Posted by: Brenda on: May 23, 2008
I would like to invite you to visit www.marklevine.ca. Mark has asked and has been granted permission to use some of our articles from our Children’s Cranial Network site. He has provided a link to us on his site and I would like to return the favour. Mark has some great info and links on his site for those of you in the Toronto area.
Brenda
Posted by: Brenda on: April 17, 2008
I love watching The Dog Whisperer on National Geographic Channel. Cesar Millan teaches us about ourselves as we relate to the animals in our home. He states that dogs take over the job of pack leader when we do not fulfill that role-when we are mourning lost pets, sad, fearful, angry, frustrated…….emotional instead of calm and assertive; what CranioSacral Therapy would call centered and grounded. So, dogs take over as pack leader and over protect us and our property by becoming barking, aggressive, four legged trouble makers.
And what do our kids do when we are not in control? When we are caught up in stressed out multitasking our minds are holding onto multiple future events at once at the expense of what is happing in that moment with our bodies, breath and minds. Dogs take over as pack leaders but kids model our behaviours, often taking on our stress as their own in an attempt to help us in some way. They develop physical problems, school related problems, social problems and exhibit many other cries for help. They are asking for you as parents to slow down and notice. Stress is a part of life but when it is overwhelming at an early age our children’s bodies pay a price.
What are your resources? To what do you turn to to create a calm , centred state of mind? Some positive options are:
Modelling these behaviours can help your children develop their own resources:
CranioSacral Therapy helps you to begin to reconnect with your body in a positive way. Being in a room with a therapist that is in a calm, centered, grounded state allows you to regain trust in yourself to also attain that calm state. Listening as your body responds to the therapist’s hands suggesting to you that it is okay to let go of body tension is a gift to yourself. It reminds you that you have the ability to be in the moment and the more you practice being in the moment the easier it is to recruit these skills during times of crisis, big or small. Teach your children how to prepare for and deal with life’s ups and downs by developing your own resources. Give yourself the gift of CranioSacral Therapy. Learn what it can offer. See how your children change for the better as you let go of your stress. Your four legged friends might just change their behavior also.
Copyright 2008 Brenda Rosenberg All rights reserved.
Posted by: Brenda on: February 11, 2008
As a CranioSacral Therapy (CST) practitioner , I wrote this up to capture something very beautiful that happened to me a few years ago. I learned several important lessons through a little client. Here is the story.
Rebecca was 2 years old and since 8 months of age she had had life-threateningly bouts with severe lung infections, she had been hospitalized numerous times and subjected to impersonal examinations, invasive treatments into her throat and lungs, and was often restrained, given shots, etc. Her mother brought her to me for the first time after another bout the previous weekend.
Rebecca arrived in a good mood, but was very skilled at avoiding me, the treatment table, even her mom. I gave her some time and space for her explore my room, get to know and trust me to eventually allow me to work with her. After some 20 minutes of play and running around in circles, I still had not been able to get my hands on her and start “working”. My ego was whispering “failure”! Mom was kindly reassuring me that she knew that this might only be a getting acquainted session knowing her daughter’s independent personality and all she had been through .
My little client was then about to turn the table on me and teach me lessons in listening and letting her lead the session. She somehow ended up standing on the table between her mom and me but still was not allowing me to work on her body. As she was about to go over the edge of the table, I picked her up and gently held her in extension (a CST technique) with her back to my chest. She softened and stayed very quiet and motionless for a few minutes. Then the playing started again…
Next time she was standing on the table, she suddenly turned to me, put her arms around my neck and her head on my shoulder. She softened against me and stayed very quiet and motionless. Her mom had tears in her eyes, saying that her daughter had never behaved like this before… This time I gently worked with her back and neck, both of which became very hot and her breathing seemed to become more laboured. After what seemed to be 5 minutes, the playing started again…
Then she initiated her “therapeutic/healing protocol” (as described in the previous paragraph) two more times, in exactly the same manner. Her mom continued to cry softly. I centered myself inside my heart and let her guide me for what she needed. I gave up wanting to “do” a session. Something grander and more beautiful than CST techniques was going on here!
