What is CranioSacral Therapy?
Craniosacral therapy is a way of clearing restrictions in and improving mobility of the membranes and bones contiguous to the central nervous system, i.e. the bones of the head, spine and pelvis and cranial and spinal dura mater. Such restrictions may affect the central nervous system, which may affect the rest of the body. Craniosacral therapy is a light touch technique, using forces equal to the weight of a nickel, and is performed on a clothed subject. It is a way of giving the body the support it needs to do the work or healing it is ready to do. It is a way of tapping into the body's tissues at a deeper level than manual therapy usually does; of making contact with the living architectural blueprint which gives the tissues form and life. Once this contact is made, the tissues will follow that blueprint as it re-impresses its ideal or form-idea upon the body. The most helpful information is often given after therapy has begun.

How can it help me?
As you release tension of all sorts, especially within the craniosacral system, not only will more of your energy become freed for its normal functions (as opposed to holding the blockages and having to go around those blockages), but the central nervous system, with its central role in the body's functioning, will work more efficiently. Craniosacral therapy improves immune response, reduces stress, is beneficial for head, neck and back injuries, headaches, chronic pain and fatigue, depression, learning disabilities and many other problems.

How many sessions will I need for my_______problem?
It varies from person to person and with situation and condition. You (the patient) may well develop a sense for what you need and when to schedule sessions. Some people need one session, some come regularly for years, and many see a significant change after 3-4 sessions.

I didn't feel much, why not?
Experiences vary from individual to individual and from session to session. Some people just get relaxed and don't feel much, some fall asleep and some like to follow everything. Your body may continue to process for several days and your reaction later may be different than your reaction today. You may have a sense of change or improvement as time goes on. Each session can really be quite different. 

How come I feel pain in my_______when I didn't feel it at the beginning of the session?
Long forgotten pain may be forgotten but not quite long gone. As we remove layers of tension and restriction, we may hit upon an old injury and the pain that goes with it may resurface. When the body remembers experiences, sensations or emotions it is called tissue memory. The body may need to go into an old pattern to release an old pattern, and there may be pain associated with that as well. Any discomfort should dissipate within a day or two.

How is SomatoEmotional Release not psychotherapy?

Sometimes, SER can appear like psychotherapy on the surface. Some people say they didn't realize psychology was being used in the CranioSacral Therapy. But it is not psychotherapy because the therapist follows the body, and doesn't use psychotherapeutic "techniques" per se, but each image or idea which makes up part of the process is there to facilitate a release in the body. Psychotherapy works with the psyche, and sometimes calling in the assistance of some body work helps facilitate that. In SER, we work with the body, and the part of the process which passes through the patient's consciousness is facilitates releases in the body. Yes, SER may release or enlighten thought or emotional patterns. It doesn't give advice, though, but rather empowers the patient to take control of their own process. It doesn't diagnose, but offers guidance so the patient can discover their own truth and realize what is going on for them as they change it. It doesn't try to offer treatment or cure the patent, but supports them so that they can go through their process, whatever that may be. It doesn't impose a goal on therapy or say how a person should be when they're finished, but rather trusts that a person's inner physician will lead them and you wherever it is appropriate to be at that time.