Many of my clients are aware that I offer craniosacral therapy for babies as well as their parents.
I have also added craniosacral therapy as part of my service offering when doing the home visit on the first night. And the results can be seen as the children settle down so much easier after our mini session. I strongly believe only a settled and calm system is at its optimal status to learn and adapt.
So, for those who’ve asked me to explain what craniosacral therapy is, I’ve decided to write this blog.
Why do Babies need Craniosacral Therapy?
When a baby is born into this world, they go through an intense experience that has lasting effects on them. Even for a baby whose birth was “normal” with the least interventions and complications, the birth experience can leave a lasting effect on the child. The baby’s body then keeps these memories in the nervous system and muscles. Because of this, a baby will often have difficulty adjusting to the world outside the womb. This often manifests itself when young babies find it difficult to nurse correctly or even settle down to sleep.
The birth experience for a baby can greatly affect their Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) and this often results in activation of the fight or flight state. This fight or flight state is hardwired to humans as a survival mechanism. This survival mechanism can lead to your baby being overly fussy, finding it difficult to nurse, sleep issues or problems with their digestive system.
The opposite is also true for a stressed ANS. Your baby may be extra sleepy, be more quiet and not respond as well as other babies. Your child may also exhibit issues such as being more withdrawn or having attachment issues.
With increased complications which occur during birth, the more the baby’s nervous system will be affected. With craniosacral therapy, the baby’s nervous system is able to release this “survival” energy and find more balance which results in a calmer baby.
In addition to issues with the nervous system, there are numerous physical issues which arise from the birthing experience. And these, like the nervous system issues, some cannot be resolved on their own.
Many times the baby’s body or head does not “unfold” completely after the passage through the birth canal. In a normal scenario, the baby’s skull bones slide over one another to allow for easy passage through the birth canal but often this results in the spaces between the bones becoming compressed or the bones start exerting pressure on surrounding nerves and blood cells. This then manifests itself in things like a colicky baby, inability to settle down to sleep, respiratory problems or feeding difficulty. For these issues, craniosacral therapy assists by removing this tension and compression in the body.
If left untreated, these physical issues from the birth journey can morph into painful or patterns that cause limitations within the body. As the child grows, the nervous dysregulation can go on to affect how they manage stress and relationships can be affected due to bonding and attachment issues.
Although these issues can be resolved through craniosacral therapy, it works best and yields the best results when the child is still young. In adults, this becomes more difficult as many of the patterns have been ingrained in the mind by years of repetition.
How Craniosacral Therapy can help
CST or craniosacral therapy is a gentle way of helping a baby release the stresses held within the body from birth.
CST works by incorporating the gentle rhythms that make up who we are as humans. Our entire body works with these rhythms – from our body fluids to our nerves and tissues. By releasing the tension, we allow these rhythms to flow freely as they should which assists in better health and overall well-being. When stress is not worked through and gets held back in the nervous system or tissues, which leads to many of the symptoms outlined previously.
Through gentle touch, a craniosacral therapist will uncover where these rhythms need to be released and allowed to flow freely. This breaks down any restrictions. The baby’s system will then be able to release these tensions and the rhythms within them will be allowed to flow freely through their systems. Once the rhythms are released, the ANS will discharge the imprints and both the nervous system and physical body will be able to break these patterns.
If you’re interested in learning more about CST or would like to book a session, head over to the link below:
Stay calm and balanced!