Gerri McLoughlin - Craniosacral Therapy

A feeling that you have been heard in the truest sense of the word is a common experience during and after a CST session.

Craniosacral Therapy Awareness Week has begun with our hosting 'A Day of Working with Trauma with Sarah Nesling & Mary Bolingbroke'. The 'day' was so successful, it quickly became a weekend and we here at the CSTA all see there is an appetite for CPD workshops of this quality.
Thanks again to our wonderful trustee, Andrew Koval-Radley, for all his work in making this fruitful weekend happen. Thanks also to Dawn Goodes, who has recently stepped up to become a trustee, thanks for all her help assisting this weekend.
I attended yesterday's event myself and met with the trustees, some old friends and made some new friends. We plan to discuss the possibility of hosting further CPD events at our Visioning Day and will feed back to members.

Please share your Awareness Week stories and successes with us! 💜

As we go through life, beginning with birth, our bodies store “traumas” as restrictions in the fascia, dural membranes and other tissues. This limits its movement and therefore restricts skeletal movement in response to the flow. These stored traumas can be the result of repetitive use, emotional experiences, injury or even normal daily stressors of life. Craniosacral therapy (CST) facilitates the letting go of these held traumas in order to restore normal rhythm.

The Fascinating Practice of Craniosacral Therapy - Can It Help Us Heal? Discover the amazing healing modality called craniosacral therapy and why it's due for a major wellness moment.

When a practitioner places their hands lightly on you during a therapy session, they are using them to listen to you in much the same way that a counsellor might listen to your words. Your body responds to this sensitive touch by beginning to listen to itself. A feeling that you have been heard in the truest sense of the word is a common experience during and after a CST session.
https://www.craniosacral.co.uk/about-cst/what-is-craniosacral-therapy/
Art by Christian Schloe

Another lovely post from Awen Spring, thank you!

Happy Equinox and happy Mabon!
The equinox is a time of balance and a time of change, at the autumn equinox the sun is heading back southward on its annual journey along the horizon. At this time we receive an equal amount of light and darkness, and this is where the term equinox takes its root - Equi/Equal.( day and night).
Mabon is the Celtic Autumn festival.
The name Mabon comes from Welsh mythology and relates to Mabon ap Modron - the son of the Goddess Modron (or Morganna in popular culture).
In Welsh, the prefix Mab has connotations toward youth and childhood. The famous Welsh tales of the Mabinogion are deeply rooted in this idea - the coming-of-age.
Mabinogi link - https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=305106411966635&set=pb.100074018360895.-2207520000&type=3
The very term "Mabinogi" translates to - "infancy: juvenile instruction".
"Mabon" means - "a fine youth, a young Hero" (Heroine).
Here we see the changing of the seasons linked to the changes in human life and the coming of age tradition. We also see that the ancients used their stories and myths to impart instruction and allegorical lessons to the young - beautifully wrapped in magical metaphors.
The old Welsh term for the Autumn equinox is "Alban Elfed" - "Alban" means the height or utmost and "Elfed" means Autumn, but it can also relate to the elements:
"Elf" is a moving principle.
"Elfen"- an element, such as fire, air, water, or earth
"Elfen tan" is a spark of fire, and "elfennaff" is to sparkle.
In Arthurian tradition, Mabon ap Modron is associated with the character Mabon ab Mellt -
"Mabon" means youth and heroism and "Mellt" means lightning!
Mabon son of lightning!
This lightning is the bio-electricity of our nervous system; it is the spark of universal energy contained within us all.
Here we can see one of the lessons that our ancestors have engrained in our traditions, legends, and fairytales, not just in Wales, but in all mythological teachings -
The elements of nature are at work not only in our external environment but also deep within us. When we are made aware of this beautiful and transformative power we hold inside we are able to live in true balance and equilibrium - as our wise ancient ancestors intended.
Happy Mabon and happy equinox!

CST supports your body’s innate ability to balance, restore and heal itself, as well as helping to reduce stress and build your underlying energy.
https://www.craniosacral.co.uk/

Via The Hollywood Reporter,
'Talia and Armani Jackson Bring Awareness to Holistic Treatments for Mental Health Issues'
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/beautiful-minds-999-foundation-holistic-treatments-mental-health-1235567177/

Clearing the Fog: Craniosacral Therapy Aims to Ease Dementia Five new techniques for restoring thinking and memory.

CST is a widely used approach in different clinic settings and conditions, in adults as well as children. It is thought to reduce the use of conventional pain medications and to improve daily functioning in a variety of conditions.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S096522991200115X?via%3Dihub

To me, the best CST sessions can give a sense of being listened to and heard beyond words.
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Black Leopard and The Animal Communicator, Anna Breytenbach The Soul Touching Story Of An Angry Panther Who Talked To A Human. What if you could talk to animals and have them talk back to you? Anna Breytenbach has ded...

This time of year is a great time to set your system up for the autumn chill.

What is different about CST?

