CranioSacral Therapy and You

There was a point in my life, a few years ago, when I had given up hope that I would ever live “normally” again. I was forty-five years old and had spent the majority of my adult life in extreme pain and visiting healthcare provider after healthcare provider. Twenty-five years of seeing doctors, specialists, physical therapists, and alternative medicine practitioners left me with a broken body and a broken spirit. I sold my car, books, movies, and trinkets I gathered from living and moving around the world. I felt like I was dying and I did not want my family to have to deal with my things when I passed. My pain was all-consuming and I was plagued by constant vertigo and muscle spasms. As my health declined steadily with no real answers in sight, my world grew smaller. I lost touch with a lot of my friends and started distancing myself from the rest. I had no life outside of my home. Every avenue I turned down for help, led to worsening symptoms. Though I had a supportive family, I was often depressed and felt misunderstood and very alone.

I was born with spinal abnormalities and had bi-lateral, extra cervical ribs in my neck and extra muscle fibers in my neck and thoracic outlet. In my early 20’s I was involved in three automobile accidents within six months of each other, none of which were my fault. At the time of these accidents, I did not know about these physical “defects” and I began a twenty-five year journey to find relief for the continuous, debilitating pain, muscle paralyses, spasms, weakness, and fatigue. 

Throughout my medical journey I saw many healthcare professionals across the United States: neurologists, neurosurgeons, TMJ specialists, vascular surgeons, pain management, physical therapists, and chiropractors. I had multiple tests and underwent a variety of treatments from injections and ablations, cervical spine fusions, breast reduction, nerve blocks, and a pain pump implantation. Pharmaceuticals did not help me and often I would be hospitalized from the side effects. I was put on detoxes and various diets, given exercise after exercise, and was encouraged to take a host of supplements, all to no avail. If anything, my health overall continued to deteriorate. My spirit and body was exhausted and so was my wallet and my debt continued to grow.

After seventeen years of being told that my issues were “all in my head,” one specialist finally discovered the cause of my problems and I had surgeries to try to correct the issues. Prior to these surgeries my right arm was paralyzed from nerve damage and my left arm was closely following suit. The surgeries allowed me to regain the use of my arms, but created new problems. After surgery I was diagnosed with and struggled from symptoms of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and post orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). I was having constant heart arrhythmia; swelling, pain, and numbness to my limbs; severe migraines, vertigo, muscle spasms, and weakness. I frequently felt like I would pass out.

At the end of twenty-five years of treatment, as a last ditch effort, one of my practitioners referred me to Jamie Pribyl, a Doctor of Physical Therapy (PT) who, she swore, did things differently from normal PTs. I went to my appointment but was not really filled with much hope for relief. Jamie was educated in many different healing modalities, one of which was CranioSacral Therapy (CST) and to my surprise, my body responded to this treatment unlike any other. When I began CST,  I had been bedridden for the majority of the previous five years and was unable to drive.  I began seeing Jamie two to three times a week and I started feeling improvements immediately upon receiving CST. I was able to sleep, my vertigo went away, my pain was greatly diminished, and my muscle spasms completely stopped. Within five months of starting CST, I was driving and working part-time. Within a year, I was working full-time and living a normal life. I was able to walk for miles at a time and resume doing yoga and other exercises. I remain very active and am able to kayak, paddle board, hike long distances with elevation changes, and camp. I only need a few maintenance appointments throughout the year to accommodate my body’s needs. I am not on any medication and no longer see any specialists for my conditions. 

What is CranioSacral Therapy and how could it work for you? CST addresses the central nervous system, and thereby the whole body, by increasing the flow of cerebral spinal fluid (CSF), blood, and lymph. CSF has its own rhythm that is separate from cardiac and respiratory rhythms. Throughout life, we accumulate restrictions in our bodies through physical and emotional traumas. CranioSacral Therapists are trained to feel the craniosacral rhythm and listen to the body to find areas of restriction where the rhythm is disrupted. They then work with the body to restore proper flow and rhythm. It is a very gentle, hands-on treatment, utilizing less than 5 grams of pressure, that works with the body’s innate ability to heal itself. CST is gentle enough to be done on newborns and the elderly. Testimonies prove CST can be done in conjunction with other treatments and can help where other treatments have failed. Further, receiving CST may, in some cases, prevent the need for surgery and can also reset the body so that pharmaceuticals can be lowered or not needed at all. (Clients should always consult their physicians prior to making decision regarding surgery and medications.)

As every body is different, so are the results that can be seen from CranioSacral Therapy. CST has been shown to help a variety of pain disorders and dysfunction including headaches and migraines, TMJ, chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia, central nervous system disorders, learning disabilities, spinal cord injuries, scoliosis, ADD/ADHD, PTSD, chronic neck and back pain, orthopedic problems, anxiety and depression, and many other conditions. CST also keeps healthy bodies in proper rhythm and assists to prevent dysfunction and disease. CranioSacral Therapy is for every one, at all stages of life, and it may just be the relief for which you have been looking.

I know my story is not unique and that there are countless people who suffer from symptoms for which there seem to be no answers. Hearing over and over that there is nothing wrong or that there is nothing that can be done, adds emotional trauma on top of the physical trauma. Even if you have a great support system, finding the right healthcare over time can take a toll, not only affecting your body, but may affect your family and friends, as well. CranioSacral Therapy provides relief for the physical AND emotional body. For me, even with my support system in place there was a long period of time when I felt completely alone and hopeless. CST put an end to my pain cycle and feeling of hopelessness and gave me my life back which in turn, provided relief for my family. In reflecting upon the years of physical and emotional pain that I endured, I am now able to be thankful for my journey. Before CST was part of my life, I never could have envisioned that I would be in a space to feel such gratitude for my suffering. I am living a vibrant, full life and am filled with hope for my future. As a result of this work in my life, I am now in training to become certified as a CranioSacral Therapist. I look very forward to being able to share my experiences and knowledge and help others in their own healing journeys.

August 14, 2024