Craniosacral work
I have dedicated most of my 36+ years of being a healer to the study, practice and teaching of Craniosacral Work.
My experience is that Craniosacral Work touches into the deepest part of our Being - to our true essence. Within a session, I might be addressing a symptom or restriction (physical, emotional, spiritual), but the foundation of what I am “doing” is calling forth our true natural state of Being.
I feel honored to touch the Divinity in another human being.
To study Craniosacral Work with me, please visit StillMountainHealer.com
CRANIOSACRAL WORK
can be described in many ways. I have spent many years trying to articulate what it is we actually do (or not do) with CS. There is a level of profound mystery to this work. It is multi-dimensional and multi-layered.
What follows is my attempt to describe CS work, its uses, and what to expect.
What is Craniosacral Therapy?
Craniosacral Therapy (CST), (also called Craniosacral Work, Cranial Work, Cranio, Biodynamic Craniosacral Work, Visionary Craniosacral Work®) is a gentle, yet powerful hands-on modality that releases tensions deep in the body to relieve pain and dysfunction and improve health and performance.
The Craniosacral system extends from the bones of the head (cranium) down to the bones at the base of the spine (sacrum). It includes the central nervous system as well as the membranes and cerebrospinal fluid that surround and support the brain and spinal cord.
Life expresses itself as motion. At a deep level of our physiological functioning all healthy, living tissues subtly “breathe” with the motion of life – a phenomenon that produces rhythmic impulses which can be palpated by sensitive hands.
Like the cardiovascular system, the Craniosacral system has inherent rhythms or waves that can be felt throughout the body. These rhythms are usually referred to as the Craniosacral Rhythm or Cranial Wave. The rhythms express what is referred to as ‘primary respiration’, because they underlie and are more fundamental than all the other rhythms of the body (such as heartbeat and lung breathing). Primary respiration is produced by our intrinsic life force, which was called the ‘Breath of Life’ by Dr William Sutherland who developed this approach. (see “What is the Origin of CST?”)
Every condition affecting a person influences the cranial wave, sometimes creating restrictions to this healthy rhythm. Throughout our lives we regularly are met with stresses and traumas. Our body, mind and spirit become patterned, shaped and conditioned according to how we’re able to deal with these stresses. If stresses or traumas are overwhelming to our system, they become locked in the body as sites of inertia. These places of inertia will distort or diminish the cranial wave. They may for example, limit our life force, or “chi”, manifest as areas of pain and discomfort, lower the strength of the immune system, or inhibit optimal functioning of our endocrine system.
Common causes of inertia are physical injuries, emotional and psychological stresses, birth trauma and toxicity.
One of the foundational beliefs of CST is that the health in a person is never lost. There is an inherent intelligence – our essential blueprint of health. The body, mind, and spirit operate as a unified whole, continually working to heal. Within every injury and illness there is an “inherent treatment plan” or a self-correcting mechanism.
The essential aim of craniosacral treatment is to facilitate the expression of primary respiration in tissues that have become inertial, fragmented and distorted. During a session, the practitioner “listens through the hands” to the body’s subtle rhythms and any patterns of inertia or congestion. The practitioner can introduce subtle suggestions, gently facilitate and support the best possible conditions for the optimal alignment where the patient’s own intrinsic forces can come back into play and naturally dissipate any stressful forces that have become trapped in the body. Dr Sutherland realized that the intrinsic forces – the self-correcting mechanism – within the patient’s own body can be utilized, rather than having to apply any external force. Therefore, treatment is always very gentle, supportive and non-invasive.
The ability of all of the tissues in the body to express their primary respiratory motion is a critical factor in determining our state of health. When these rhythms are expressed in fullness and balance, health and well-being naturally follow.
In Craniosacral work, we are touching into the inherent health that is always in the system. We come underneath it and support it, and revel in its brilliance. That is where the magic happens.
What does a Craniosacral Work session look like?
There are several approaches to Craniosacral Work – Biodynamic, Visionary, functional and biomechanical (Osteopathic style). I have studied all of these approaches with world renowned teachers. The Biodynamic techniques are very subtle and gentle. The biomechanical may induce a gentle impulse into the body. Emphasis is focused around creating a safe space for the client. The client usually lies fully clothed on a comfortable treatment table. During a session, the practitioner makes contact by placing their hands lightly on the client’s body and “listens through the hands” to the body’s subtle rhythms and any patterns of inertia or congestion. Contact is made carefully so that the patient feels at ease with what is happening. The sessions are often quiet without a lot of conversation, but when appropriate the therapist and client will share their experiences or helpful insights. The use of guided meditation, breathwork, essential oils or other types of energy medicine may be integrated into the session for additional support.
What is the origin of Craniosacral Work?