After the third time in my arms, she reached for her mom to join us and Rebecca held us by the neck in a group hug that continued for a good minute or so. It felt like so much love was radiating from her and consequently from all three of us. It was so special and beyond words.
Then suddenly the session was over. She expressed that she wanted to come back for another session. I received many smiles, hugs, kisses and goodbyes from her. And off she went into the sunshine…
Rebecca came for a second session one week later and behaved like an old pro at CST sessions: she climbed onto the treatment table, laid back for a whole hour of CST techniques on her spine, chest/lungs, neck, throat and head!
Within a week, I received this feedback from the mom: during the second night after the CST session, Rebecca woke up with a coughing fit, making the parents feel they should go to the hospital again. However, barely awake, Rebecca proceeded to cough and spit a copious amount of phlegm. Then the coughing stopped and she went right back to sleep! And that was that.
The family moved away and I have lost contact with them. However, I will always remember the lessons Rebecca taught me and just thinking about her brings back a ray of love, peace and humility. She was a little angel of love and light and she knew exactly what she needed, when and how! I love this work!
**Name and story details changed to protect privacy
Copyright 2008 Denise Gaulin All rights reserved.
Posted by: Brenda on: February 8, 2008
I have worked with a few teenagers with mild to severe scoliosis. These are some of my observations and the feedback from one parent after I had worked with her daughter for several sessions.
First my personal observations: these are gentle souls; in our society they appear accommodating, generous with their time and energy for their friends and families; they are very social, articulate and artistic at some level. Inside them, there is a very deep spirit searching for meaning in what they see around them and they may be perplexed, confused or conflicted about what they perceive. On the physical level, they often have had a trauma or traumas to the head, face, neck or lower spine. These traumas may date back to their birth or early childhood. Again these are my personal observations.
As with other conditions, the earlier the scoliosis is detected and treated, the better. CST mobilizes the tissues encapsulating the brain and spinal cord, making space for more balanced functioning of these organs and all tissues influenced by them. The body’s innate intelligence knows how to maximize the releases elicited during a CST session into better functioning of joints, muscles, fascia, ligaments, tendons, vessels and last but not least, nerves. That being said, healing can happen at any level of the being…
Here is the edited feedback (name and details changed for anonymity) from a parent regarding the effect one particular session had on her daughter. Her daughter had recently been diagnosed with a significant curvature of her spine. She sent me a note letting me know how much Leah loved her CST treatments in general.
However, the last one had left Leah particularly relaxed and very centered; that alone was appreciated in both their hectic lives. What seemed particularly interesting to the mom was what happened once they got home. Leah calmly asked to see her mom’s books on scoliosis (one included some gruesome pictures). They looked through the books together; mom explaining and reassuring her daughter as they went through the pictures and diagrams. Once this was done, she asked to see some websites on scoliosis. What impressed the mom was that her daughter did not seem afraid, just inquisitive.
Then Leah proceeded to sketch a whole page of children’s bodies, twisted with scoliosis. Mom interpreted this as Leah starting to work something through within herself, something she had not shown a readiness to do before.
We just never know how the whole person/being will work with the physical releases that occur during a CST session. Since then, Leah has grown up and has not required surgery as had originally been proposed by her physician.
Copyright 2008 Denise Gaulin All rights reserved.
Posted by: Brenda on: February 5, 2008
My client has a headache that just won’t quit, sinuses so swollen they’re actually causing tooth pain, a really sore neck and shoulders, and an aching back. I know from reading his health history and from talking to the client that he’s had these troubles for many years. It’s quite likely his problems started after a car accident in his twenties left him with a bad case of whiplash, which compounded the effects of the braces he wore as a teenager.
