Obviously the most effective way to find out about Craniosacral Therapy is to have a session yourself. However, if you prefer to get an impression in advance, the best way to do that is to ask someone who has already had CST. That’s not going to be possible for everyone so you may want to contact a practitioner – this has the advantage of getting a sense of what the practitioner is like as well as being able to ask specific questions about Craniosacral Therapy.
Most people find cranial sessions pleasant and relaxing. People often talk of feeling as if they have ‘had their batteries charged’. Sometimes people feel tingling or numbing sensations or they may experience momentary discomfort related to past events. When this settles the net result is one of feeling better. People often feel as if things are reorganising inside them or as if a weight has been lifted from their shoulders.
The client usually lies (or sometimes sits) fully-clothed on a comfortable treatment couch. The therapist makes contact by placing their hands lightly on the client’s body.
The number of sessions that people find helpful varies from person to person.
Yes, many people find that Craniosacral Therapy helps them cope with day-to-day difficulties, feel better and enjoy life more fully.
Should you wish to have more than one session, subsequent sessions are usually a week to a fortnight apart. With long-term treatment the frequency of sessions usually reduces.
Craniosacral Therapy is a non-directive, non-analytical, non-invasive approach - essentially the art of listening and enabling the body to heal itself. When practised by a qualified therapist, it is a very safe method. To ensure that a practitioner is qualified, check that they are registered with the Craniosacral Therapy Association registrar@craniosacral.co.uk.
No. Because of the name – Craniosacral Therapy – people often think that it concerns only the head and spine whereas it can work with all of the mind and body.
You can find a practitioner by checking our register of qualified practitioners. For a complete printed register please apply to: Roger James, Craniosacral Therapy Association, Monomark House, 27 Old Gloucester Street, LONDON, WC1N 3XX or email: secretary@craniosacral.co.uk.
The Craniosacral Therapy Association (CSTA) publishes a register (updated yearly) of members who have qualified from one of its accredited schools and are involved in continuing professional training. Registered members are entitled to use the initials RCST after their names. The best form of recommendation is often word-of-mouth. If in any doubt, you can check by contacting the Registrar, at the following address: The Registrar, Craniosacral Therapy Association, Monomark House, 27 Old Gloucester Street, LONDON, WC1N 3XX or email: registrar@craniosacral.co.uk.
It helps to have an open mind, but the benefits of Craniosacral Therapy are not dependent upon faith in the treatment.
Craniosacral therapists study cranial work exclusively. Most Craniosacral Therapy courses last two years. Cranial osteopaths train initially in osteopathy, a more mechanical approach, and then do postgraduate training in cranial work of variable length.
Craniosacral work tends to be integrated with psychotherapeutic understanding, theory and practice. There is a variable amount of overlap between individual approaches in the two professions. To get a fuller picture, talk to a practitioner to find if their approach is suitable for your needs.
Craniosacral Therapy belongs more properly within the Art of Healing than the Science of Medicine, and therefore the Craniosacral Therapy Association makes no claims as to the evidence base for the effectiveness of this work.
However, the Association recognises that absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, and is confident that the emerging science of the future will come to embrace subjective phenomena, personal narratives and other aspects of experience which much of the science of today regrettably tends to exclude.
Craniosacral Therapy is intended to complement, not replace, the relationship you have with your medical practitioner. If you have or suspect you may have a health problem, please see your doctor. Never disregard medical advice or delay in seeking it because of anything you have read on this website.
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