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History of Cranio Sacral Therapy
The beginning of cranio sacral therapy can be traced back to 1874 when Dr.Andrew Still founded the science of osteopathy.
In his teaching he emphasised the design for motion in the articulations of the
bones. The first school of osteopathy opened in 1892 and one of its first students was W.G Sutherland. At this time the general belief in the medical profession was that the skull was one rigid bony box,
Sutherland was not so sure. His investigations began with a minute examination of every aspect of each cranial and facial bone, with every detail regarded as important. The fact that every bone of the skull was bevelled reciprocally and that such an arrangement could permit gliding movement and allow motion at the serration's of the skull assumed great significance in his reasoning. He believed the articular surfaces of these bones indicated that they were designed for articular mobility.
Dr.Sutherland spent the rest of his life researching and experimenting to test his
theories, including experimenting on himself and there are many stories about the head pains and personality changes he experienced due to the changing pressure inside his head as a result of these experiments. He later developed a system of examination and treatment for the bones of the skull which was called Cranial Osteopathy.
Dr. Upledger's discovery
The next important step in the founding of cranio sacral therapy happened in 1970. Whilst assisting a surgeon to remove a calcification from the outer surface of the dural membrane of the spinal cord Dr.Upledger noticed that this
membrane seemed to have a rhythm of its own, of about 10 cycles a minute. This rhythm was independent of the patients breathing and heart rate. Two years were to elapse before anyone could shed light on what Dr. Upledger had seen, neither colleagues or medical books had any explanation. He then attended a seminar that taught Dr.Sutherland's techniques for diagnosis and treatment which led to his understanding of how a hydraulic system might work inside a membrane sack which was encased inside the skull and canal of the spinal colomn.
In 1975 Dr.Upledger was asked to join the faculty of Michigan state university as a clinician - researcher to
scientifically confirm or deny the existence of this third physiological rhythm within the body. Dr.Upledger and a multi- disciplinary team concluded that the skull's sutures are not hardened ossified
structures, but are alive with blood vessels, nerve fibres and collagen
fibres. The research also yielded precise measurements of of the frequency and amplitude of cranial bone movement, it was also established that the dura mater was an important part of the functioning of the movement of the bones and this influenced the application of cranial
techniques. Using this knowledge Dr.Upledger and his team developed an explanation of the cranio sacral system and how it could be used to evaluate and treat a host of health
problems. The gentle, non invasive techniques developed from this research have been taught to thousands of healthcare professionals and have been found to be particularly effective in treating
headaches, back pain, TMJ dysfunction, eye problems and central nervous system dysfunctions.
Working with the Cranio Sacral system
The health of our body is dependent upon the cranio sacral system. The cranio sacral rhythm is caused by the
rhythmic production and re-absorption of the cerebrospinal fluid which bathes and nourishes the brain and spinal
cord. This fluid is enclosed in the dural membranes which line the bones of the
cranium, pass down the spinal column and attach again at the sacrum - hence the name 'Cranio Sacral system. With training a practitioner can feel this craniosacral pulse throughout the
body. Their gentle, but very specific touch can loosen restrictions and tensions in the soft tissues and
bones.
What is Cranio Sacral work good for?
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Strengthening of the immune system
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Balancing of the autonomous nervous system
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Dissolving adhesions in connective tissue
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Vitalisation of organs
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Strengthening and balancing of endocrine system
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TMJ - all jaw
dysfunctions, dental work imbalances
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Loosens holdings and tensions in the
organs, the musculoskeletal system and membrane system of brain and spinal cord
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Works with blocked energy from
trauma, accidents,surgery, etc
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