Craniosacral Therapy
Craniosacral Therapy is a complementary therapy system focused on monitoring and correcting the cranial rhythm, i.e. primary respiratory mechanism. Craniosacral work can be practiced in many different ways and each has it's value. Applied Kinesiology craniosacral work has evolved from a combination and modification of the sacro-occipital technique (SOT), developed by chiropractor Major Bertrand De Jarnette, and William Sutherland's 'cranial concept'.
The Cranial Rhythmic Impulse
In physics and in nature, patterns and cycles tend to unify and harmonise over time. If a group of individuals begin to walk, each individual walks differently, but over a period of time, individuals adjust so that eventually, all individuals are walking exactly the same. This phenomena has also been observed by the developer of the pendulum clock, Christiaan Huygens, over 350 years ago. Pendulum clocks in the same place, with the same length of pendulum, will over time start to swing in synchrony with each other. Fireflies flash synchronously and crickets produce sound in harmony. The same principle of synchrony can be applied to the human body as cardiac pacemaker cells operate in rhythmic synchronicity.
The mechanism of synchrony is based on the dominant activity or part effecting 'pull' or 'drag' on submissive parts so that any oscillation and movement patterns begin to harmonize. This is the proposed manner in which the cranial rhythmic impulse functions. As hundreds of different oscillating impulses emanate continuously from the human body, the impulses continuously adapt, conform and blend to form the CRI. The craniosacral rhythm, similar to the respiratory and cardiac rhythms, can be felt throughout the body and serves as a marker of an individual's current health status.
Primary Components of The Primary Respiratory Mechanism
The primary components of the cranial rhythm are much more than 'just' the cranial bones. It is a semi-enclosed hydraulic system enveloping the brain and the spinal chord, and includes the cranium, jaw, spine and pelvis. Craniosacral dysfunction can originate from any of these structures and a full evaluation and correction of the total mechanism is required to correct any imbalances. The primary components of the primary respiratory mechanism are the cranial bones, jaw, neck and facial bones, the spine, the sacrum and the pelvis.
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