Below is a message received from a client after a BCST session. It is a good illustration of how the effects of an injury can persist…and how they can also heal.
“Whilst I am still processing the benefits of today’s BCST session, I wanted to thank you for the greatest Christmas gift I have ever received.
Today’s session created a new awakening & awareness of a clearly impactful trauma some 44 years ago. Whilst I have undertaken many various treatments to help alleviate my ongoing physical, emotional & mental stress associated with this experience, and can honestly say that today’s session was without doubt the most positive, powerful & impactful benefit I have ever experienced.
Your gift (which truly transcends understanding) is delivered with such grace, care, compassion & true intent, and I can’t thank you enough for your support & kindness as we continue on through this journey together.
Every Blessing to you & thank you most sincerely for extending this gift to myself & others.”
Tony
Two weeks later he wrote:
“I have had NIL experience of pain (anywhere) since our BCST session, and I’m very much enjoying the experience. Amazingly I can’t even remember where the pain was!!”
