An unbalanced nervous system, set off by trauma or stress, is often at the heart of anxiety and depression. Craniosacral therapy invites the body to let go of tension and restore balance to the nervous system. As a therapist I was initially drawn to craniosacral therapy for its ability to help the body unwind ‘stuck’ nervous systems and muscular tension. In can be a particularly helpful for chronic conditions alongside counselling, acupuncture, naturopathy or kinesiology.
Over millions of years of evolution trained mainly by physical threats (like, say, the sabre-toothed tiger), your nervous system has developed some handy ways to keep you safe when you’re in danger. It can gear you up to fight or flee the tiger (‘anxious’ states) or freeze (a ‘depressed’ state) to numb your senses if the threat or distress is overwhelming. For many people the nervous system gets stuck in one of these survival states long after the physical or psychological threat or stress has gone.
So, how do craniosacral therapists invite the body to release tension and re-balance the nervous system? By using gentle physical contact, we guide you to explore sensations in your body. Once the brain is aware of what the body is holding, it can let go. Think of a craniosacral therapist as a ‘counsellor for the body’. When we humans are depressed or anxious it helps to talk to someone who listens without judging, allowing us to be truly heard, to hear ourselves, to recognise what we’re holding onto, and to let go. Often part of our story is held in our bodies, beyond words as patterns of muscular and nervous tension. Our minds and bodies both need to be heard for us to reconnect to health.
By Matthew Daniel ~ Craniosacral Therapist
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