EDITORIAL: The Benefits of Craniosacral Therapy

Over twenty years ago, I began experiencing significant chronic pain, specifically in my spine and hips. For a competitive surfer and avid skateboarder such as myself, this development in my young life was a tough pill to swallow. So tough that I began to swallow pills. Lot’s of pills. I didn’t have the maturity to process my sorrow, so the narcotics seemed to help, at first.

As time went on, the pain became unbearable even with the dope, and, after a series of scary misdiagnoses, it became clear that I was suffering from Scheurmann’s Disease, a painful juvenile disc disease, in my thoracic spine, along with bilateral femoral acetabular impingement in my hips. While there was nothing I could do for my spine besides rest, yoga, and physical therapy, I was able to find relief in my hips through arthroscopic surgical intervention.  Those only provided temporary relief, so, after many years of suffering, I had a bilateral hip replacement surgery at Stanford to take care of my arthritic hips once and for all.

I still hurt, all the time, and was given the frustratingly useless diagnosis of Fibromyalgia to explain the cause of my constant aches and pains. Luckily, during this journey I was introduced to a subtle, yet transformative form of body work known as craniosacral therapy. It seemed to not only allow my body to let go of my tight and sore soft tissue and muscles, but of the tension and disfunction being stored in my nervous system as well.

During craniosacral therapy sessions, I would have these monumental experiences of letting go in which that vice-grip would release, dropping me into profound states of peace and much needed relaxation. Magical is the only word I know that can accurately describe those blissful moments, and these sessions would become vital components of my extensive self-care routine. 

Disappointingly, my craniosacral therapist began phasing out her practice as she reached retirement age, so I was no longer able to get regular treatment. Fortunately, my good friend and massage therapist, Meghan Robinson, had also fallen in love with the gentle therapy in recent years, and has since altered her practice to begin focusing on craniosacral therapy entirely. Since then, I’ve been seeing Robinson regularly, and have found highly positive results with her thoughtful and thorough approach.

Unfortunately, the medical scientific community has some strong words to describe craniosacral therapy, including “pseudoscience” and “quackery”, but as myself and many others can attest to, the rigidity of “science” has repeatedly failed to recognize tons of different treatments and therapies that benefit millions who suffer needlessly. Just because modern medicine can’t quantify or explain just why it is that treatments such as Traditional Chinese Medicine, Reiki, and certain diets and supplemental regimens work for so many people, doesn’t mean they’re invalid.

In an effort to spread the word about craniosacral therapy and hopefully expose some open-minded individuals to it’s healing powers, I decided to interview Robinson to get her take on the value and merits of this criminally under-appreciated treatment for well-being. And if that’s not enough to sway you, I advise you to put all your biases and preconceived notions away for just one hour-long session with a therapist as adept as Robinson, and then tell me what you think. I have a feeling you’ll be owing me an apology.

1) Tell me about your journey as a body-worker. When did you embark on your career? 

I discovered massage therapy as an option back in my late 20s when I was practicing hot yoga in Aptos. There I ran into a classmate from high school who mentioned that she had traveled to South America for a few months and she kept her cost down by exchanging bodywork for accommodations. I was intrigued. I was sitting on the wait-list for the nursing program at Cabrillo, but that had always seemed like a plan B. I loved studying anatomy and kinesiology in preparation for nursing so I already had a pretty good background on the human body. I checked out one massage school, National Holistic Institute in San Jose, as a way to get out of the SC bubble and meet new people. Shortly after visiting the school, my sister and I went down to Ecuador for a couple months. Two weeks in, I sent my deposit into the school with the promise that I’d be back by May to start the next program.

2) What kinds of benefits do people pursuing massage receive? Do you have any noteworthy examples of profound results experienced by your clients?

There are so many but the main result across the board would be stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system. Everyone drops into a more relaxed state than when they walked through my door. Other benefits people are pursuing could be pain relief, feeling held and supported in a safe space and increased body awareness and connection to the body.

One of my favorite benefits came from an elderly client of mine. She has outlived three husbands and told me that she never receives touch from anyone outside of her massage hour.

3) Your focus has now shifted to cranio-sacral therapy, a far more subtle form of body-work. What led you down this path? Where did you study and do your training?

With a good friend and colleague of mine, Maria Fernandez, I started taking Visceral Manipulation courses through the Barral-Upledger Institute. This was my first taste of working on the body in other ways than focusing on muscles and joints. In these courses we learned about the organs and their connections to each other in the abdomen and thorax and how adhesions or tension in the organ tissues could present as joint pain or physiological issues elsewhere in the body. This style of bodywork is very gentle, whereas I have found in my career so far that people generally wanted more pressure because of the “no pain, no gain” mentality. I LOVED the profound effects of this gentle style and in searching for more courses to take, I found craniosacral therapy.

4) Can you explain how cranio-sacral therapy works? What types of bodies and or personalities are good candidates for this technique?

On the most simplest level, CS targets the central nervous system directly. Mechanically, the CS rhythm is initiated by two bones in the skull, the sphenoid and occipital bones. Their hinging movements create and start the pumping of cerebral spinal fluid throughout the skull and spinal column. We can feel the rhythm from anywhere on the body. If there’s a lack of movement or a sluggishness in an area of the body, there might be something there… I think the best candidates for this type of bodywork are those who respond to subtle changes, whether physical or emotional or those who are looking for help releasing old trauma from tissues in a very gentle manner.

5) What’s the reception been like so far with your craniosacral practice?

People are loving it. In the past, I’ve had clients express that they want deep or intense pressure thinking that suffering though the session will make them better tomorrow but that’s not always the case. The biggest feedback has been how surprisingly profound the changes can be with such a gentle touch.

6) Do customers ever leave feeling underwhelmed by the treatment as it can be far more subtle than traditional massage?

Absolutely! I have had people leave after a session and they don’t notice anything different, or felt underwhelmed at what their experience was on the table, whether it was a lack of bodily sensation or visuals/emotions but then they’ll send me a text a few days later saying that they slept better than they had in a while the night after the session, or that they started processing something after the session that has been really profound. That’s something I love about this style of bodywork- their experience has nothing to do with me other than what I can control (room ambiance, comfort level, music, etc). How much or little the client feels is totally determined by them.

7) What is it about cranio-sacral therapy that intrigues and inspires you the most? Do you feel like there are some mystical or spiritual components of the technique that can’t be quantified by traditional science?

My favorite part about CS is that I’m not doing much on my end and it seems like magic to the clients. I’m setting up the body or holding the tissues in a particular way that allows for an unwinding, or release, or “a-ha moment” for the client. What the client feels may seem mystical or spiritual and what I’m doing is listening to the body through my hands in very specific positions or locations. I constantly ask myself if I can do less: can I lighten my pressure, can I speak less, etc..

8) How do you plan to expand your business in the future? Do you have any plans for further training and education?

I take a few classes every year and since 2019, most have been either Visceral Manipulation or Craniosacral trainings. I’m a traveler and when I can find a class to stack a vacation onto the end of, I want that! I spent a week south of Todos Santos last October in a week long intensive reiki retreat where I was trained up to Reiki Master. Now, I cant not add reiki to the sessions and feel that CS and reiki go very well together.

Follow Meghan on Instagram @meghan_robinson_therapies

Or, better yet, book an appointment today! www.meghanrobinsontherapies.com

The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Santa Cruz Vibes Media, LLC