The Craniosacral system

Craniosacral Therapy (CST) focuses on the body’s craniosacral system. This physiological system forms the Interior of our body. It consists of the brain, the spinal cord, the thick membrane that is sitting around it (dura mater) and the cerebrospinal fluid that flows between those structures. The whole is surrounded and protected by the bones of the skull (cranium) and the spine down to the sacrum, hence the term craniosacral. It has connections with every structure in our body.

The circulation of the cerebrospinal fluid has its own rhythm, constantly expanding and contracting, that can be felt all over the body. This craniosacral rhythm is, in addition to the breathing and heart rate, the third primary ‘life-function’ of the body. It is considered as the breathing of our brain and nervous system. It regulates the operation of everything that happens in our body. The craniosacral rhythm has a regulative impact on our autonomic nervous system, our hormonal system, the organ functions, the muscle tension, and on our emotions.

“Craniosacral makes connection with deeper layers within. It addresses our life-force and the primal force of our body”

A disruption of this rhythm by, for example, a physical or an emotional blockage, affects our whole body. Our body has a self-healing capacity. Just think of a wound — the body heals it by itself. Everything that our body cannot solve by itself gets stuck in the body through a blockage. Through gentle, non-invasive touch a practitioner releases these blockages, the craniosacral and fascial restrictions, to improve the overall functioning of the central nervous system. This stimulates at the same time the self-healing capacity of the body. Physical and emotional blockages can be resolved.

Because craniosacral therapy frees up the tissues in and around the craniosacral system it has a positive impact on the flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). CSF nourishes, protects and cleanses the central nervous system and enhances nerve conductivity. Improved flow of CSF provides the body with resources allowing it to better perform and, when necessary, to heal itself and restore functions to a better balanced state. CST also promotes relaxation by calming the autonomic nervous system, the high-alert system that controls the fight/flight response. This helps, for example, to better cope with the stress and tensions of daily life, with the impact of all kind of (minor) physical or emotional trauma’s and with strengthening the resistance to diseases as more balance is enhanced within the body.