Craniosacral Fascial Therapy (CFT)
What Is Craniosacral Fascial Therapy (CFT)?
Often referred to as the Gillespie Approach – Craniosacral Fascial Therapy, CFT is a gentle healing modality that provides patients with a freely moving brain, spinal cord, and fascial web, all of which are critical to peak health. In the early 80s, Dr Barry Gillespie founded Craniosacral Fascial Therapy by merging the concepts of craniosacral therapy and myofascial release therapy.
It has been commonly understood that the brain & spinal column are surrounded by cerebrospinal fluid.
What is less commonly known, is that this fluid doesn’t stop there.
Much like the blood circulatory system, the cerebrospinal fluid has a gentle circulatory system that begins in the brain, traveling down & around the spinal cord and throughout the myofascial system and back again.
This web-like system of connective tissue starts in our head and continues around muscles, blood vessels, organs – all of our structural cells – all the way to the tips of our toes. (It’s fascinating to see the images of this system that has been painstakingly dissected out of a human body.)
The Gillespie Approach - CFT holds four core principles:
● The body knows how to heal itself
● The body can remember and hold every physical and emotional trauma back to conception
● The body will address and heal each layer of trauma in its own space and time
● The optimal time for the Gillespie Approach is at the golden hour of birth
“When physical trauma and/or emotional trauma adversely tighten this freely moving system, tremendous pressure can be exerted on associated nerves, muscles, organs, blood vessels, lymph vessels and bones. Profound effects on body function may result as a major cause of the presented health conditions.” (gillespieapproach.com)
Our bodies are in constant self-care – creating or recreating – new cells, hormones, immune responses, etc. in order to maintain or achieve health & balance. CFT aids the body’s own healing by helping to free restrictions to this flow that have developed along the way, whether from a physical or emotional injury, illness, surgical procedure, or, yes, even during our birthing process or in-utero while we were still developing. The fascia remembers everything (emotional or physical trauma). During CFT, the therapist will gently assist the body in releasing these fascial holds, layer by layer, in the areas that are needed.
Who can benefit from CFT?
Everyone. CFT is safe and beneficial for infants all the way through to 100 years old!
What conditions can CFT help?
The list is long: CFT has helped more than 700 documented health conditions. Here are just a few:
● Chronic headaches, earaches or TMJ
● Muscle or joint pain
● Concussions
● Respiratory conditions
● Digestive symptoms/conditions
● Speech conditions, tongue tie
● ADHD, dyslexia, & learning disorders
● Scoliosis
● Birth trauma (for both baby & mom)
● Autism
● Cerebral palsy
● Epilepsy
“Establishing a great brain cycle and helping to free up the fascial web can be the keys for many of these patients.” (gillespieapproach.com, referring specifically to concussions, but is true for any body function or system )