CS Work has its roots in the field of Osteopathy. In 1891 Andrew Taylor Still founded the first school of Osteopathy in Kirksville, Missouri. Dr. William Sutherland (1873-1954), a student of Dr. Still discovered the presence of subtle rhythms in the body. He discovered that cranial sutures were, in fact, designed to express small degrees of motion. He spent many years of research during which he demonstrated the existence of this motion and eventually concluded it is essentially produced by the body’s inherent life force, which he referred to as the “Breath of Life”. He went on to demonstrate that these movements are inextricably linked with mental and emotional health and that restriction of these movements corresponds to a reduction of the natural capacity to self-heal.
Numerous schools and approaches to CS work have emerged over the years ranging from biodynamic, to visionary, to biomechanical, to energetic. Most approaches are rooted in the original work of Dr. William Sutherland.
What does a Craniosacral Session feel like?
Most people find Craniosacral sessions pleasant and relaxing. You might feel physical sensations such as tingling, or fluttering sensations or energetic shifts. You may encounter memories and emotions. You might experience insights or visions. It is likely that you will feel calm, relaxed and centered. You may feel lighter or more spacious within yourself. We recognize the innate wisdom of the body and of consciousness and the healing ability of presence. You are encouraged to softly meet and be present with whatever arises.
Clients feel deeply seen and deeply touched. Common descriptions of a session include feeling “more relaxed than I ever have felt before”, or “centered”, “connected to my Self” and “more ‘me’.
How many sessions will I need?
The number of sessions required depends entirely on the condition being treated. Acute injury and disease states can benefit enormously from 2 – 6 sessions whereas chronic injuries and disease states usually need more time to shift their patterns. Many clients then choose a once-a-month maintenance session.
How safe is Craniosacral Therapy?
The light touch in Craniosacral Therapy makes for a very safe modality. It is a non-directive, non-analytical, and non-invasive approach. When practiced by a qualified therapist, it is a very safe method. There is a handful of contraindications such as acute brain injuries, acute stroke or aneurysm.
What are the benefits of Craniosacral Therapy?
Craniosacral Therapy is so gentle that it is suitable for people of all ages – from newborns to seniors. Sessions may relieve a range of problems. Here is a basic list and below that is a more extensive explanation of benefits.
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Migraines and Headaches
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Chronic and Acute Neck and Back Pain
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Whiplash (MVA)
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Stress and Tension-Related Disorders
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Emotional distress (anxiety, stress, depression, worry, etc.)
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Support through Life Changes
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Vertigo, Tinnitus, and Menieres
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Motor-Coordination Impairments
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Infant and Childhood Disorders
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Brain and Spinal Cord Injuries
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Concussion/TBI
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Orthopedic Problems
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Chronic Fatigue
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Fibromyalgia
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TMJ Dysfunction
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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
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Scoliosis
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Central Nervous System Disorders
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Learning Disabilities
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ADD/ADHD
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Autism
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Immune System Support
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Awakening/Spiritual Development
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And Many Other Conditions
I have categorized three main areas in which someone might seek out and benefit from CST. There is some overlap among these three areas, but for the sake of clarity, I will explain each separately.
Symptom/Pain Relief
Most often clients seek out CST for relief from pain or other symptoms. CST can benefit those suffering from headaches, migraines, neck pain, low-back pain, whiplash, Bell’s palsy, jaw pain or dysfunction, and learning difficulties. Among CST’s largest patient groups are those suffering from chronic symptoms that haven’t been aided by other approaches. Often, when symptoms remain after a head impact, motor vehicle accident or whiplash injury this work may be the key to restoring function.
Other conditions for which CST has shown to be effective are sensory disorders. Among these are eye-motor coordination, autism, dyslexia, loss of taste or smell, tinnitus, vertigo and neuralgias such as sciatica and tic douloureux.
Women who are preparing to give birth can benefit from CST. Sometimes pregnant women experience back pain, hip pain, sciatica, or pain in her sacrum or perineum. There are craniosacral techniques that release and balance restrictions in the pelvis and spine. Unwinding the tension in the muscles and surrounding soft tissue can be relieving and sometimes help to ease labor. Post pregnancy sessions help to realign the pelvic bones and soft tissue allowing for an easier recovery.
The extremely light touch involved in the application of CST makes it a safe approach for children, infants, and newborns with early traumas, including birth trauma. They especially can benefit from early identification and release of restrictions in the craniosacral system thereby preventing future difficulties. Challenges with latching, swallowing, colic, torticollis are common in newborns and can be helped with CST.
CST is a gentle way to work with emotional trauma, anxiety, depression and stress. It promotes the release of emotional energy that has been held in the body. Trauma is processed at a pace the body and psyche can handle, which helps you move gradually toward deeper levels of harmony and attunement. CST helps you to become more present, grounded and integrated. Chronically recurring emotional issues such as hopelessness and helplessness, frustration, fear, anxiety, depression, apathy, grief, betrayal, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, traumatic incidents, are often resolved through the deep stillness of CST and the combination of Mindfulness Stress Reduction tools and practices.
