Relational Healing Arts, LLC by Liza Borodkin

What is Craniosacral Therapy?

It is a gentle, yet powerful touch therapy (although it doesn’t have to be through touch), where a client and a therapist take a joint journey into the exploration of the inherent Health that underlies any seeming pathology. The recognition of the Health by the two people greatly magnifies the workings of the already-existing healing processes and helps bring them up to the surface.

During the treatment, the therapist focuses on the internal pulsation that is expressed by every living cell of our bodies. This pulsation, also known as The Tide, also exists everywhere in nature and is the basic expression of life. Almost imperceptible to the eye, this slow puslating rhythm can be picked up by the craniosacral therapists' sensitive hands. The beauty of the Tide is that it carries information about the person's physical, mental, and spiritual health history going as far back as the moment of the fetus' conception. 

This rhythm shows the state of the nervous system, muscular-skeletal alignment, the functioning of different organs, the quality of bodily fluids, as well as the emotional and spiritual state of the person. This history is told during the craniosacral session when then the therapist is listening to the quality and fluctuations in the tidal flow. 

Listen to the interview about Craniosacral Therapy conducted by Alia Almoayed, a well-respected nutritional therapist in Bahrain.

How Does it Work?

The underlying belief of Craniosacral therapy is that the body is capable of healing itself. The surgeon relies on the body's capacity for self-repair to complete the work that he/she did after the operation. Every medical doctor knows that the body is always striving towards homeostasis. Even when we take a strong pill, it is still our own body that is doing the healing work, so why not work with that natural power we all have? When the patient's body feels that it is being listened to on such a deep level, the Tide responds and begins to do its healing work. It's as if Health sees itself in a mirror and realizes what needs to happen. The therapist acts as the mirror that compassionately and non-judgmentally reflects the client's processes on the table. This way, the body can find the root cause of its issues, which often results in benefits that are different and greater than what's expected by the client.  What seem to be physical issues are actually unresolved emotional and spiritual problems. Through the Listening and Recognition, the Tide rebalances itself and begins to do the healing work.

Holistic Approach

The great power of the Tide is that it shows the health of the entire person's body, and can, therefore, point to the root cause of the problem, which could easily be in a different part or system of the body than the original problem. Instead of treating separate symptoms, this therapy treats the whole person, which results in benefits much greater than alleviating the original health complaint.

What Conditions Can Craniosacral Therapy Help?

There isn’t a condition for which cranisacral therapy may not be helpful. Even at the latest stages of cancer, craniosacral therapy could help a person access the state of underlying health.

It is suitable for people of all ages including newborn babies, children, the elderly, pregnant women, and can be effective in acute or chronic cases.

The following is a partial list of conditions that craniosacral therapy has been known to help:

• Back and neck pain
• Insomnia, sleep disorders
• Headaches, migraines
• Chronic sinusitis, recurrent middle-ear infections
• High blood sugar
• Depression, anxiety, inability to focus
• Water retention due to hormonal disbalance or trauma
• Digestive problems/Irritable bowel syndrome
• Emotional/physical trauma of all kinds - birth, falls, accidents, other injuries, sexual or emotional abuse, loss/grief, surgery, anesthesia
• General fatigue, lack of energy
• Hypertension, various cardiovascular disorders
• Many others

Craniosacral Therapy is also excellent as a preventive therapy because it can facilitate the resolution of imbalances within a patient/client's system that s/he may not be consciously aware of.

How Does a Typical Session Go?

The client remains fully clothed and lies down on the treatment table, while the therapist puts her hands on different parts of the client's body, such as  lower back, neck, feet, head. The therapists' hands stay still on each part for a few minutes, while she is listening to the Tide and allows it to do the healing work. The patient's attentions also stays tuned in to the body, as it goes through different sensations, such as heat, cold, tingling, pulsing, or changes in breath. Since the Tide reaches the subconscious mind, many people see colors, have visions, and memories from the past – all of which is helpful in the healing process. In addition to the benefits to the original health concern, most clients leave the sessions feeling deeply peaceful and rested. 

How Many Treatments Will it Take For Me?

If you are experiencing this therapy for the first time, a minimum of 3 sessions is necessary to notice a definite shift in your condition.  If you are coming with a chronic or a long-time problem, it's advisable to undergo a series of 5 to 7 daily treatments, possibly with a short break in between. At the end of this series, the therapist will evaluate the rate of client's improvement and will make a determination on how many more sessions might be needed. Having said this, we always allow room for miracles, as certain conditions, albeit long and deeply-rooted, have been known to disappear just after one treatment.

How Long Does an Average Session Last?

If you are coming for the first time, allow one-and-a-half hours, in which we will discuss your health history and conduct the treatment. I will send you a case history form in advance of the appointment; please come with the form printed and filled out, or send it to me over email one day prior to the appointment.

All appointments other than the 1st one take approximately 1 hr, of which 45 minutes is spent on the treatment table, and the rest of the time is devoted to checking-in and verbal integration. If I feel you need to schedule a 1.5 or double appointment for your next visit, I will let you know accordingly.