If you’ve ever had CST you may agree that it’s a very different form of therapy. The type of touch used is very specific – soft ‘listening’ hands that follow an inner process. The tissues move towards greater ease and the hands gently follow. No force is ever used. And yet, here is the surprising part, things really do change. They change from the inside out in this quiet, attentive atmosphere of listening.
For the client it can be deeply relaxing to feel this tactile enquiry into their own alignment. Postural patterns can come to the fore as they become more aware of how their body is twisted or compressed in certain ways. These patterns can start to ‘unwind’ as the body re-organises. A memory or emotion may emerge that seems to relate to what’s happening. So what is doing the work here?
Craniosacral therapy derives from Osteopathy, and is based on the idea that our bodies have an innate, intelligent, ‘health’ that restores and maintains balance & function throughout life. It’s obvious when we think of how broken bones mend and cuts heal. Generally, our bodies do a good job of working around the stresses & strains of life, but sometimes our balance gets tipped. Life events such as ongoing illness, injuries, trauma and stress can mean we need a little extra support to align to this principle of health again. And it’s a very vital, active principle that the therapist listens to directly. She attends to the particular way that the tissues and fluids of the client’s body express this health.
The rhythm and tempo of this process is innate and very particular to each client. It’s an unfolding. Often we don’t know the exact sequence needed for a particular body, with all of its history, to regain healthy balance. But the body knows, the health knows, and through experience this is what I’ve learnt to trust. The unerring principle of health, that’s always present, even in difficult circumstances. As long as you listen.
It’s possible that innate healing from within, once engaged, is more powerful than applying force from without.