Wellness and Stress Relief
Another area of principal effectiveness is with stress-related responses in the body. Stress can cause health problems or make existing problems worse. Under stress, the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system becomes stimulated. The body releases hormones to prepare you for “fight or flight.” Under these conditions, there is increased muscle tone, heart rate, and blood pressure, stress on the adrenal glands, changes in the digestive process, and suppression of the immune system.
The body expends significant energy during this stage but has no chance to refuel and rebuild. Insomnia, chronic fatigue, fear, anxiety and tension, temporomandibular joint dysfunction, headaches, and poor digestion are possible reactions of the body to chronic stress. It can also cause behaviors that contribute to the development of disease. Many people respond to stressful events by overeating, eating an unhealthy diet, smoking, and increasing alcohol consumption or drug use, all of which place further stress on the body.
CST works to reverse the debilitating effects of stress by providing the conditions in which the nervous system can rest, rejuvenate, and come back into balance–bolstering overall health and resistance to disease. In fact, it’s this capacity to reduce stress that’s leading an increasing number of people to include CST as part of their personal wellness program. They report having more energy, sleeping better, being sick less often, and increased ability to deal with everyday stress.
Craniosacral Therapy is also excellent as a preventive therapy, because it can facilitate the resolution of imbalances within a client’s system that they may not be aware of consciously.
Personal Growth and Spiritual Path
Receiving Craniosacral Therapy can be used as a tool for personal and spiritual growth. The deeply meditative and calming experience is a way to gain deeper access into a more essential state of Being. Craniosacral Therapy helps clients access their own clarity and insight; hence it is used not only to relieve pain, but also to help empower the client to deal with many different life situations.
After a session many clients report how relaxed they are. “I wasn’t sleeping. I was aware of everything around me, but I was very relaxed.” They were likely experiencing a level of deep meditation.
Many forms of meditation result in the clearing of one’s mind which promotes a sense of calm and heightened awareness. Scientific studies show that the regular practice of meditation can be a powerful healing tool. During meditation, the brain’s activity alters significantly. The most well-known brain waves evident during many kinds of meditation are called alpha waves. Alpha waves accompany relaxation of the entire nervous system. You feel relaxed, calm, lucid, not thinking. Sometimes clients move into deeper states where theta waves are prominent. These states are associated with deep relaxation and various states of consciousness.
In Biodynamic Craniosacral Work, we experience Dynamic Stillness a deep healing state where the transmutation of condensed areas of energy (areas of physical, emotional trauma) and disease states take place.
Some clients seek out Craniosacral Therapy to assist in the Awakening process. It helps to move areas of blocked energy, brings clarity, insight and a sense of integration of body, mind and spirit.
Click here to listen to a Beyond 50 radio interview with Regina about “Using Craniosacral Work to Support Your Spiritual Journey”.
Are there contraindications for a Craniosacral session?
Situations where application of CST would not be recommended include conditions where a variation or slight increase in intracranial pressure would cause instability. Acute aneurysm, cerebral hemorrhage, or other preexisting severe bleeding disorders are examples of conditions that could be affected by small intracranial pressure changes. Head trauma, traumatic brain injury and stroke are contraindicated in the acute stage.
What is Biodynamic Cranial Touch/Stillness Touch?
Biodynamic Cranial Touch /Stillness Touch is an approach that uses gentle hands-on contact, in which the practitioner senses the movement of the cerebral spinal fluid that permeates the body. The skilled practitioner connects directly with Primary Respiration to bring about a therapeutic response and allow natural adjustments to occur from within the body's own resources.
Primary Respiration (aka Breath of Life) it is the inherent intelligence within. It expresses itself through all of the body, and the whole of nature. It might be said that this intrinsic motion is a fundamental expression of life itself. It is a guiding principle for how the session unfolds. We let Primary Respiration “direct” where we place our hands. Each contact may last for many minutes and the entire session takes 30 to 60 minutes.
Stillness Touch is a non-medical model, meaning that we do not work directly with symptoms. Unlike other styles of cranial work which focus on disharmony or disease, Stillness Touch doesn’t seek to interact directly with any observed disease processes We orient to the whole of our being, which is always perfect, complete, and vital.
Through resonating with this Wholeness, specific disease processes may be addressed, or they may not. This decision is left up to the Breath of Life itself. Through their presence the practitioner serves as a conduit for healing.
Stillness Touch can be profoundly effective for those suffering from the lingering effects of trauma, and for those on a path of spiritual development - seeking deeper integration of their true nature through the experience of embodiment. Sessions can lead to profound states of consciousness, trauma and emotional release, and mental and physical integration.
