Some of the most common uses of CranioSacral Massage Therapy involve painful conditions where the patient cannot tolerate much pressure. Since this form of massage makes extensive use of light touch and non-invasive techniques, it is beneficial for people who suffer from:
Other painful conditions can also benefit. In some cases, multiple sclerosis patients have reported experiencing significant relief from their conditions. Many elderly people can benefit from this modality because it can be done fully clothed and does not require the client to feel compromised in any way. People who are used to bodywork can benefit from more advanced techniques that involve limb manipulation, while people who cannot tolerate much touch can also benefit from the deep relaxing, light-touch techniques used primarily on the head and the neck.
By resolving deep tension patterns around the foramen magnum, located at the base of the skull, the entire nervous system can experience a release from the pressure of daily stress. This deep restoration is often referred to as a "still point," where the body restores itself in an instantaneous moment -- when given the opportunity. A CranioSacral Massage Therapist seeks to create this opportunity. They do this by preparing the internal environment wherein a still point is likely to occur.
Depending on the focus of the therapist, people who receive this therapy may experience a range of benefits. These may include basic relief from pain, but many people also become re-acquainted with their own restorative potential in the process. Since a great portion of the therapy is determined by the participation and interest of the client, the people who are interested in the more subtle applications of this therapy do seem more likely to have profound and subtle experiences.
Everyone experiences stress during the course of normal life. One of our biggest concerns revolves around how we recover from stress, or how we can restore both range of motion and quality of motion during our daily movements. Because this massage technique enables the natural energy of the body to flow through the joints, a noticeable improvement in both range and quality of movement is commonly experienced.
For many people, this can be experienced as an increase in muscle strength, improved vision and ability to see color and texture in detail, and many other benefits. It has been observed that the benefits of this therapy are intricately linked to the nature of the problems that a person has. For this reason, it is sometimes difficult to predict how a given client will respond. However, because every muscle and organ is innervated, the release of nerve entrapments also has the potential to improve every aspect of the body.
The certification of a CranioSacral Massage Therapy practitioner can come from many different places due to the branching and expanding use of this modality. Like most professions, therapists will have a range of skills and experience. Another consideration that people should keep in mind is that the requirements of each state are different; some states have a higher minimum number of school hours needed prior to being licensed to practice.
However, everyone who is certified or licensed to practice CranioSacral Massage must undergo extensive training in Physiology, particularly in the area of Cranial Anatomy. Many practitioners also receive background or advance training in Neuroanatomy. The reason is that the placement of the hands upon the cranial bones is extremely exact and the ability of the therapist to visualize the underlying tissues with accuracy is an integral part of this therapeutic system.