I start with a therapeutic massage to help ease the ache in his back and the pain in his neck and shoulders. This involves a half an hour of kneading and plying, stretching and squeezing the muscles of his back, neck and shoulders, along with mobilizations to his shoulder joints to help decrease pain and increase range of motion. After I’m done, he tells me his back and shoulders feel very good—the ache is gone—and he’s finally relaxed. This is followed by a half an hour of craniosacral therapy. Gently mobilizing the bones and membranes of the head and spine, including mouthwork to loosen up the hard palate, will help with the sinus congestion, headache and neck pain.
When my client gets off the table, he’s a little woozy from the mouthwork, but he’s extremely relaxed. He says the pain is gone and his head feels wider and looser. He books another appointment, this time for a combination of massage and fascial release therapy, to deal with some nagging carpal tunnel symptoms.
With this client, I used a multi-modal approach; from my experience, I felt massage alone might only provide temporary relief from the symptoms caused by the whiplash and braces. For example, braces typically cause uneven strain in the bones of the hard palate and face, which affects the sinuses and membranes of the head. Whiplash tightens the tiniest muscles of the neck, pulling on the vertebrae and straining the membranes of the head and neck. Both of these can lead to chronic headaches and neck pain. Craniosacral mouthwork mobilizes the hard palate and membranes of the head and neck, giving relief from these symptoms.
In the example above, if I had only used massage therapy, the client would still have gone off relaxed, his back feeling better, his headache relieved and his sinuses cleared. Massage therapy doesn’t provide the means to mobilize the bones and membranes of the head, however, so it’s likely his symptoms would eventually recur. By the same token, craniosacral therapy alone might not loosen all the muscles of his back and shoulders. Combining the two modalities made the biggest difference for this client.
Most therapists have a toolbox from which they can draw to help you achieve your healing goals. Some other “tools” are visceral manipulation, lymphatic drainage, hot stone therapy and reiki, to name a few. Ask your therapist for a combination treatment, and experience the release!
© J.E. Bradley,2008 All rights reserved.
Posted by: Brenda on: February 4, 2008
Sensory Integration treatment was developed to help children who present with problems in motor, cognitive, and social/emotional development that are related to sensory processing. It focuses on processing and integrating sensory information and its impact on skill development. As CranioSacral therapists it is very beneficial to be aware of the signs of sensory integration difficulties during a treatment session and to make efforts to increase the child’s comfort level.
Signs of sensory difficulties that may be encountered in the treatment room: The child………
The following are some ideas for approaches which may help the sensory sensitive child respond more positively to CranioSacral or other light touch therapies:
Each child is unique and each session is unique depending on the time of day, hunger level, fatigue, and what was happening just before the appointment. Flexibility is key when working with children. Ideally, you can communicate with the Occupational Therapist treating the child who is able to provide Sensory Integration Therapy.
Copyright 2008. Brenda Rosenberg All rights reserved.
Posted by: Brenda on: January 14, 2008
Book Review: Trauma Through a Child’s Eyes (North Atlantic Books) is a wonderful book written for parents, caregivers and professionals who work with children. This book provides definitions, symptoms at different ages, many examples of successful treatments for trauma in children and most importantly, ways in which families and caretakers can prevent the effects of a traumatic event. Any event which is overwhelming to our system can produce the long lasting effects of trauma. I highly recommend this book for parents who are dealing with the aftereffects of a difficult pregnancy, birth, or have children experiencing medical interventions, or sudden unexplained changes in behavior. There is help available.
The authors also discuss the role of helping a baby renegotiate a traumatic birth where the “rite of passage” through the birth canal is denied. They also note the role of cranial therapy for these infants: “When a baby is born by cesarean surgery, induced, or pulled out by forceps, important transition movements that he or she is preparing to make never occur. Light cranial work from a certified cranial-sacral practitioner who specializes in infant trauma can be useful in helping a baby complete these birth movements.“ p. 292
2008 Brenda Rosenberg
Posted by: Brenda on: January 8, 2008
Learning disabilities is not really a good name for the wide range of issues surrounding the learning process. There are many books written on many different approaches to children having problems in the school system. CranioSacral Therapy is especially helpful if there is a physical component that may be affecting the child’s performance.
