Last week I attended a 4-day professional development class to continue my education and understanding into the anatomy of our head… our skull… our cranium. I took this course to enhance the work I do with clients during the 8th session of the Barefoot Structural Integration series.
That was my main focus anyways. The course I took was CST1 CranioSacral Therapy (CST) with the Upledger Institute, under the instruction of an Occupational Therapist Rob Fournier, OTR CS-D. This class is part of an entire realm of training that I have known about my entire career, but purposefully put off for 23 years. I have always felt that I am not yet patient enough to work at the light level of touch that their work requires to perceive a deep level of fluid palpation. I’m still not there. This class was VERY challenging for me, especially when it comes to differentiating between subtle sensations like breath, heartbeat, and the craniosacral rhythm. (This refers to the rhythm of cerebrospinal fluid circulating through the brain and spinal cord, creating a subtle wave of movement that extends into every joint in the body…) Touching the person with your finger pads, using no more pressure than the weight of a nickel on their skin is harder than it sounds!!
I’m sportin’ my teal Heeling Sole shirt – 2nd row, 3rd from the end furthest from the screen.
With practice I bet that skill will unfold – maybe over another 23 years! But in the meantime, I enjoyed learning about cranial bone function, the movement capabilities of the sutures in our skull, the pathway of fluid flow throughout our brain and spinal cord. I am excited to explore how their alignment, adaptability and mobility relate to the posture and use of our head, jaw, face and beyond. Much like my Structural Integration training in Maine (2022-2023), this course revealed how the sphenoid bone influences the sacrum, and teased the influence of many other easter-eggs within the balancing relationship of our skeleton, which is totally FASCIAnating to me!
In my approach to Session 8 of Anatomy Trains Structural Integration (ATSI), which focuses on the neck, head, and face, I am going to start incorporating some CranioSacral Therapy (CST) ideas and concepts to enhance the session’s effectiveness. While the primary structural goal of this 8th session in the 12-series is to balance the head and neck atop the body, CST offers a complementary, gentle method for addressing deeper structural and energetic imbalances within the craniosacral system. Even if I don’t feel it yet, they say it’s happening whether I perceive it or not, so I’m trusting the system until my finger tips wake up.
Session 8 focuses on releasing the cranium, balancing jaw musculature, correcting cranial bone asymmetries, and relieving facial tension. By integrating CST, which uses a soft touch of no more than 5 grams to release restrictions in the membranes and cerebrospinal fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord, their research shows that I will be able to go beyond the myofascial layers to directly enhance the functioning of the central nervous system. This holistic approach not only supports the structural goals of ATSI but also promotes relaxation, reduces stress, and can address underlying somatic conditions such as tension-related headaches, TMJ dysfunction, even anxiety and the vibes of a bad day.
Last April I joined in on a webinar “Introduction to Craniosacral Therapy with Lauren Christman” hosted by Anatomy Trains, and it was a great webinar led by another fellow Seattle-ite body nerd, but I was definitely in over my head not having this actual, live, in-person Upledger training first. I am excited to go back and rewatch her 8-hour course to better understand what she was sharing.
My hope is that by weaving CST into this session, (and honestly I know it will show up in other sessions during your series – especially a refined and more specific version of that awesome “base of your skull massage and traction thing” that I do with my toes and fingers) it will help me on another level to align the structural work of ATSI with my clients body’s natural healing processes, optimizing outcomes for breath, posture, and overall awesomeness.
I’m excited to continue refining this approach, knowing that both CST and ATSI—combined with Myofascial Barefoot Massage—will support your body’s natural healing process, and will help your body find its own lasting structural balance.
-Jeni Spring, LMT, BCSI
(Also, PS: I have zero intention to provide CranioSacral Therapy sessions, or ever ever claim that I am even a practitioner of this work with as little as I feel and am trained in… this class just gave me some great knowledge nuggets to blend into my existing work.)
(PPS: A special shout out and thanks to my friend Stephanie Juarez for letting me borrow her cranio books for their recommended reading, an to my friend Tyshaun Layne for being there as a TA, answering my questions and taming that skeptical look in my twitching eye. If y’all want to experience a REAL Craniosacral Therapy session, go see Ty! Also thanks to my Rolfing buddy Belinda Essey for being my partner during class and letting me give more like 30 pounds of pressure rather than 5 grams, LOL. Light is hard.)
