CrainoSacral Therapy
CranioSacral Therapy is a diagnostic approach based on the application of corrective pressure to the cranium and spine (the craniosacral system). CranioSacral therapy grew out of work with cranial osteopathy in the US during the 1970s. It goes further than cranial osteopathy in claiming that the cranial rhythmic impulse affects every cell in the body.
Dr. John Upledger, an osteopath at Michigan State University, developed this approach in the late 1970s. While incorporating some of the techniques practiced in cranial osteopathy, Upledger distinguishes it from osteopathy in being “soft tissue-oriented,” “fluid-oriented,” and “membrane-oriented” rather that “bone-oriented.” The approach is still considered controversial in the UK, though more widely practiced in the US.
While the bones of the cranium are the focus of cranial osteopathy, CranioSacral therapy focuses on the membranes encasing the brain and spinal cord. Practitioners believe that is these membranes that generate the cranial rhythmic impulse (CRI) of cerebrospinal fluid, which affects the connective tissues linking all the organs, bones, and muscles of the body. The aim of treatment is to ensure an even, rhythmic flow of CRI.