Through the simplicity of gentle listening touch, CST offers a distinctive stillness that allows your mind and body to rest deeply and begin to restore a natural balance. CST recognises and assists the connections between body, mind and emotions. In the peaceful space created during a session these strands can become more fully integrated.

https://www.craniosacral.co.uk/

It looks like the mainstream is catching up on the power of cranial nerve X, the vagus nerve.
'The word vagus derives from the Latin for “wandering” – a nod to the complex and meandering path it takes through the body, and the diversity of physiological processes under its influence. Rather than popping a pill to alleviate illness, perhaps someday it will be possible to breathe, hum or zap our way to better health.'
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/aug/23/the-key-to-depression-obesity-alcoholism-and-more-why-the-vagus-nerve-is-so-exciting-to-scientists

In craniosacral therapy, we talk of following the tides. Primary respiration can be felt at different rates, the most common tides described are CRI (cranial rhythmic impulse), mid tide, long tide. Sutherland used the metaphor of tide to describe his palpation of primary respiration. 'Trust the tide' is a Sutherland phrase expressing the shift towards health in the clients system as the coherence and drive of the movements palpated increases. When the tide is clear and strong, clients seem to have fewer symptoms.
https://www.craniosacral.co.uk/

Raj Lehl, one of our brilliant CSTA trustees, has shared a powerful endorsement of her work with a client suffering from migraine.

Craniosacral Therapy for the Treatment of Chronic Neck Pain: CST was both specifically effective and safe in reducing neck pain intensity and may improve functional disability and the quality of life up to 3 months after intervention.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26340656/

Craniosacral Therapy: An Ideal Modality For Treating Inflammation CranioSacral Therapy (CST), because of its ability to engage specific tissues in the body with great precision, is an ideal modality with which to address the immune system. Using CST it is possibl…

CSTA presents:

A Day of Working with Trauma
with Sarah Nesling & Mary Bolingbroke

Sunday 1st October 2023


Due to popular demand, we are pleased to announce that we will be running this event for a second day on Sunday 1st October.

If you would like to book, simply hit reply or send an email to Susanne [email protected]

Here's a reminder of the details.

Taking place in the tranquil surroundings of Surrey Hills, the day will be an opportunity to learn (or revisit!) some down-to-earth clinical skills to help clients embody and manage their activation or dissociation, and what to do if clients become overwhelmed.

When: Sunday 1st October 2023, 10am - 5:30pm

Where: Headley Village Hall, Church Lane, Headley KT18 6LE (nearest stations: Epsom / Leatherhead / Ashtead / Dorking)

Cost: £95

Spaces are limited. This is a members-only event, suitable for any qualified craniosacral therapist.

Both Mary and Sarah are very experienced practitioners having worked in the field for more than 30 years. During that time life has become faster and more stressful and clients’ nervous systems are very commonly dysregulated and challenged in their ability to return to rest and balance. There has also been a massive increase in referrals of often quite young children struggling with anxiety and sometimes challenging behaviour.

Trauma, like depression and anxiety, has become a household word and there has been a rich eruption of therapeutic approaches for working with trauma.

As craniosacral therapists with our wonderful skills for working with the nervous system and respecting the health of the clients’ particular and intelligent adaptation to stress, we are well placed to help.

We have hands-on skills for working with relevant structures and building resources through the workings of the Tide.

Drawing from the growing body of work on trauma, an understanding of the underlying neurobiology informs us to work at an appropriate pace, to regulate our own nervous systems throughout a session and to recognise when and how a client’s process may need to be slowed down and safely brought into present time.

Current ideas around resilience and posttraumatic growth sit well with our orientation to the body’s inherent ability to rebalance and move forward given the right conditions. How do we as CSTs support this?

We are expecting a rich mix of experienced and newer practitioners so will allow for some flexibility in structure to the day.

There will be a brief review of relevant theory and the anatomy underlying activation and dissociation, some exploration of verbal skills and space to look at case history material to ground the theory as well as guided practice sessions morning and afternoon.

To book your space, email Susanne at [email protected]

Reposting this fascinating blog on magnetic fields. Thanks to the Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy Association of North America.
https://newatlas.com/biology/live-cells-respond-magnetic-fields/

The CSTA's website is a great source of information if you want to learn about CST.
What does a CST session involve?

'On arrival your practitioner will take a written case history, listening with care to the reasons for your visit. This part of the session is important, both for gathering information and to establish a good understanding with your practitioner. You will then be invited to take your shoes off and lie fully clothed on a treatment couch. You may be asked to remove your spectacles, belt or jewellery if they will be in the way or affect your comfort. If you are unable to lie flat, you can be on your side, or in a chair. During a typical session the practitioner will use a number of gentle hand contacts on the head, the base of the spine and other areas, allowing the client to lie still and relax.'

https://www.craniosacral.co.uk/.../frequently-asked.../

Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy Association of North America

The Breath of Life Conference will take place on September 7 - 10, 2023, on-line or in-person. Anna Chitty will start the celebrations on Thursday, September 7 at 7:00 pm Mountain time with her keynote speech. We hope to see you then! Register at www.craniosacraltherapy.org/2023-conference

What is the CranioSacral Still Point? The CranioSacral still point refers to a gradual slowing down and eventual waning away of the craniosacral rhythm (CSR). The CSR is an inherent rhythmic motion therapists palpate to assess overall …

Via Kate Mackinnon.
'This is an excellent article on CranioSacral Therapy written by Rob Fournier, who works at the Upledger Institute International. If you have a friend who wants to know "What is CranioSacral Therapy?" share this!'

This is How CranioSacral Therapy Helps Lessen Pain CranioSacral Therapy is a light-touch approach that has a direct impact on the overall nervous system. The nervous system registers and sends signals when the body is in dysfunction, causing the pe…

A Proposal for the Use of Craniosacral Therapy in Firefighter Cadets to Decrease Cortisol Levels and Improve Postural Stability—A Randomized Trial

Artist - Edith Holden - Diary of an Edwardian Lady copy