Craniosacral therapy has been around only since 1970, when osteopathic doctor John E. Upledger observed the rhythmic movement of the craniosacral system. He learned that it releases tension, improves the bodys functioning and enhances performance, all with just the gentle use of the therapists hands.
Jen Paschal, one of a few craniosacral therapists in Mancos, believes wholly in this method of relieving pain and getting things back in line with the rest of the body.
I try to get the trauma out of the way and then release it, so the inner physician can do its work, Paschal said.
Paschal has been involved in craniosacral work for the past 10 years, since her son, Ro, had asthma, and she and her husband, Craig, decided to take Ro to the Upledger Institute in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
They really helped Ro out a lot, Paschal said. I became a believer then.
Jen Paschal said that after Ro was seen by a craniosacral therapist, and had some treatments, he grew 3 inches in one week and got off of 80 percent of his medications!
Ro was 4 years old at the time, and is now 13.
After that, Paschal took a four-day intensive course from the Upledger Institute in Denver to learn how to work on other people.
I had been an English teacher up to that time, and I was in a class with doctors and other professional people, she said. But I seemed to have a light touch, and that really helped me out.
Craniosacral therapy was pioneered and developed by Upledger following extensive scientific studies from 1975 to 1983 at Michigan State University, where he served as a clinical researcher and professor of biomechanics. It employs a soft touch, generally no greater than 5 grams, or about the weight of a nickel, and practitioners release restrictions in the craniosacral system to improve the functioning of the central nervous system. It complements the bodys natural healing processes, and it is increasingly used as a preventive health measure for its ability to bolster resistance to disease.
Paschal loves helping people, and craniosacral therapy is a good way to do that, she said. She can feel and detect problem areas with her hands, where youve had trauma in different areas in your body, and then help your body get back in line with the rest of it. The fluid that is inside the spinal cord, that goes from the brain to the sacrum, flows up and down and allows her to feel whats going on with her clients body.
Its like getting into secret drawers, she said. I can feel the fluid and how it works on the body, and I can release pressure on the brain and the spinal cord and all the areas associated with them.
Just through her touch, or palpation, Paschal can sense where the areas are that need to be released, and she immediately follows the blending and melding that happens. She explores the structures under the skin and the energy that is flowing through the area.
Its very non-intrusive, she said. Everything that I do is absorbed through my hands.
Paschal has seen a number of conditions healed as a result of the craniosacral therapy that she administers, such as vertigo, migraines, head and neck muscle problems, old injuries, whiplash, stomach situations and a dislocated shoulder.
I never guarantee any of my work because I just never know what the persons body is going to do, she said.
But she is open to continuing the work numerous times.
Its like having a dialogue with the body, she said. The body has to trust me, and I have to trust the body to tell me whats going on. I just follow its patterns.
Its an incredible gift, she said, but I dont use it forcefully. Ill be the follower.
Lucinda Glass, a chiropractor in Mancos, is also a craniosacral therapist. She uses it not only to treat a condition, but to diagnose it as well.
Youre working with the fluid motion in the body, Glass said. It originates in the brain, but the brain also has a motion. This motion is found everywhere.
Glass also does organ and gland work, as there is fluid around them, too. The fluid rhythm happens about 12 times per minute, she said, and working with it helps the blood pressure to come down, for example, and is relaxing.
Glass has been a chiropractor since 1985 and has worked with craniosacral therapy since 1993. She also went through the Upledger Institute, like Paschal.
We all come out of chiropractic school the same, but who you become is based on yourself and your interests, she said.
Craniosacral work was the perfect combination with chiropractic for her, and she enjoys the lighter touch. Sometimes she can make adjustments through the spinal fluid, and it helps those people who prefer the gentler touch. Shes been in Mancos since 2000.
Since youre working with the trust of the body in chiropractic, it helps with craniosacral as well, she said. The lighter you are, the more you stand back and ask the body where you should go, and then avoid the areas that you dont want to go. Its all about ease. ... Youre not creating resistance, youre not forcing anything.
Craniosacral is more for people who are willing to wait for a remedy, Glass said.
It takes a while for the body to go through all the different compensatory things that are happening, she said. There is a lot of integration that the body does on its own.