Regina is a Certified Biodynamic Cranial Touch/Stillness Touch Practitioner.
Approaches to Craniosacral Work
There are many schools of Craniosacral Work. Each school has its unique approach to the Craniosacral System. The approaches to the work can be categorized on a spectrum: biomechanical, functional and biodynamic. I like to categorize the approaches as "doing" and "Being" and somewhere in the middle.
Overall CS is very gentle. Using the 'doing' style, the practitioner adds micromovements to a structure to enhance its subtle inherent movements and influence its relationship to surrounding structures.
Following the "Being" style, the practitioner relies on the inherent wisdom of the body to direct the session. It feels more like a meditative state. All approaches have their place depending on the needs of the clients.
I have been blessed to have had the opportunity to study and mentor with world renowned instructors of Craniosacral Work - John Upledger, Hugh Milne, Benjamin Shield, Alan Gehin, Giorgia Milne, and Charles Ridley (just to name a few). So I am well versed in the various approaches. My meditation practice deeply informs my work (thus my name... Still Mountain). My studies of Orthopedic Massage (a clinical medical based massage) and my nerdy love of anatomy also enhances the work.
Below are descriptions of Biodynamic Cranial Touch and Visionary Craniosacral Work®, 2 of the styles I am certified in.
What is Visionary Craniosacral Work®?
Visionary Craniosacral Work® (VCSW®), founded by Hugh Milne (of Milne Institute) blends all practices of Craniosacral work (Biodynamic, Energetic, Biomechanical and Visionary), Shamanism, Eastern healing practices, meditation, and perception.
We combine compassionate perception with skillful touch to balance the craniosacral system (bones, membranes, fluids), to create a sense of centeredness, and to sense into the deeper cause of a client’s pain or distress (physical, emotional, spiritual). We use our channels of intuitive perception (inner eye, inner ear, heart, hands) to determine where and how to address an individual’s distress. This whole body treatment can help relieve a client’s pain and also help them access clarity and insight into their life challenges.
Regina is a Certified Visionary Craniosacral Work® practitioner and taught VCSW® at the Milne Institute for 18 years.
What is Distance Craniosacral Work?
Distance Craniosacral Work is long-distance or remote healing. Craniosacral Work is often considered energy work. Although it has anatomical and physiological components to it, the Craniosacral Work takes place in the energetic fields and because of this it can be effective over long distances.
Information is available within our connective energy grid of consciousness. Once a practitioner is linked into the unique energetic signature of a client, they can effectively work in a different time zone and from a different country. It is possible for clients to receive the benefits of the work if they live or are traveling out-of-town or are unable to come to the office for a session.
I have been a practitioner, teacher and student of Craniosacral Work for over 35 years. I hold certifications in Biodynamic Stillness Touch, Visionary Craniosacral Work®, and I am a longtime practitioner of meditation and intuition. I am well practiced in tuning into the Ground of Being, Dynamic Stillness, energetic frequencies and channels of perception. In these realms, I am able to tap into the Breath of Life, Inner Wholeness, sense into subtle energy fields, and help to shift inertial patterns of energy of individuals and invite all ‘separate’ parts into wholeness.
How to book a Craniosacral Therapy session:
Call Regina at 541-390-3191
My current office is located at 362 NE Clay Ave. (at the corner of 4th and Clay) in Bend, Oregon.
Gift Certificates
Gift certificates are available. Please inquire for more information.
Cancellation policy
Please provide 24-hour notice for cancellations or rescheduling. Full payment is required for missed appointments or cancellations received with less than 24-hour’s notice.
Payment
Session lengths vary - from an hour(ish) to 90 minutes or longer if specified.
Rates range $150 - $200 depending on the length of the session.
If you have time or financial constraints it is important to discuss this me before the session.
Special rates can be discussed on an individual basis before your session.
I accept cash, check and Credit Card Payments
Before your session:
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Wear loose comfortable clothing such as sweats or yoga pants.
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If you are a new client, please arrive a few minutes early to complete an intake form or bring your completed intake form with you.
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Arrive a few minutes early. I encourage clients to sit in the waiting room, breath and let the outside world drop away.
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Consider your intention for the session.
During the session:
It is important to me that you feel comfortable and safe. If you need warmth, water, a potty break, or if you experience discomfort of any kind, please let me know.
After the session:
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Drink plenty of water.
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It is recommended that you have some quiet time after your session to help you integrate the work and enjoy your new relaxed state of being.
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Please be mindful as you move about your world after a session. Use care as you drive, getting in and out of your car and on stairs and curbs, etc.
“Taking better care of yourself is not merely a matter of good health, it is a measure of spiritual evolution. Are you treating your physical vehicle as if it is divine? Good for you if you are. If you aren’t…why not?” ~ Neal Donald Walsch
