If we talk about craniosacral techniques we are in the osteopathic field , even if a distinction has been refined between cranial osteopathy operated by professional osteopaths and craniosacral therapy performed by craniosacral therapists. Here we use the term “massage” a bit improperly , but it is only to make it easier for everyone to understand what it is.

We owe to Dr. William Sutherland the intuition of the presence of a “breath” of the cranial bones , through the observation of the sphenoid , inlaid like the scales of a fish, which made him think of a movement of expansion, of breathing of the skull.

Years after this brilliant observation, the Primary Respiratory Mechanism has been identified which involves the cerebrospinal fluid, the brain , the medulla, the bones of the skull and the sacrum, a rhythmic correspondence of mobilization of the parts.

The cranio sacral technique

First of all, we always look for accredited operators , expert osteopaths who know the neuronal anatomy , the interactions of the skull and the pelvis.

The technique is given by manipulations of the skull, spinal column and pelvis in an extremely delicate way , calibrated on the micro-movements of the parts in accordance with the primary respiratory rhythm. The solicitation of the cerebrospinal fluid transmits impulses to the central nervous system. It is so delicate that it can also be applied in the pediatric field for the harmonization of the newborn.

How does this complex connection work ? The skull and some of its parts are the actors of this functionality: the Dura Madre is a fibrous membrane that shares together with the Pious Mother and the Arachnoid in nourishing the external part of the brain, covers it, descends along the vertebral column, surrounds the medulla spinal, the nerve portions, and comes to cover the last coccygeal vertebra.

In this path the cerebro-spinal fluid starts from the skull up to the sacrum and other districts are also affected: the circulatory, lymphatic, nervous, endocrine and respiratory systems.

The treatment can last from 40 to 60 minutes and consists of a delicate mobilization of the cranial sacral parts which tend to remain contracted due to muscle tension, stress, myalgia.

Read also Cranio sacral balancing >>

Indications for Craniosacral Treatment

The cranio sacral treatment can be applied for many problems both of a physiological nature and of a psychosomatic origin.
First of all, it is a relaxing treatment and many diseases related to forms of stress benefit from it.

> Sleep disturbances, hyperactivity, difficulty breathing, nervous asthma ;
> disorders from incorrect posture involving the spine, chronic pains, including joint pains, respond positively to craniosacral treatment, back pain, sciatica pain ;
> endocrine dysfunctions, gynecological and visceral disorders;
> digestive difficulties, due to stress , anxiety;
> disorders affecting the cardiorespiratory system.