Be More Open and Try New Things
Describing it as magic when she first experienced it, Sarah Johnson from Kent was so in awe of craniosacral therapy she trained to become a therapist, and is now an accredited supervisor too. Here Sue Pritchard gives an insight into this therapy which, through supporting the body’s natural tendency to find health and optimum balance, can be used to relieve pain, stress, and anxiety.
Sarah Johnson from Cranio Kent
Months after falling from her horse and cracking her riding hat when she hit the ground, my eldest daughter Emma was still suffering from debilitating headaches. Although diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome, the medical profession could only offer time as being the best healer, so I began to look elsewhere for help.
I’d first heard of craniosacral therapy (CST) when my daughter was a baby. I knew other mums had taken their newborns for treatment after traumatic births, and although Emma’s birth had been quite dramatic too, she’d been an easy-going baby. However, fast forward 15 years and she was now suffering big time.
After a bit of Googling, or maybe even a helping hand from the universe, I discovered a local therapist who practised CST. I didn’t know much about it at the time but willing to give anything a go at that stage, we met with Sarah Johnson from Cranio Kent.
Entering into Sarah’s treatment room felt like entering a sanctuary of calm. It was a complete contrast to the clinical air of hospital consulting rooms Emma had previously been treated in. This almost felt as if we were entering a sacred place and, if I’m honest, was slightly nerve-wracking too. It was all a little mysterious, even a bit ‘woo-woo’ for my muggle mind back then, mainly because I didn’t understand what was going to happen next.
“You don’t have to understand how CST works for it to work,” Sarah reassured us after seeing the worried expressions on our faces. “And you don’t even have to believe it is going to work, for it to work either,” she added.
For anyone who is open minded enough to try it, Sarah says CST can help to relieve pain, stress, and anxiety. It can also benefit those who suffer with pain and trauma even though there doesn’t appear to be anything ‘wrong’ with them. So checking we were okay to continue with our first session, Sarah got to work.
Palpable Relief
After explaining what had happened and the symptoms she was experiencing following her riding accident, my daughter was invited to lie fully clothed on the treatment bed. I watched as Sarah sat by her side, with her eyes closed as if searching for something elsewhere, and gently placed her hands around Emma’s body with minimal touch. For the life of me, I couldn’t fathom out how on earth this was going to work. I’d previously watched osteopaths clicking and manipulating Emma’s body back into shape, but Sarah was hardly making any contact at all.
There’s no denying though, it all looked very relaxing. So much so I fell asleep and woke myself up snoring at one stage. When I was awake though, I was intrigued because it seemed to be having a positive effect. Emma almost instantly experienced palpable relief from the intense headaches that medication hadn’t been able to ease. She felt so relaxed she likened it to floating on fluffy clouds and, most bizarrely, said she could almost feel the bones moving and realigning in her head. And for me, the weirdest thing was sitting there and watching her body jerk and twitch, as the trauma and shock from that fall was almost disappearing in front of my very eyes.
Emma’s case was quite severe and it took about 12 sessions before she was on the road to recovery, after which we fondly parted ways with Sarah. As that was about seven years ago, I didn’t expect to see Sarah again. However, finally admitting I was probably suffering from a form of post-traumatic stress myself; I booked an appointment with her.
Hit And Run
Perhaps there is an underlying message here about our involvement with horses, but at the end of 2023 my youngest daughter and I were involved in a hit and run accident. She was riding her horse as I walked alongside her on a narrow country road. Although injuries occurred and we were obviously traumatised, all three of us were lucky to limp away with our lives.
Unbelievably, when a speeding car couldn’t squeeze past during a police chase, it had simply driven into us. The impact of the crash caused the horse to fall on top of me, crushing my leg, but fortunately pinning me down out of harm’s way, while the driver sped off with scant regard for anything other than escaping capture. And as a mother looking out for her child, I think I did my fair share of worrying for everyone involved that day.
Approaching the first anniversary of the most terrifying event of my life, I began to realise I was still freaked out by traffic noise, and fearful when close to horses and walking down country lanes. I was also finding it harder to relax, feeling as if I was in a highly caffeinated state even though my coffee intake was relatively moderate. Wondering if I also had unresolved issues with grief after losing my dad back in 2009, and perhaps with ongoing issues connected to the menopause, I went to see Sarah once again.
As we didn’t want my daughter’s previous experience of CST to influence my own, Sarah took me right back to the beginning.
What is CST?
Originating from osteopathy, craniosacral therapy is a subtle, yet profound and powerful hands-on technique, which identifies pain and tensions held in the body. It was developed by Dr Sutherland, an osteopathy student who discovered the Breath of Life - a palpable motion within the body, more fundamental than even our lung breathing or heartbeat. He taught that our systems have their own intelligence and innate ability to heal, and discovered that the Breath of Life, this potent life force, therefore carries intention.
