Craniosacral therapy (CST) is a gentle, hands-on massaging technique.
What is Craniosacral Massage?
Craniosacral therapy, or cranial sacral therapy (CST), is a gentle, noninvasive and hands-on treatment that may provide relief from pain, like headaches and neck pain, side effects of cancer treatment and more.
How does craniosacral therapy work?
CST focuses on the gentle placement of hands to help release tension in your body’s connective tissue. This is known as “fascia.” It’s a casing found throughout your body that holds your organs, glands, nerves, muscles, blood vessels, brain, and spinal cord. The fascia forms a body-wide connective tissue network.
The human body is interconnected, both structurally and functionally. This means that one area of your body can affect another. The goal of CST is tension relief (fascial clearance). This may help other connected parts of your body function better through:
- Self-regulation
- Self-correction
- Self-healing
What conditions does Craniosacral Massage manage or treat?
Craniosacral therapy may help you manage symptoms of the following conditions:
- Chronic pain
- Complex regional pain syndrome
- Fibromyalgia
- Headaches like migraines
- Neuralgia
- Post-concussion syndrome
- Scoliosis
- Stroke
- Temporomandibular joint syndrome
What are the benefits of Craniosacral Massage?
Craniosacral massage provides a range of benefits for those who have a severe head, neck, or back injuries from car accidents, workplace mishaps and falls. Because Craniosacral massage utilizes light-touch techniques, it is safe for children and infants
Some of the benefits of craniosacral therapy may include:
- Pain relief
- Relaxation
- Improved emotional well-being
- Stress relief
- Mental clarity
- Boost energy and stamina
Cathy Scarpello, LMT, CHC, CST, RMT
With 32 years of experience, Cathy supports clients through massage therapy, CranioSacral Therapy, diet and lifestyle modification, nutrition, and coaching. She graduated from The Ariel Center for the Healing Arts in 1991 with a certification in massage therapy and became licensed in Massage Therapy when Pennsylvania began licensing massage therapy in 2011. She began the study of Reiki in 1995 and became a Reiki Master/Teacher in 2005. She also has been a Bach Flower Essence Practitioner since 1996. She graduated from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in 2011 and is certified as a Health Coach by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners. In 2015, she became certified as a Qigong Instructor. In 2022, she began her study of CranioSacral therapy with the Upledger Institute, and is working toward certification.