Craniosacral Therapy
(3 minute read)
Craniosacral Therapy (CST) is the most relaxing modality I’ve ever experienced. It’s a wonderful option for anyone going through cancer treatment, experiencing migraines, chronic pain, sinus issues, or feeling overwhelmed in day-to-day life.
Some people who’ve experienced it call it deep magic, and I do think there is a component of this work that we just can’t explain. Being someone who likes to understand how things work, CST has been an incredibly rich opportunity for me to learn, grow and be challenged beyond my “mechanism of action” mindset. Here’s what I can tell you:
CST is a subtle touch therapy that combines stillness, quiet and light touch to witness the body and support the nervous system. It provides a space, through nurturing touch, for our whole system: body, mind, and soul, to feel safe, heard, and seen. In certain techniques, particularly those for the pelvis, we can sometimes use more pressure, but for the most part, CST is very gentle. Whereas most styles of massage will focus on muscles or fascia in CST we tend to focus more on individual bones, joints and the body as a whole, including its energetic field.
As a method, CST is more centered on listening than doing. A friend made the comparison with how nice it feels to have someone ask you how you’re doing…. And then how much better it feels when that person truly listens to your full answer. In craniosacral work, we listen fully, with all of our senses, including our hearts and our hands. To do so, we place our hands gently, for minutes at a time, on structures or regions of the body to listen and assess, without judgement. From there, we can offer compressions, decompressions, or unwinding, to help invite more fluidity and vitality to the body.
The term craniosacral comes from the focus we place on the cranium (the skull that encloses the brain) and the sacrum (the triangle-shaped bone between the two sides of our pelvis, at the bottom of our spine). These two regions are central in our work because these are the two ends to which our central nervous system is anchored. The way these structures interrelate and are able to move is integral to our health and impacts everything else in our being!
A variety of techniques in CST are intraoral. These techniques aren’t a necessary component of the work, but because quite a few of the structures we address are part of our head, it turns out that working inside the mouth can provide unique access to be able to offer decompressions for structures of the cranium, face and jaw. If you feel uncertain about this idea, first off, know that there is no pressure to try it, and also know that I am happy to discuss the what, how and why in one of your sessions. It’s simply one of the many possibilities that CST offers, that can have really profound effects on our system as a whole.
Often this work is done fully clothed, so if you’re looking for a full session of craniosacral work, be sure to wear or bring comfortable clothing. This allows us to incorporate a handful of techniques for the pelvis, hips, and sacrum that aren’t appropriate if you’re undressed for a more classic massage. However, for the large majority of techniques, whether you are dressed and on top of the sheets, or undressed and under the sheets is entirely irrelevant! This allows craniosacral work to be woven into any massage session. If you’re intrigued by the concept but aren’t sure you want a fully dedicated CST session, you can always try a 10-15 sample of CST within the context of a massage.
Of all the techniques and modalities I’ve learned and experienced, CST is the best at supporting our nervous system, inviting and allowing our body to get deeply into “rest and digest.” I feel like this is where a lot of the “magic” happens. When our body can finally get out of the near-constant “fight or flight” state that 21st century life creates, the releases and shifts our systems experience can be quite extraordinary.
If you’d like a deeper dive into more details of CST, my instructor, Lauren Christman, has created a lovely resource you can find here.
Intraoral Work
(90 second read)
Intraoral work is treatment to the muscles and structures inside the mouth. This work may help to relieve a variety of head and neck conditions. For specifics, see below. A clean nitrile glove is worn at all times for any work in the mouth. Only LMTs endorsed by the Washington State Department of Health can perform this treatment.
Intraoral work can be helpful for:
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Headaches
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Neck tension
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TMJD & jaw tension
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Sinus issues
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Tinnitus, vertigo & other ear issues
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Dental work / braces
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Improving speaking and singing
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Sphenobasilar dysfunction / lack of movement
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Cranial nerve issues such as Bell’s palsy, Trigeminal neuralgia, motor and sensory eye issues, smell impairment, motor and sensory tongue problems.
How can work on the muscles inside the mouth help with so many things?
Excellent question! Because our jaw joint is primarily connected to our skull via muscles and because it is so very close to the ears and the joint where our neck meets our skull, these things are all incredibly intertwined. For a fun “Aha!” moment, try placing the tip of each index finger gently in each ear, with the finger pad pointing forward, then open and close your jaw. That movement you feel is your jaw joint hinging open and closed! The proximity of your jaw joint to your atlanto-occipital joint (where the first vertebra of your neck articulates with your skull) is about as close, but you can't feel it.
