A Soft Touch for a Balanced Nervous System
Often just the thing when harder approaches haven’t been.
Give your brain some space, and see what kind of healing follows. Craniosacral therapy is an exceptionally gentle, hands-on approach that works with the subtle circulation of the cerebrospinal fluid surrounding your brain and spinal cord — sometimes described as listening to the body rather than working on it.
What a session feels like
You stay fully clothed, lying comfortably while I use a very light touch — often no more pressure than the weight of a nickel — at the head, spine, and other points along the body. Many people are surprised by how little seems to be physically happening. Sessions are often described as deeply relaxing, sometimes even meditative, with a sense of release happening well beneath the surface.
Is craniosacral therapy right for me?
Clients usually come to craniosacral work for help with what it specializes in addressing, like headaches, head injuries, and conditions of the ears and sinuses, and/or because something gentler is what their body needs. Craniosacral therapy works on the level of subtle circulation and on the nervous system directly. If massages have helped you feel better for a little while, but the tension rushes right back in, the problem might be in your nervous system holding everything too tight. Similarly, if you’ve suffered a shock of any kind, and your health hasn’t been the same since, your nervous system might need a safe haven to reevaluate and come out of that pattern. You can typically tell after one to three sessions if it’s making a change.
What it may help with
Frequently asked questions
What does craniosacral therapy feel like?
From the outside, it’s one of the gentlest hands-on modalities available. If anything, the light pressure surprises people who expect it to feel like massage. You will feel me moving my hands around, usually mostly on your head, but often other places on your body, including reaching under your back to work with your spine. From the inside, it feels a lot like acupuncture without the needles: floaty, expansive, dreamy, sleepy, sometimes like your circulation or a tingly energy is shifting the way it flows around inside of you. Emotions may rise and then pass, you might experience an a-ha moment or see vivid colors. People are often surprised at how relaxed they feel, given that nothing obvious is really happening. (Brains are wild.)
How is this different from massage?
Massage works directly with soft tissue with a lot of motion and pressure. There’s a lot “happening” in a massage comparatively. In craniosacral therapy, there is mostly stillness. Although there are some muscle releases that resemble deep tissue massage levels of pressure, they are very still. The vast majority of a typical session uses much longer holds at a much lighter touch and works with the nervous system’s own rhythms rather than muscle tissue directly. The two pair well together, and many sessions blend both.
Is craniosacral therapy evidence-based?
That’s a tricky question. In order to be well-researched, a modality has to have the backing to conduct the research, and there’s no “Big Craniosacral” out there funding double-blind studies of statistically significant numbers of patients. So, for now, craniosacral therapy is a complementary approach, not a replacement for medical care, although it is accepted enough to be practiced in some hospitals. What is well established is that many clients find real, subjective benefit in relaxation, stress reduction, and nervous system regulation. Since I began offering craniosacral sessions in 2010, I have seen many tangible, impressive results, so I offer it in good faith to the public. I’m happy to talk through whether it makes sense alongside anything else you’re already doing for a specific concern.
Is craniosacral therapy safe for everyone?
In my experience since 2010, craniosacral therapy normally has no negative side effects, with the exception of one group of clients: three people over the years who had each recently had a stroke. The side effects were relatively mild – some dizziness and disorientation – but that is not normal for a craniosacral session. Other gentle therapies, like Reiki, or rehabilitative programs like Feldenkrais Method, seemed to be a better fit.
How many sessions will I need?
This varies a lot by person and goal, and I prefer to leave it up to you. Sometimes a single session gives you the change you’re looking for. Other times, with a specific goal or a problem that’s a more entrenched, longstanding pattern, a more concentrated series of appointments help change the course of your pattern, and then the sessions can taper off to an as-needed basis after that. Some like craniosacral because it’s relaxing, like massage is, and come in on a rhythm just for general wellness. From my side, I can say for sure that you’re always welcome, and at the same time, I never want to imply that you can’t be well unless you keep seeing me indefinitely. (That’s creepy.) We can talk about what makes sense for you at your first appointment.
What should I wear?
Since you’re basically going to take an advanced nap, wear something comfy you’d nap in, or something you could wear to the gym or a yoga class. If that’s not feasible with the rest of your day, though, don’t worry. The only clothes that are obstacles for me are thick hoods on sweatshirts, necklaces, and leather belts. You will need to take off your shoes and glasses, but other than those, unless your craniosacral is going to be combined with your massage, you stay fully clothed for craniosacral work.