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CranioSacral
Therapy (CST) is a gentle, hands-on method of evaluating and enhancing the functioning of a physiological body system called
the craniosacral system - comprised of the membranes and cerebrospinal fluid that surround and protect the brain and spinal
cord. Therapists tune into the craniosacral rhythm (which can be felt at different sites around the body) and evaluate the
skull for symmetry of the cranial bones and the flow of the cerebral spinal fluid. Using a soft touch generally no greater
than 5 grams, practitioners release restrictions in the craniosacral system to improve the functioning of the central nervous
system.
The origins of CranioSacral Therapy come from Cranial Osteopathy. In the early 1900s William Sutherland believed that
the adult cranium (the skull bones and sutures, or soft tissues between the skull bones, encasing
the brain) doesn’t fuse, that there is a slight movement in the structure. This movement was influenced by the rhythmic
flow of cerebrospinal fluid (the nourishing and protective fluid that circulates through the spinal canal and brain, bringing
oxygenated blood to the head) that could have become blocked. He developed subtle techniques using very
gentle manipulative pressure to encourage the release of stresses and strains in the cranium and throughout the body. The
teaching of Cranial Osteopathy was kept in closed door in the osteopathic schools until late 1970s. Osteopath
Dr John Upledger took it further in 1975 by developing the therapy into what we now know as CranioSacral therapy. Dr Upledger
pioneered research in CranioSacral therapy at Michigan State University and
made it to public by publishing his book in 1983 and provided training for general practitioners. This caused upset
by many traditional osteopaths who were anxious that the techniques were being misused by therapists that
were not properly trained.
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