Mental health disorders affect roughly 20% of Americans annually. Mental health disorders can cause changes to your thinking patterns, emotions, and behaviors and cause disabling symptoms. Both addiction and mental health conditions are progressive, chronic disorders that require treatment. Evidence-based and holistic treatments, such as a craniosacral therapy program, can greatly improve your odds of fully recovering from an addiction or mental health disorder.
More than 10% of Americans over the age of 11 meet the criteria for a substance abuse disorder. Young people, such as full-time college students, are more likely to engage in recreational drug use and binge-drinking behaviors. This can increase the chances of developing an addiction or alcoholism.
Addiction causes changes to your brain chemistry, making it difficult to quit using without help. When you struggle with an addiction, you can deal with uncomfortable and painful withdrawal symptoms when you immediately stop using. These symptoms, combined with intense cravings, make it hard to stay clean and sober.
What is a Craniosacral Therapy Program?
So, what is craniosacral therapy, and does craniosacral therapy work? Craniosacral therapy is a form of hands-on healing that relies on gentle manipulation of your skeleton and connective tissues.
As the name of the therapy implies, this manipulation focuses on two main areas. These areas are your cranium (i.e., your skull) and your sacrum, a prominent triangular bone that forms the base of your spinal column. You may receive craniosacral therapy as a treatment for a broad range of conditions. These conditions include depression, trauma, anxiety, and chronic pain.
How Does Craniosacral Therapy Work?
The underlying principle of a craniosacral therapy program and craniosacral manipulation is that your central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) produces very small, rhythmic vibrations that you rely on to maintain good health.
When various kinds of ailments occur, they disrupt these vibrations and throw your system out of balance. A trained craniosacral therapist attempts to correct the distortions in your central nervous system. They release any restrictions in the ultra-fine movements between your cranial bones. They also work out any restrictions in the soft connective tissues linked to these bones.
In turn, the release of restrictions in your cranium and connective tissues encourages the proper flow of the cerebrospinal fluid that cushions and protects your central nervous system.
What Happens During a Therapy Session?
During a typical craniosacral therapy session, you will lie on your back fully clothed, much like during any session in a massage therapy program. As you remain still in this position, your therapist will use a light touch in several body areas. These areas include your cranium, sacrum, knees, and feet. Then, they will check for and correct any distortions in the vibrations emanating from your central nervous system. A session may last anywhere from one to two hours.
Unlike chiropractors, who sometimes use forceful movements to manipulate your skeletal system, practitioners of craniosacral therapy never apply anything more than gentle pressure to your body. As a result, unpleasant treatment side effects are uncommon. Craniosacral therapy offers you a safe, effective treatment for mental health and substance abuse disorders.
Finding a Craniosacral Therapy Program Today
When you are struggling to control a substance abuse or mental health disorder, you can feel like you lost control of your life. Damaging consequences from addiction or untreated mental health disorders can negatively impact your relationships, career, and health. Addiction can cause physical and mental health problems, such as liver and organ damage. Mental health disorders can create overwhelming thoughts and feelings that are difficult to control and manage.
A craniosacral therapy program is one type of specialized treatment that can help you overcome substance abuse and mental health disorders and their troubling symptoms. To learn more about craniosacral therapy, craniosacral manipulation, or how we treat substance abuse and mental health disorders, contact us today at 844.875.5609.