Craniosacral Therapy in Brighton and Lewes

What is Craniosacral Therapy?

Craniosacral Therapy is a touch-based approach that involves holding the body for sustained periods of time, the touch is negotiated respectfully and with care. The act of being held helps us to learn how we are holding ourselves physically, emotionally and psychologically.

Through touch and by listening to the body, we can become more aware of how tightly we may be holding on to feelings, sensations, emotions and thoughts. Craniosacral Therapy offers a way of being held that encourages a sense of safety and connection through the body that can be difficult to access during periods of high stress. In this way we can notice our own tendencies and discover new ways of holding ourselves.

As these feelings grow and become more integrated, we can meet and hold ourselves with more awareness, compassion and patience.

Learning to hold our ourselves differently changes our biology. This helps us to regulate many physical processes such as sleep, digestion, and muscular tension, as well as improving relational, psychological and emotional wellbeing.

What happens in a Craniosacral Therapy Session?

Craniosacral Therapy is a hands-on therapy with gentle, sustained contact through the client’s clothing. In a typical Craniosacral Therapy session, you will lay down or sit fully-clothed on a treatment couch while I make contact with my hands. Common places of contact include the feet, shoulders and head, or under the spine and pelvis. 

Human touch can evoke powerful physical and emotional responses so contact is made carefully and respectfully. For this reason, I encourage negotiation in our work together This means that you can choose to pause or stop the contact at any time as well as deciding where and how long I make contact. This process of working in negotiated partnership has a powerful therapeutic effect and can also transfer into other areas of our lives, for example in understanding and setting clearer boundaries.

As well as using touch, there may be some verbal interaction during our work together depending on your individual needs.  This may include talking about your experiences, sensations, thoughts and feelings that come into awareness through the contact, as well as the ongoing negotiation of physical space and touch. This can be a valuable way to integrate the body and mind, embedding the physical experience with insights that become conscious. Body awareness and meditation style exercises can also be developed between sessions to assist the process. I view our work together as a collaborative process where communication and feedback are essential to the work.

NB: The craniosacral therapy sessions I offer are in complementary therapy and are not a substitute for medical care. If you are concerned about your health please also contact your GP.

For appointments or information:

Craniosacral Therapy Clinics
in Brighton and Lewes
Call Steve on 07731 549836