CST supports the body’s natural tendency to find health and optimum balance by relieving the body of any restrictions, allowing it to realign. Although its name derives from the nervous system, which starts at the cranium and ends at the sacrum, Sarah believes the term is quite misleading as it works with the whole system.
Craniosacral therapists are trained to feel motions in the body which are more subtle than the heartbeat and lung breathing we are all familiar with. And, as Sarah explains, she practises Biodynamic CST (BCST) which is a more modern approach with no physical manipulation whatsoever.
“I could write a book about what I can feel and experience whilst working with clients,” Sarah laughs. Stating there can be movement, patterns, heat, emotion, pain, tension, power, freeze, activation, change, and dynamic stillness, Sarah added there are more obvious things too. Anyone watching is often able to observe twitches, flutters, facial expressions, words, tears, and laughter.
As therapists work, changes can occur in their client’s mind, body and spirit during or after treatment, and with the body letting go of the tension, trauma and fear it can hold onto, it begins to relax, release, and recover in a safe and comfortable way.
“A lot of the clinical work I do is to help my clients feel safer and more embodied. Safety is number one,” Sarah stresses. “I find that many people are dissociated most of the time and I use skilful touch, education and verbal skills to teach them how to feel safer and become more present in their bodies. We then work together, using similar techniques in order to release any unresolved survival energy, tension or shock from the body. This is all done using a biodynamic approach without any physical manipulation, but a very gentle and profound way of working.”
The gentle, non-invasive nature of CST explains why it is good for working with babies, and is how Sarah initially became involved.
“I took my first-born child to a CST therapist as she had a traumatic birth. I couldn’t believe my eyes,” Sarah said. “It looked like magic and that’s when I started investigating and began my training in 2008.”
Sarah treats a wide range of people of differing ages and is keen to emphasise CST is not intended as a form of primary healthcare, but should work alongside medical treatment. As Emma had, I’d been to see doctors, physiotherapists, and osteopaths, as well as having scans of my visible leg injury, but these didn’t address any of the underlying pain, tension or suppressed emotions that can be held in our bodies after traumatic events and injury.
“I am a strong advocate of traditional medicine and yet it doesn’t solve everything. Most often it seems to medicate in order to ease symptoms. BCST on the other hand, seeks to hold and hear the whole system, to teach presence and the resolution of trauma,” Sarah said. “Profound long-term change is often achieved in my experience, even when the client has been suffering for many years or has tried other approaches.
“The thing is we don’t really know what’s hidden inside our bodies. We obviously know you had a traumatic accident,” she said to me when outlining what my treatment would entail. “But there could be other underlying issues from many years ago. Even from your birth. We may never really know.”
Having previously been told I almost died at birth, I began to appreciate why Sarah believes CST holds and supports clients as they go inwards, almost visiting unknown and dark places within their own bodies. And in doing so it stimulates powerful changes from the inside out, ultimately supporting the body’s natural tendency towards health and optimum balance, enabling it to settle into calmness.
Entering into Sarah’s treatment room was almost like entering a sanctuary of calm
Extraordinary Sensations
As I settled down for my treatment with Sarah, I explained that my left knee and ankle had been injured during the hit and run accident, which has since left me with occasional discomfort in my hip. Saying she’d start working there and see if anything else cropped up, I have to admit Sarah’s initial observations during the treatment sent my muggle mind into overdrive. Well, that’s obvious, I thought to myself, because I’ve already told you all of that.
However, trying to relax and heighten my senses, I knew I had to tune into and listen to my body - partly because I had this report to write. And then, after only a few minutes, extraordinary sensations occurred.
As Sarah put her hands very gently under the left side of my body, it felt as if a crushing weight was bearing down on me. It honestly felt as if the horse was on top of me again, with my left foot flattened as it had been during the accident. My muscles started jerking and I had pins and needles in my legs. Then, feeling like my dog when she has one of her rather dramatic dreams, my closed eyes started twitching manically.
“Oh wow,” I whispered, a little disconcertingly. “My eyes are going blinking crazy.”
“That’s okay,” Sarah reassured me. “It can sometimes happen.”
And as the blinking subsided it was as if my emotions were beginning to crack open, and my eyes started to leak a little.
As Sarah moved down to my feet, taking hold of my toes with the lightest of touches, the sensations and weight in my legs eased. They were replaced by a wonderful light, tingling feeling - similar to the ‘good energy’ that often rushes around my body after a yoga practice or massage. As I took a deep breath in and felt my lungs expand in a way they’d not been able to do for a while, there was a tremendous sense of release. My face almost contorted into a massive grimace, and after initially trying to fight it, I had no choice but to let a tidal wave of emotion wash over me.
As she moved up to my head, I was surprised when Sarah slowly brought the treatment to a close because the hour’s session had whizzed by. Handing me a tissue as my tears flowed, we discussed what had happened.
“That takes a great amount of vulnerability and bravery,” she told me. “You were ready to let it all go. It could have been due to the accident but there may be other things too. We just have to be sure we release them slowly and safely, in a way that’s comfortable for you.”
