CranioSacral Therapy to Treat Depression and other Mental Illnesses
As the stigmas historically associated with mental illness slowly break down, more focus is placed on understanding how exactly these conditions affect so many of us. There is lots of good information available about what exactly happens to brain chemistry, what lifestyle and even dietary changes might help someone in their struggle with mental illness. One strategy that has been shown to help many people dealing with various mental illnesses is CranioSacral Therapy, and I’d like to explain how exactly this works. CranioSacral Therapy is gentle, mechanical manipulation of the individual bones that make up the skull, as well as the sacrum (i.e. your tailbone). This is an important piece: What if there is something STRUCTURALLY contributing to a mental illness?
Clients commonly ask me if I offer “deep tissue” massage. The simple answer is yes, it is a part of every massage therapist’s training. However, it is not always the most effective approach. In my experience, ‘forcing’ a muscle to release by digging a knuckle or elbow into it often provides only temporary relief. I’m most interested in understanding why the muscle is so tight in the first place, so that the root cause can be addressed for longer-lasting relief.