It's All in Your Head - CranioSacral Therapy - Brief Article

Vegetarian Times, Dec, 1999 by Suzanne Gerber

In recent years, spa treatments have ventured far beyond massage and facials into the realm of mind/body therapy, One commonly offered service is CranioSacral Therapy (CST). If you've shied away from it because it sounds too ... cranial, fear not. CST is a powerful yet gentle energy rebalancing technique, done by trained professionals whose backgrounds range from M.D. to massage therapist. It's based on the theory that just as the cardiovascular and respiratory systems have recognizable rhythms (pulse, breath), so does the craniosacral system, which is composed of the bones of the skull, the membranes and fluids running along the spine, and the sacrum, the bone at the base of your spine. By palpating the craniosacral rhythms, CST practitioners enable your body to make its own adjustments to energy imbalances in your brain and spinal cord, which then correct physiological and emotional conditions ranging from chronic back pain to migraines and insomnia.

Hoping to restore range of motion in my neck after a rear-end car collision, I made an appointment with CST practitioner Mary Elizabeth Wakefield, who's also a licensed acupuncturist and Shiatsu and sound therapist. When I arrived in her Manhattan home office, I was less apprehensive about what would happen than that nothing would. After an extensive chat about my health concerns, I hopped on her massage table. Though my eyes were closed and music was lulling me into a meditative state, I was aware of her moving around the table, gently laying her hands on my head, neck, arms and feet (with pressure about the weight of a nickel).

An hour later I was revived, though it took a bit longer for me to fully focus, because I was in a profound state of relaxation. She told me about the energy blocks she perceived in my body and asked how I felt--wonderfully calm, with noticeably more mobility in my neck.

Mary Elizabeth Wakefield; Chi-Akra Center: (212)688-8709. One session: $90. To find a CST practitioner near you, call the Upledger Institute: (800) 233-5880.