craniosacral - myofascial registered massage therapy...
Registered Massage Therapy in British Columbia is no longer only a therapy limited to focus on muscular tissue. What we think of as traditional, muscular massage therapy has expanded through scientific research and practical application to include all systems of the body.
Connected through a matrix of fascia, our brain, spinal cord, and organ systems are of the most important structures in our bodies. Many chronic pain cases can be traced to deeper tissues in our bodies, and through the past few decades there have been many types of treatments developed to access and work with these structures. I generally use techniques from Craniosacral Therapy, Visceral Manipulation and Myofascial Massage Therapy modalities, although I believe as in all art, my approach has become its own and is often hard to nail down to a specific genre.
Let me lay out a few key concepts, that have informed my work throughout the years.
Spinal curves:
The curves of our spine are absolutely integral to the structure of our bodies. The spine houses the spinal cord, which provides transmission of some of the most important signals through your tissue. Almost all of us, through a combination of injury, sicknesses and lifestyle in general have affected some part of the curves of your spine. This is not a static thing; almost everyone has a few segments rotated or "out", but people also possess the inherent ability to work with this torsion in a pain and symptom free way. Many people, whether it's a chronic pain in the neck, digestive issue or intense regularity of menstrual cramps can benefit from having their spinal curves improved.
Fluidity:
Our bodies are mostly made of water, right? Why is it that we tend to perceive them as hard and rigid? Living with health issues, injuries and chronic pain, we become used to responding to pain signals in our bodies that often become hypersensitive. These neural connections become hardwired, and trigger easily. Through Craniosacral Therapy work, we aim to let the fluid and energetic body unwind old traumas and loosen the sensitivity to these areas. As we retrain our mind and body to perceive the internal environment as a healthy fluid state, which it truly is, we begin to feel less pain.
Rhythm and Structure:
Every structure in us has an inherent rhythm, in perfect a beautiful equilibrium with all other rhythms going on around it. For example, the fluid surrounding your brain and spinal cord (Cerebrospinal fluid) has a pattern of pulsation and movement as it's produced, travels through your spine and reabsorbed. Similarly, each organ in your body has a biological pattern of movement it operates within in order to perform its function. It’s within this fluid rhythm that holds the energy present in each structure. When trauma is introduced to the body, it finds a way to compensate, or create a fulcrum around a certain area so that we can keep operating in the world as we do. Often, over time these fulcrums deep in the body create torsions that we often perceive on the surface as muscular pain, organ dysfunction or joint pain. Over the years, I've found that using a blend of Craniosacral work and Myofasical Massage Therapy is most effective at unwinding these torsions.
Torsional patterns:
It’s been my experience as a therapist that the ways our bodies move through the world have overarching similarities and uniquenesses. Whether it be how we hold our children in our arms, sit in a desk or how our body transmits and deals with traumatic forces in a car accident, there are patterns to the ways our bodies respond. Some are distinctly different to the individual, some are quite common and could be seen as cultural. It’s my job to help your body unwind these torsions, but also relate what I see and feel to you, and help you understand your situation or make sense of it.
What exactly is Craniosacral Massage Therapy?
As mentioned above, the fluid surrounding our brain and spinal cord called the cerebrospinal fluid, is constantly being produced and reabsorbed in the central nervous system. It is usually flowing and pulsating evenly throughout the nervous tissue, subtly affecting and housing the neural fibres that perform every function in your body.
When a trauma is introduced to your body, whether it be from a car accident, invasive surgery, concussion, injury or difficult emotional event in your life it impacts this system. The fluid then begins to pulsate around a fulcrum -very similar to the way your musculature can compensate around a sprain- and this fluid rhythm becomes slightly uneven.
Often times, after a while of carrying one or two, or for most of us a few different of these types of torsions in our central nervous system, they begin to affect a variety of processes in your body. Very generally speaking this is how we link, for example, a broken rib to difficulty sleeping or digestive issues and back pain.
As a Registered Massage Therapist in the industry in British Columbia over the last decade, I have seen our profession grow and progress due to advancement in research and experience with successfully applying these techniques in sessions with countless patients. Many of which come in to my office somewhat defeated with chronic pain cases, initially to them, seemingly unworkable. Come see me in either Salmo, Nelson or Castlegar BC, and we can get started on a new path.