Nov 18, 2014

Cranial Unwinding - My First Observation of Craniosacral Therapy


I am a member of the Florida State Massage Therapy Association, and they offer Continuing Education classes every month for the members.  I like attending their classes because they invite massage therapists who specialize in different techniques and approaches, so it’s a perfect opportunity for me to be exposed and learn new things.

I was intrigued by Paul Pock’s Cranial Unwinding.  Although I had basic knowledge of Craniosacral Therapy (a brief description below), and heard practitioners talking about their experience, it was not on my list, to be honest.  I was not drawn to, so called, energy work.

Seeing is believing.  He worked on a few massage therapists in the class, and they presented visible structural improvements in their pelvis just in 10-15 minutes.  I didn’t know first exactly what it was that fascinated me because I normally get more skeptical if it’s too good to be true.  Neither was it about his methods because he didn’t do anything but holding the head, neck or sacrum, nor about logic or science behind it.  Of course, he was working in the way only he could feel, but we couldn’t see.  I realized that it was his compassion.  Every time he talked about his clients who improved by his work, he choked up.  I believe it resonated with me and many other therapists in the class. 

So, what is Cranial Unwinding?  It is based on Craniosacral Therapy, but he uses little pressure and seemingly does nothing.  The aim is to “facilitate” and “be present with the body’s ability to heal itself.”  If you have a physical and/or emotional trauma, it stays in your body and blocks the body’s innate power to heal itself.  With the blockage removed, the body will find its way to be what it is supposed to be.  I signed up for his seminar, so I am looking forward to finding out more.     

Craniosacral Therapy (CST):  CST is a form of bodywork that uses gentle compression to realign the craniosacral system (cranium, spine, and sacrum) to balance the craniosacral rhythm (CSR) and improve function of the nervous system.  CSR is a pulse of cerebralspinal fluid pumped throughout the craniosacral system.  Once the CSR is balanced, the cerebralspinal fluid can flow freely through the system, and the body’s own healing mechanism can function properly.