Here are some presentations which when combined with learning difficulties can be helped by a CranioSacral approach to treatment. By balancing soft tissues and cranial structures, relief of pressure on cranial nerves can produce relief in the whole body.
Please listen carefully to your child’s complaints. They may be trying to tell you that they are having physical discomforts or difficulties that could be helped by a bodywork approach. CranioSacral therapy is gentle and respectful, allowing the body to re-balance and function optimally. Young bodies do respond quickly to therapy.
Copyright 2008. Brenda Rosenberg All rights reserved.
FYI: For more information on CranioSacral Therapy and the nervous system connect to this link: http://www.latitudes.org/articles/cranio_upledger_ld.html
Posted by: Brenda on: January 3, 2008
Babies who are unable or unwilling to nurse properly may benefit from CranioSacral therapy (CST). The causes may include birth injuries, congenital or neurological problems, or the effects of drugs used before the baby’s birth. Circumstances surrounding the birth may be the cause such as a very fast birth, a cesarean birth, the use of vacuum extractor or forceps, an unusual presentation, or a baby with a large head. Even a normal birth can cause trauma to the babies head and spine. Traumatic events during the birth can result in excess pressure on the cranial nerves, particularly those that control the jaw/ tongue/mouth. Compression of these cranial nerves (glossopharyngeal, vagus and hypoglossal) can cause nursing difficulties with babies unable to open their mouths widely enough to latch effectively. These babies can cause pain to the mother by clamping on the nipple.
CST can also be beneficial for babies who are hypertonic with the classic arching posture. Arching or hypertonic babies are considered “tight.” This may be a sign of difficulties with the nervous system, possibly caused by pressure on the nerves that occurred during the birth. CST is often dramatically effective in reducing hypertonic behavior and encouraging the baby to nurse more efficiently by very gently relieving pressure on the nerves.
Babies’ skulls are designed to mold during delivery, enabling them to pass through the birth canal. Typically babies skulls do correct themselves after the birth, although many benefit from assistance in achieving a well-balanced cranial shape . A CST practitioner will gently examine the baby’s head for overlapping cranial sutures, asymmetry, and suture irregularities as well as a whole body assessment for imbalances. The very gentle techniques used in CST encourage the body to correct itself. With under 5g. of pressure (the weight of a nickel) CST is the treatment of choice for babies with latch difficulties as well as many other health concerns. CST practitioners with experience in pediatrics work in collaboration with Lactation Consultants, Midwives, Doulas, Physiotherapists, Chiropractors, Dentists, Medical Doctors, etc
CranioSacral Therapy offers a promising approach to solving difficult breastfeeding problems. It helps bring mothers and babies together in the loving relationship of breastfeeding.
Copyright 2008 Rosemary Brown-Tucker All rights reserved www.networkhealingcentre.com
Posted by: Brenda on: December 19, 2007
The Canadian Pediatric Society has the following site which lists safety protocols for infants. http://www.caringforkids.cps.ca/babies/SafeSleepForBaby.htm
While working with children I have seen infants with mildly delayed motor skills and mildly misshapen heads. The instructions to have the infant sleep on their back sometimes was mistakenly taken as an okay to have the child frequently sleep in their car/infant seat. Because the child was sleeping at a raised angle, that all important time spent flat exploring leg and arm movements, moving the head from side to side and developing coordinated abdominal and breathing muscles was reduced. Also, if the car seat was a place that was calming for a fussy child the equally important play time spent on their stomach may have been reduced. As a result the delicate head shaping process did not occur leaving a flattened back or side of the head, tightened neck and upper trunk muscles on one side and asymmetrical motor skills or a great dislike of the prone/ stomach position. This position is very important for the development of neck muscles and future gross motor skills.
CranioSacral Therapy for these children is a gentle way of relaxing and balancing soft tissues, muscles, and cranial bones. Combined with movement therapy to ensure proper muscle development CranioSacral Therapy can aid in normal child development, treatment of torticolis, and cranial shape normalization.
Copyright 2007. Brenda Rosenberg All rights reserved
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