“That was quite amazing,” I sighed as I reluctantly heaved myself off the bed, feeling a tremendous sense of inner peace and calm.
“Our bodies are amazing,” Sarah smiled. “With just a little encouragement they know exactly what they need to do.”
Letting Go
Everyone’s experience of CST is unique to them but as the Cranio Sacral Therapy Association states, treatment can enable clients to:
Get in touch with their emotions.
Remember past events.
Connect with a sense of spirit.
See different colours and patterns.
Deepen a sense of self and body awareness.
When I first encountered CST with my eldest daughter, I hadn’t been practising yoga for long and was relatively new to a more spiritual, open-minded way of thinking. However, fully embracing such a lifestyle now, my view of CST was different second time around. I was intrigued to find out if Sarah believes it involves more than a mind and body connection, and perhaps has a spiritual element too?
“Teaching on this varies,” she says. “I believe there is a spiritual element, as we are holding and hearing the whole of the body’s system, which of course includes the spirit.”
So does this mean that clients who are willing to try CST are more likely to have experience of spiritual activities, such as yoga and meditation?
“Often yes, this can be the case,” Sarah admits, “although I have worked with doctors, nurses, engineers and scientists, who have all discovered the power of it. It definitely helps if you are prepared and open enough to give it a try though. I wouldn’t work with someone who didn’t want to come. It would be a waste of everyone’s time. Willingness to engage in the process, at whatever level feels possible, is vital.”
You also need to have an open mind when learning how to practise CST, according to Sarah. And although theory is important, as there’s lots of reading and study involved, there is no substitute for practising the work or receiving your own CST. People skills are equally important, and you need to be teachable and willing to do your own ‘work’ too, Sarah added.
“I have been in therapy, either BCST or psychotherapy, for about 20 years and will never stop,” she says. “I know that life is better, both for me and the people around me when I am embodied and consciously aware, rather than acting out on old or subconscious patterns.”
Being human, Sarah admits, can also mean that she can be affected by her clients’ emotions and energy. Over the years however, she has got better at managing this.
“First and foremost,” she says, “I regularly check in with myself to see how I am doing. If that’s not great, then I have tools to help myself. I also have a supervisor/mentor which is a great support to me in my work. Keeping myself well helps me provide my clients with the best service possible.”
Regulation and Training
Speaking about providing a good service, Sarah worries there aren’t mandatory regulations for many complementary therapies, such as CST. Some training can be completed in a weekend, whereas hers took three years.
“This means there are a lot of unskilled therapists practising out there who frankly pose a risk to vulnerable and traumatised people,” she claims. As most therapies do have a trade body that therapists can join, which then binds them with a code of ethics (her registering body is The Craniosacral Therapy Association of the UK), Sarah urges readers to always seek out a registered practitioner.
After working as a tutor for the Body College in London, where teaching is founded on the latest science and understanding of how best we heal, Sarah says her own training took a leap forward. After her supervisor encouraged her to undertake further training to become a supervisor herself, she has been doing so for a few years now.
“Therapists need support and mentorship too,” Sarah acknowledges. “It’s vital in my view if we are to run an ethical practice. As a clinical supervisor myself, I now have a good number of supervisees. I have also recently set up a new business called Prospering Practices which is about helping therapists of all kinds to develop the professional practice they’d always dreamed of - because quite often they struggle. It’s all very new and exciting though,” she says.
So what is the best thing about her work?
“Where do I start?” Sarah asks. “To see someone arrive desperate, lonely, in pain, traumatised, unable to work or maybe even function, and then watch them start to find hope that things will change - seeing them move towards that change - is something that always fills me with such wonder and amazement. Of course having wonderful feedback is lovely too, hearing how someone feels about the therapy or what you have done for them is always special, but seeing it with my own eyes is perhaps the most wonderous thing.
“I don’t think I could do anything more rewarding in life quite frankly. I am blessed to be able to make such a difference to people.”
A Toolkit For Life
Sarah wishes more people knew about BCST and is always keen to spread the word. And I must admit, after my own experience of it, I do agree.
Following my initial treatment I can honestly say I felt calmer and the most at ease I’d been since the trauma of that hit and run incident. And although it’s early days, and I am going back for another session soon, I believe BCST has reminded my body how to relax, and that it doesn’t have to cling on to any traumatic feelings or energy which no longer serve it.
“As Steve Haines, founder of the Body College says: ‘Anything can work some of the time, nothing works all of the time’,” Sarah concluded. “So I would like to encourage people to be more open and try new things. We all need a toolkit to get through life the best we can, so don’t be afraid to invest in yourself.”
You can contact Sarah Johnson from Cranio Kent via email at sarah@craniokent.co.uk or visit http://craniokent.co.uk
For more details about The Craniosacral Therapy Association see www.craniosacral.co.uk