When we have excess tension in the muscles of our jaw, it can translate into these neighboring areas, impacting the freedom of movement of joints, fluid, and cranial nerves, as well as creating excess tension in the muscles of the neck (and even below the neck!) Releasing the tension in the jaw muscles can have astonishing impacts on all of these other tensions and restrictions. Allowing 45 minutes for this work is usually a good amount of time for a thorough intraoral session and to feel its benefits.
Manual Lymph Drainage (MLD)
(2 minute read)
Manual Lymph Drainage is a gentle and relaxing technique that helps move lymphatic fluid back into circulation and in turn can help decrease swelling, calm the nervous system, and reduce pain.
For various reasons, fluid can become stuck throughout our body in the spaces between our cells (aka interstitial space). This congestion often leads to swelling, commonly referred to as edema. MLD uses light, rhythmic pressure on the skin, with no oil, to create a stretch on the skin. This stretch and the alternating “pressure on-pressure off” phase opens the smallest lymphatic vessels directly under the skin which encourages the movement of fluid and proteins from the interstitial space through our lymphatic system and back into the circulatory system.
The rhythmic nature and gentle pressure of MLD work can create a significant relaxation effect on the nervous system and strong analgesic (pain-relieving) effect. Because of all these components, MLD can be beneficial for a wide multitude of conditions including:
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Fibromyalgia
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Pregnancy Edema
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Post-Surgical Edema
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Sprains
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Migraines
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Sinus headaches
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Stress
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Anxiety
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Enhanced Immune Function
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Whiplash
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Hematoma
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Oncology
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Palliative Care
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Tinnitus
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Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
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Rheumatoid Arthritis
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Scleroderma
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Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
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Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
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Lyme Disease
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Neuropathy due to diabetes
We are beginning to have a greater understanding and appreciation for our lymphatic system, and what an incredibly fascinating and important system! It’s basically our body’s recycling system for fluid, proteins, and fats, while simultaneously filtering out waste, cell debris, and foreign substances, AND playing the most essential, multi-faceted role in our body’s immune function. Wow! What a job. Let’s take a moment and thank our lymphatic system. If you'd like to give yours a little boost, just ask. MLD work can be incorporated into any session. A full body MLD treatment requires 60 minutes.
Please note: I am certified through Klose Training in the Vodder Method to treat Stage 0 and Stage I Lymphedema. Stage II and III are out of my scope of practice.
Illustration of our lymphatic system.
Myofascial Release (MFR): John Barnes’ Approach
(90 second read)
The John Barnes’ Approach of Myofascial Release is a holistic therapy that helps us discover and release regions of the body with stuck or stiff fascia. For an in-depth description of what myofascia and fascia are (and a visual, if you so choose), click here. If you feel a limited range of motion in your joints, chronic aching pain or are frustrated by symptoms that persist after other treatments, MFR could be the key for you.
MFR relies on a few primary principles. First, we never force. Rather, the pressure we use allows us to sink into and connect with the fascial system in a more gentle way. Most often we apply full-hand contact with pressure in opposing directions to create the release in the fascia as we hold. Second, we take our time. It takes between 90-120 seconds for the fascia to begin to release, so each hold typically lasts 3-5 minutes. Third, because the fascial system is the immediate environment of every cell of your body, and even extends INTO every cell through a micro-fascial system, this technique can truly have a whole body impact.
Our fascia can become stuck and stiff from a variety of factors including trauma, prolonged poor posture, repetitive movements and inflammation gone awry. With each of these occurrences, our fascia tends to shorten and solidify. When this happens too regularly or severely, it can present in an astoundingly diverse array of symptoms. Every nerve, vessel, organ and bone passes through fascia, and since fascia can exert tremendous force when restricted, it’s not surprising that our bodies sometimes complain loudly.
By facilitating fascial release, areas and structures that have been squeezed in stiff fascia will experience a return of circulation and an opportunity for the body to heal itself.
Please Note: If you are interested in MFR work, please refrain from
wearing any lotion or oils the day of your massage.
If you would like to experience a full session of MFR, please
bring comfortable athletic clothing to wear for your session.
