Forgive my Self-Indulgence,

and this is, but in the post below I would like to share a satirical piece entitled “Is Cranial Sacral Therapy Right for You? A Step-by-Step Guide.”

I presented this paper as a project for my Anatomy & Physiology class, in which the assignment was to research and present a massage related topic that affects the nervous system. For those who don’t know, Cranial Sacral Therapy is a growing bodywork method employed by a wide variety of practitioners, and is well respected within the bodyworker community.

Reading this out loud was really fun, and no one in my class including my instructor realized that any part of this essay was tongue in cheek, which kind of made it perfect.


Is Cranial Sacral Therapy Right for You? A Step-by-Step Guide

[All of the following information is sourced from:
http://www.allexperts.com/
www.healing-arts.org
http://www.consciouschoice.com/
International Alliance of Healthcare Educators
http://www.scepdic.com/
http://www.quackwatch.com/
Some text from the above sources is quoted without direct reference.]

Background:

Cranial Sacral (or CranioSacral) Therapy is an outgrowth of the Osteopathic healing method. Andrew Taylor Still, MD (1828-1917) originally expressed the principles of osteopathy in 1874, when medical science was in its infancy. A medical doctor, Still believed that diseases were caused by mechanical interference with nerve and blood supply and were curable by manipulation of "deranged, displaced bones, nerves, muscles—removing all obstructions—thereby setting the machinery of life moving." His autobiography states that he could "shake a child and stop scarlet fever, croup, diphtheria, and cure whooping cough in three days by a wring of its neck." The admission standards and educational quality are a bit lower at osteopathic schools than they are at medical schools. The required and average grade-point averages (GPAs) and the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores of students entering osteopathic schools are lower than those of entering medical students—and the average number of full-time faculty members is nearly ten times as high at medical schools (714 vs. 73 in 1994). In addition, osteopathic schools generate relatively little research, and some have difficulty in attracting enough patients to provide the depth of experience available at medical schools.

Cranial Sacral Method

CranioSacral Therapy (CST) was pioneered and developed by osteopathic physician John E. Upledger following extensive scientific studies from 1975 to 1983 at Michigan State University, where he served as a clinical researcher and Professor of Biomechanics.

CST is a gentle, hands-on method of evaluating and enhancing the functioning of a physiological body system called the craniosacral system - comprised of the membranes and cerebrospinal fluid that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord.

Using a soft touch generally no greater than 5 grams, or about the weight of a nickel, practitioners release restrictions in the craniosacral system to improve the functioning of the central nervous system.

Cranial Sacral Therapy relieves or cures such conditions as:

Migraine Headaches
Chronic Neck and Back Pain
Motor-Coordination Impairments
Colic
Autism
Central Nervous System Disorders
Orthopedic Problems
Traumatic Brain and Spinal Cord Injuries
Scoliosis
Infantile Disorders
Learning Disabilities
Chronic Fatigue
Emotional Difficulties
Stress and Tension-Related Problems
Fibromyalgia and other Connective-Tissue Disorders
Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome (TMJ)
Neurovascular or Immune Disorders
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Post-Surgical Dysfunction

Craniosacral therapists work by detecting a craniosacral "rhythm" in the cranium, sacrum, cerebrospinal fluid and the membranes which envelop the craniosacral system. The balance and flow of this rhythm is essential to good health. The rhythm is measured by the therapist's hands. Any needed or effected changes in rhythm are also detected only by the therapist's hands. No instrument is used to measure the rhythm or its changes, hence no systematic objective measurement of healthy versus unhealthy rhythms exists. The measurement, the therapy and the result are all subjectively based. Cranial sacral clients use their nervous system to determine if they feel better. No instrument can measure how the client feels. But what if the client thinks they feel better and they really don’t? This is a problem only science can solve! Scientists will determine whether the client’s mind has healed them or whether it was the cranial sacral therapy, or the third option, which is that the client is really not healed but they think they are. In summary, measuring results or diagnosing is beyond the scope of the massage therapist.

Dr. Elaine Stocker has been practicing cranial sacral therapy since the 1970s. She explains to new clients that by participating in therapy "You’re making a good home for the central nervous system as it exists in the head and the spine and the body." She calls the cranial rhythm "the moving tide of life," saying that when the movement of cerebrospinal fluid from the head through the spinal column, into the cranium and back is "full and complete, these fluids flow through the whole body and provide the tissues with nutrition and information." Stocker says she can feel the cerebrospinal fluid at many different places around a client’s body, including the fingers and legs. She specializes in the use of cranial sacral therapy with children and mothers.

Lewis E. Mehl-Madrona, M.D. prescribes CST for children with autism. He got his MD from Stanford University in 1975.

John Upledger says, "By connecting deeply with a patient while doing CranioSacral therapy, it was possible in most cases to solicit contact with the patient's Inner Physician the inner physician could take any form the patient could imagine -- an image, a voice or a feeling...once the image of their Inner Physician appeared, it was ready for a dialog with me and answer questions…" Paul Sutliff, who is an expert on cults and a renowned religious leader makes specific reference to this quote, saying, “The description given here could very well be of demonic possession. This can only be fixed by finding Jesus. No amount of ‘physical adjustments’ can change this. Another thing to note regarding this therapy is that almost all therapists of cranial sacral therapy are also certified in various other fields that are directly connected to occultist practices.”

In summary, it appears that cranial sacral therapy could help you, but unfortunately there has not yet been invented a machine so that you could see the printout of your treatment as done with an EKG machine or X-Ray. There is also a danger of associating with demons, so the best advice is if you are sure your Inner Physician is not a demon, then it may be safe to proceed, but if you are not sure of this, it is best to leave well enough alone!