Frequently Asked Questions
What is Craniosacral? Craniosacral is a gentle therapy that improves the flow of cerebrospinal fluid in the head and spine. This is done by adjusting the skull bones and releasing various diaphragms in the body. Poor fluid flow and skull/spinal restrictions affect the entire body due to the effect on the nervous system.
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What issues does Craniosacral help with?
Craniosacral is good for a wide range of issues. The most common are issues related to the head. Head injuries, concussions, TMJ dysfunction, neck pain, and various other head conditions. I also use Craniosacrak to work with organ restrictions, emotional energy, and trauma. I find Craniosacral helpful for dealing with repressed emotional pain, trauma, PTSD, sexual abuse, and physical abuse. People have often been hurt so badly that they don't know what truly neutral gentle contact is. This neutrality allows for trust and relaxation to happen in body in a way that bypasses the mind and its control mechanisms. Craniosacral helps to stimulate the Vagus nerve and access parasympathetic activation. One of the primary reasons the body has trouble healing is people are often stuck in fight or flight and don't know how to calm their nervous system.
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What is Bowen Therapy?
Bowen work is a therapy that uses gentle moves over the musculature to trigger the nervous system to reset fascial trains that run from head to toe. Repeated moves followed by short waiting periods are given to allow the nervous system and the musculature/fascia to "talk". This conversation reorganizes the fascia and allows for a significant release of tension and energy.
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What issues does Bowen Therapy help with?
Bowen helps to release fascial restrictions from head to toe. This helps with many physical complaints, Muscle tension, body aches, joint pain, edema, blood flow particularly to the extremities, fatigue, organ dysfunction, Adrenal exhaustion, Similar to Craniosacral it stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system helping the body to calm and start to heal. One of the key highlights of Bowen is the ability of this therapy to realign what are called Fascial Trains. These are big lines of Fascia that run from the feet to the head. There are a number of these trains such as the superficial front and back lines, lateral lines, spiral lines, and deep lines. By addressing and resetting these trains it opens the entire body. One of the great parts of this therapy is it doesn't require the deep painful pressure of some therapies which is very helpful especially when someone is in a lot of body pain such as fibromyalgia, or myofascial pain syndrome.
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What's the difference between Bowen Therapy and Craniosacral?
It is true there is an overlap in how the two therapies affect the body. Craniosacral is a bit more specialized and focuses on issues that Bowen doesn't quite reach. That said I find that if the body is in a chronically contracted state, it impacts the effectiveness of Craniosacral. Bowen realigns the body and releases so much tension that when I practice Craniosacral the adjustments to the skull come effortlessly. I tend towards Bowen initially and then if it's warranted or the client wants to address additional issues that may remain Craniosacral is helpful. The best way is to evaluate your situation individually to see what is warranted.
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How does Craniosacral and Bowen Therapy Work?
Craniosacral uses micro movements following internal body rhythms. If you imagine the ebb and flow of the ocean that is a good way of thinking of the body. These internal rhythms get interrupted by stress, accidents, or traumas. By listening and following what body wants to do these restrictions begin to unwind and release allowing for better flow of fluids and tissue itself. Bowen uses small movements across the muscle belly to trigger the nervous system to reset, realign, and relax the muscles and the fascia. A bit like plucking a guitar string, several moves are made and then a short 2-minute rest period is given to allow the tissue and nervous system to talk and adjust. Then more moves are made repeating the process.
What does Craniosacral and Bowen Therapy feel like?
Most people find Craniosacral and Bowen to be deeply relaxing. Often feeling refreshed. Craniosacral can often feel like you're drifting in a dream space somewhere between sleep and awake. One may feel like your processing events, emotions, and energy on a very deep level. Bowen moves themselves feel a bit like massage, but they are quick and often leave you feeling like you're vibrating. As the Bowen session continues a deep sense of relaxation ensues. You may feel twitches, energy rushes, spontaneous deep breathing, and sometimes emotional release. For both therapies, depending on the nature of what one is addressing, every so often deeper releases may occur as the body accesses old emotional pain or trauma. This is usually workable and it's my responsibility as a practitioner to assess the situation to make sure we don't do more than is needed in any one session.