My approach
'The body (is) the brunt of our experience and yet the starting point of our boundless potential'
Gunther van Hagen
Pain, stress, injuries, medical issues and our emotional state can each prohibit us from being the best version of ourselves. Our body can become a source of discomfort and distress at some point in our lives. This experience can range from feeling 'out of sorts' to completely detached from ourselves or the world. It could also be a minor or a major illness. The body has an inbuilt mechanism that constantly fights to maintain the balance required for health, homeostasis. Once this is over whelmed intervention is required, we can no longer hold the base line.
My aim is to be part of your journey to better health and take into account the diverse aspects of your condition as well as treatments you may have or need to have, with other health specialists. Health and its counter part, sickness, have aspects that are not usually accounted for, or accessible, in the medical sciences. It could be that you just need an alternative approach to compliment your medical treatments.
The first session we discuss your needs and expectations and your current health status in order to define a treatment plan.
After that a session may begin with some postural assessment, physical palpation or range of motion investigation. I may use manipulation techniques and then biodynamic osteopathic techniques for the rest of the session.
What is the difference between cranial osteopathy and osteopathy?
Simply put, the approach is the same. The medical background of structure and function are the same, and we come from the same genetic tree, as it were.
However we diverge in the method. No forced manipulations are used in the cranial or 'soft' approach, the body is not pushed and pulled, but stilled and held.
The approach is gentle and entirely respectful of your system's limits. The practitioners hands are placed on your body in different places during a session, in order to listen to the tissues. This allows workat a deeper level and at a pace more conducive to repair.
Craniosacral Therapy is performed with the client lying face up and fully clothed on a massage table. The therapist discerns the body’s cranial sacral rhythm, which occurs as the cerebral spinal fluid fills and empties within the CranioSacral system. Places where the rhythm is absent are detected throughout the body. Using light-touch techniques, restrictions are released and the rhythm is restored allowing for balance and healing.
After a session there is occasionally a short period of adjustment as part of the healing process, where you may become more aware of symptoms.
Sometimes people report relief after only one or two sessions.
For long-standing problems further sessions are likely to be needed.
Some people find they benefit from regular treatment over an extended period of time and say that, as well as noticing improvement in their physical or emotional symptoms, they feel that they have more awareness of their own needs and strengths, and their quality of life has improved.
A wide range of ailments can be treated in this way, almost anything that involves pain is treatable but some of the more common issues I come across are listed below :
Headaches
Neck and shoulder problems
Nerve pain in the arms and legs
Pain caused by posture
TMJ -Jaw and face pain
Dental pain
Sinus pain
Tinnitus
Chest pains
Back pain
Stress
Indigestion
Abdominal pain or discomfort
Sciatica
Pubic pain
Hip mobility and pain
Back mobility and pain
Pelvic alignement
Muscle tightness and related pain
etc ....