Craniosacral Therapy in the Midwifery Model of Care

by Kara Maia Spencer

© 2008 Midwifery Today, Inc. All rights reserved.

[Editor's note: This is an excerpt of an article which appears in Midwifery Today Issue 87, Autumn 2008. View other great articles and columns in the table of contents. To read the rest of this article, order your copy of Midwifery Today Issue 87.]
Photos provided by the author

How can the gentle touch of craniosacral therapy (CST) prevent and heal birth trauma? This relaxing bodywork is growing in popularity among midwives, doulas and childbirth professionals as a modality complementary to holistic maternity care. Mothers are seeking out craniosacral therapists as well, to assist themselves and their babies in achieving optimal health in the childbearing year.

Craniosacral therapy is a gentle, non-invasive and powerful hands-on therapy that benefits whole body health, treats a multitude of conditions and is effective for infants, children and adults. Though the craniosacral therapist uses a very light touch, the bodywork is deeply transformative and healing—physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.

The soft, hands-on bodywork techniques of the craniosacral therapist are non-invasive and serve to relieve pain and dysfunction in the body. The body’s physical release of myofascial restriction facilitates the innate potential for increased wellness and a peaceful consciousness.

The craniosacral system develops shortly after conception, when the first cell divides in the womb and forms the primal midline that becomes our spine. From that moment onward, the health of all our systems is organized around the midline—the spine. Our bones, joints and muscles should be balanced to be healthy, but like a tree that has grown twisted due to the wind, our spines and connective tissues can be affected by tension, trauma and injury throughout life—beginning with the prenatal and birth experiences.

Craniosacral therapy is a gentle way to relieve restrictions in the body to increase the capacity of the individual’s nervous system for health, harmony and well-being. The body naturally seeks homeostasis—and craniosacral therapy facilitates this balancing. When an individual experiences restriction or trauma, whether through a challenging birth or an injury or emotional shock to the nervous system, the body alters its priority from actualization to survival mode. The sooner that trauma, shock and restriction are released from the body, the easier and faster the healing process.

Craniosacral therapy is wonderful for all ages and conditions—from those with severe conditions to those looking for preventive health care. In an ideal world, all pregnant women and infants would receive craniosacral therapy to promote healthy births, babies and families, thus saving on health care costs in the long run!

What Is Craniosacral Therapy?

The craniosacral system (CSS) consists of the brain and spinal cord, the three membranes that completely surround it, the craniosacral fluid within the membranes and the fascial connections to the bones of the cranium, cervical vertebrae and sacrum. The dura mater is the tough outer membrane that connects to the cranium and sacrum and contains the entire fluid craniosacral system. The CSS has a slow, gentle rhythm that resonates throughout the entire body.

Through gentle soft tissue release, the practitioner works with the craniosacral rhythm to release tension in the fascia and balance the ligaments, muscles and bones. The craniosacral rhythm can be felt as a result of subtle palpation through contact with the cranium, spine, and sacrum—as well as throughout the entire body. If there is not movement or expression of the craniosacral rhythm and tide throughout the body’s tissues, then restriction, dysfunction and pain settle into the body.

The craniosacral therapist assesses the body for restrictions and uses a very light touch to encourage expansion, mobility and healing. Craniosacral therapy effectively creates deep change through gentle touch by addressing issues at the core of the body’s health. During craniosacral therapy the practitioner uses no more pressure than 5 gm (the amount needed to hold a nickel) to assess, resolve and prevent restrictions in the body. The treatment is deeply relaxing and recipients often experience a sense of timelessness or “stillpoint.”

Unique from other systems of the body, the CSS actually slows down and enters into stillpoints. These rests are a therapeutic time of revitalization for the CSS—similar to rebooting a computer. After facilitating a craniosacral stillpoint, the individual’s CSS functions more strongly and is better coordinated; the body is using its own innate ability to heal.

Regular craniosacral therapy sessions can help to maintain health, well-being and immunity, as well as to ward off depression, musculoskeletal dysfunction and stress. Craniosacral therapy is recommended for pregnant and postpartum women and new babies—as well as for women of all ages and in all stages of life.

Kara Maia Spencer, LMT, CD, CBE, is a craniosacral therapist, licensed massage therapist and birth and postpartum doula with a private practice in Eugene, Oregon. Further resources about craniosacral therapy for mothers and babies are available at Kara’s Web site at www.maiahealingarts.com. Kara is also a childbirth educator, doula trainer and healing arts educator. She is the founder of the Maia Institute of Co-Creative Healing at www.maiainstitute.com, which offers Co-Creative Birthing classes online and more. She also teaches Birth Arts International Doula workshops, www.birtharts.com.

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