Craniosacral therapy is a hands-on therapy that assists the body’s natural capacity for self-repair. ‘Cranio’ refers to the head or cranium and sacral to the sacrum, the big bone at the base of the spine. Maybe a better way to think of it is ‘top to bottom, as it’s a therapy that treats the whole body in each session.

THE FIGHT OR FLIGHT REACTION

The body is designed to protect itself from physical knocks or emotional stress by contracting. If the shock is particularly severe, prolonged, or accompanied by strong emotions, everything stays contracted, even after the moment that caused the shock is over. There’s a reason for this. You’ve probably all heard of the Fight or Flight reaction. When we’re stressed by anything, our body reacts automatically to protect us, getting us ready to meet danger and quickly flooding us with energy. If we aren’t able to release that energy by either fighting or fleeing, the body’s next option is to tremble or shake. This is an unconscious reaction, whether human or four-legged, that can quickly get rid of the energy they don’t need.

HOW DO OUR BODIES HANDLE STRESSFUL SITUATIONS

Depending on the level of fright we’ve experienced to trigger the fight or flight reaction, body tremors may be quite visible. If we’re in a situation where we need to ‘be brave, we will do our best to hide or control that shaking. Controlling it keeps it on board and brings us to the fourth and final stress response which is to freeze. These last two reactions leave us with a lot of undischarged energy trapped in our bodies. Our systems only recognize that the threat has gone and when all that energy has gone too we will have lots of unreleased energy in our system. As a result, our body thinks we’re still in danger, so it carries on releasing energy. Finally, it realizes that we’re in overload and goes into shutdown. It’s like driving with your foot on the accelerator and then slamming on the brake with the engine still revving. It’s not good for the car.

WHY DOES PTSD HAPPEN??

PTSD is thought to happen when the body and mind have not yet realized that a traumatic event is over, so we respond as if we’re still in danger. When we’re children, we have a great way of dealing with stressful situations. Have a massive tantrum. Whether it’s a physical shock or an emotional one children have absolutely no problem expressing their pain, anger, and disappointment and getting it out of their system.

RESULTS OF PTSD ON THE BODY

If tensions, stresses, and strains from a perfectly natural physical reaction get stuck in the body, they can restrict the way it functions. This may lead to problems that show up immediately, or over the following years. These effects may be physical such as back pain, migraine, or digestive problems. An emotional response may be insomnia, anxiety, depression, or a combination.

A shock doesn’t have to be significant. A situation that causes our heart to speed up or which makes us feel unable to cope is what causes our body to get into fight or flight mode.

CST WORKS WITH YOUR BODY TO FACILITATE HEALING

CST therapists are trained to feel tension it using a very light touch approach. We create a comfortable state where the body feels safe enough to let go of its tensions, relax and start to self-correct. As this stored-up tension, is released, it lets the energy that was holding everything tightly in place be put to better use. This allows your whole system to start to self-correct and function better, which can make you feel better about yourself, so your mental and emotional levels start to improve too.

WHAT CAN I EXPECT FROM A SESSION?

You lie fully clothed on a treatment table while the therapist makes light contact with their hands. The therapist can sense what’s going on in your whole body, which may be at your head, back, or feet, and may move around or stay in one place. During a session, you may become aware of heat, tingling, pulsations, or other sensations in your body, and often a deep sense of relaxation.

I talked earlier about our bodies freezing and leaving us with a lot of trapped tension. Imagine an ice cube. It started off as soft, easy-flowing water but it was put in a rather stressful situation in a freezer, and now it looks and feels quite different. If you put it on your hand though, it doesn’t take long before it starts to warm, soften and melt. It returns completely to its original state.

We have a built-in capacity to recover from overwhelming experiences, what CST does is harness and encourage the body’s ability to do just that.

If you would like to learn more or schedule an appointment online, please visit www.holisticbodyworksforwomen.com