“Craniosacral therapy restores and balances the nervous system, while releasing the effects of stress, injury and trauma”. Robyn Scherr
Part of the skill of a Craniosacral therapist is to be able to “tune in” to a persons whole system (especially the nervous and myofascial system) and to feel which parts are struggling and stressed. These struggles may be physical, mental or emotional or, as is often the case, all three.
The client is also engaged in the process, often through a Somatic or felt-sense within their own body. As the nervous system settles during the session, it becomes clearer as to where the help is needed.
Sometimes, just acknowledging where help is needed is enough to create a softening and a release, almost as if the the part/s of us that need help feel the relief of being found, seen and acknowledged.
Integrating the curiosity and compassionate inquiry of IFS with CST bodywork, we get to know our wounded and protective parts a little deeper. We get to hear and understand what their role is in our body and mind, how they came to be there, and why. We get to hear directly from them what they need in order to heal. Sometimes the body may begin to spontaneously release and “unwind” the myofascial (muscular and fascial) restrictions and holding patterns that have been containing and protecting past traumas, pain, dysfunctions and illness. Both practitioner and client may sense the nervous system shifting for example from a hyper-aroused state of fight/flight or hypo-aroused state of freeze/collapse into a more regulated/ neutral state. A state that feels more spacious, calm and peaceful. As this state becomes more familiar to you, the more your nervous system begins to see this as the normal around which to orient. “If we are out of balance, the ANS (autonomic nervous system) is out of balance. If we bring the ANS back into balance, we help to bring our health and well-being into balance.” (Thomas Attlee, founder College of Craniosacral Therapy, UK)