CranioSacral Therapy (CST) is a gentle, hands-on healing modality of evaluating and treating areas of restriction in the craniosacral system and throughout the entire body.

CST assists your body’s natural ability to regulate the nervous system and self-correct physical and mental/emotional holding patterns.   Clients often leave a session with a recognizable shift from stress towards ease.  This is the result of the central nervous system rebalancing. 

MASSAGE THERAPY

Approach: “Doing” – pushing with considerable force.

Primary Focus: Musculoskeletal system, soft tissues, tendons, ligaments, fascia.

Technique: Varied pressure (light to deep), rubbing, kneading, manipulation

Goal: Mobility and ease, increased blood flow, soften muscle tissue, break down adhesions, mobilize joints.

Attire: Client typically disrobes; oils and creams applied.

CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY

Approach: “Listening and allowing” – presence, holding, waiting for tissue release/resolution

Primary Focus: Craniosacral system (membranes, CSF), fascia, support increase in Parasympathetic Tone.

Technique: Light touch (5 grams); follow body’s tension patterns, offer supportive presence to assist body’s natural unwinding.

Goal: Circulation, optimize CSF flow, release fascial restrictions, regulate autonomic nervous system, CSR returns to balance.

Attire: Client remains fully clothed; no oils or creams.

To practice Upledger CranioSacral Therapy professionally, you must generally be a licensed healthcare professional with a “license to touch” (such as a Massage Therapist, Physical Therapist, or Nurse).

The CSR is a subtle, rhythmic motion caused by the gentle rise and fall of cerebrospinal fluid pressure as it nourishes the brain and spinal cord. By tracking this rhythm, practitioners can identify specific areas of tension or restricted flow throughout the body's connective tissues. This enables a highly targeted approach for identifying and releasing imbalances, both physical and emotional, and can restore optimal function to the nervous system.

Fascia is a single, uninterrupted web of connective tissue that surrounds every cell, nerve, bone, organ, and muscle.  The phrase “everything is connected” is actually a fact!  Pain can be felt in a location different from its actual source due to the interconnected nature of the fascial system. Because fascia is one continuous piece of connective tissue from head to toe, a restriction or "snag" in one area can pull on the rest of the web.  Like pulling a thread on a sweater causes the fabric to bunch elsewhere, a tightness in your hip fascia could potentially cause pulling and pain in your neck or shoulders. When fascia tightens (often due to posture habits, an event causing trauma, or inflammation), it can exert excessive pressure on nerves and muscles, creating referred pain patterns throughout the body.

The body often stores the "memory" of physical or emotional trauma within its tissues. As fascia softens, breathing slows and deepens, and the central nervous system relaxes, the physical  "holding patterns" associated with past stress or trauma can soften. When these physical restrictions are let go, the suppressed emotion attached to that specific memory may surface. This doesn't always mean crying will follow as a result of the surfaced memory.  It might manifest as a sudden sense of peace, a feeling of heat, a change in breathing, or even a brief moment of laughter or anger.

• Pain and inflammation
• Chronic neck and back pain
• Fatigue
• Anxiety and depression
• Concussion recovery
• TMJ syndrome
• Headaches and migraines
• Digestive discomfort
• Sleep disturbances

SPECIALIZED APPLICATIONS

Neurology & Sensory
• Autism – reduce sensory overload
• Alzheimer’s and dementia
• ADD/ADHD – calming CNS

All Ages:
• Infants: feeding, digestion, birth strain, tongue-tie
• Toddlers: anxiety, ear infection
• Children/Teens: sensory processing, social pressure

Maria consults briefly with each of her clients before a session to get a clearer understanding of the underlying issue and the best course of therapy to assist the body/mind in its healing process.

Connecticut Center for Massage Therapy (CCMT), Westport, CT,
2008-2010, licensed in CT and NY
Upledger Institute Internaitonal - Craniosacral Therapy, 2015-present