Cranial Sacral Therapy: The Stress-Free Route to a Flawless Complexion
A stress-free way to better skin through cranial therapy. (Photo: Getty Images)
Many of us attack our skin, peeling, poking, picking, scrubbing and extracting our way to a perceived level of perfection, our stress levels climbing the entire way. But what if the way to better skin was to calm down and use your head? Healing practitioners are savvy to a practice that may cure a good number of ills and stress-induced skin maladies: CranioSacral therapy.
Pioneered by osteopathic physician John E. Upledger in the latter 20th century,
the basis for the technique goes back thousands of years. “The foundation of CranioSacral Therapy is very similar to the basis of Chinese medicine, where the focus is the free flow of energy,” says Sharon Viernes, master of acupuncture and Oriental medicine and lead therapist at Chuan Spa at The Langham Chicago. “CranioSacral is a very hands-on type of holistic body work that ensures things are moving freely within the CranioSacral system because all of our movements, learning, and emotional stress responses stem from it.”
During therapy the healing hands of a trained therapist work to sense blockages or irregularities in the CranioSacral system, comprised of the membranes and cerebrospinal fluid that surround and protect the spinal cord and brain. Gentle manipulation is used to alleviate irregularities so the body can then heal itself. “Since the body works toward homeostasis, freeing blockages helps boost the immune system,” says Viernes. “It’s a great means of strengthening immunity and anti-aging.”
This is particularly important if you get stress-related skin conditions like eczema or psoriasis like I do. “The more stressed you are, you’re often more sensitized to common allergens and likely to form inflammatory responses like psoriasis and eczema,” says Viernes. “Cranial sacral can most definitely help with those stress-related skin conditions.”
Also, for those who suffer from swelling in the heat of summer, this therapy can be a means of sweet relief. “Women often complain [about] inflammation, particularly swelling of the face, legs and ankles. One of the benefits of this therapy is that it helps with fluid retention, which benefits the skin inside and out,” says Viernes. “It also helps with body aches.”
The treatment is so soothing it might even lull you to sleep. “The touch we use is very gentle; it’s five grams, which is the weight of a nickel,” says Renée Giron, a licensed massage therapist who is certified in crania sacral therapy and works with Viernes at Chuan Spa. “You can sense the pulse of the cerebral spinal fluid all the way to the feet. We detect any imbalances, strengths, or weaknesses in the pulse of the fluid, then correct them by subtle manipulation.”
Sessions are typically 30 to 60 minutes, but how long and how often you go is based on individual need and results. “Some respond strongly and require less treatments, others need a longer-term treatment plan,” says Viernes. “Eczema and psoriasis can become much more chronic, so it might take a longer course of treatment. A more recent onset, like with heat-related edema, is quicker to fix.”
For those wondering if your regular masseuse can take this on treatment, Giron says it’s quite a different process and you should look for someone certified to deliver it. “I would recommend seeing a cranial sacral specialist, someone who focuses on that system,” she clarifies. “The range of certified experts run the gamut from massage technicians to nurses, doctors, physical therapists.” She recommends consulting the Upledger Institute to find a certified practitioner in your area.
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