Craniosacral Therapy ~ The First Wave

Craniosacral Therapy is probably as old as humanity: as old as the laying on of hands, as old as the urge to rub a sore spot. We rub, in part, to get the cranial wave moving again. The earliest written reference to the “movement of the spinal nerves” and its importance in life, clarity and “bringing quiet to the heart,” is found in the I-Ching, the Chinese Book of Changes, which is 4,000 years old. The ancient Chinese called craniosacral work “the art of listening.”

In the Middle Ages, bonesetters sensed the fine movements of the body to assist resetting fractures and dislocations, and to treat headaches.

In the early 1900′s, William Garner Sutherland, DO (1873-1954), discovered a previously-unidentified, very subtle movement in the body. This movement was perceived to have a tide-like quality (welling up and receding) that is polyrhythmic (various pacings embedded in one another). It seems to exist in all levels (bones, soft tissue, fluid) of the system. Despite repeated measurement and extensive study, the cause of the movement has not been definitively determined.

Sutherland and his colleagues experimented with palpating and interacting with this movement, and found remarkable benefits for their clients. As a student of Dr. Andrew Still, he had an inspiration that the bony cranium was capable of respiratory motion.

“Beveled… like the gills of a fish… indicating articular mobility… for a respiratory mechanism.”

The Primary Respiratory Mechanism (PRM), the mechanism originally proposed by Sutherland, has been summarized in five ideas:

Inherent motility of the central nervous system
Fluctuation of the cerebrospinal fluid
Mobility of the intracranial and intraspinal dural membranes
Mobility of the cranial bones
Involuntary motion of the sacrum between the ilia

Subsequent osteopaths particularly Rollin Becker, DO (1918-1994), expanded the applications, and in the early 1970′s John Upledger, DO, introduced the concepts outside the osteopathic world. Today, Craniosacral Therapy has been called the fastest-growing touch therapy modality (Massage Magazine).

“Biodynamic” refers to a branch of craniosacral therapy that is less manipulative than other forms. Instead of trying to figure out the client’s problem and move tissues around, the practitioner’s intention is to create a supportive environment so that the client’s system generates therapeutic change from within, using its own wisdom, known as “the inherent treatment plan.”

A skilled craniosacral practitioner listens to the subtle pulsations of the system as the body tells its story. The body speaks through its rhythms, micro-movements and especially through its experience-managing patterns of physical shaping. With deep listening the practitioner encourages revitalization of the inherent healing potential of the system, and facilitates the release of resistance patterns. This approach emphasizes hearing the health of the system and encouraging its expression.
Craniosacral Therapy involves gentle hands-on work that honors the client’s own self-healing process. The intention is not to “fix” problems, but rather to encourage the emergence of new levels of order in mind and body. Practitioners know how to recognize the presence of the Breath of Life in many levels and locations of the body, and use appropriate methods to support and nurture its natural expression.

William Sutherland DO (1873-1954) graduated from the American School of Osteopathy (ASO) the first osteopathic school in the USA. It was founded in 1891 by the man who coined the term ‘Osteopathy,’ Andrew Taylor Still. Sutherland, after witnessing Still at work recounts ~ Still was like the X-ray: He could look right through you and see things, and tell you things, without putting his hands on the body.