We’re incredibly proud to announce that today we (the CSTA) won ‘Best Complementary Therapy Research’ category at the Complementary Therapy Awards held by the FHT (Federation of Holistic Therapists). Huge congratulations to Dr Nicola Brough PHD and thank you for all your hard work! Exciting times ahead - stay tuned!
House of Commons discussion - the future of 'medicine' integration
I was invited to the House of Commons as part of the CSTA PR Team once again last week, where Dr Michael Dixon, current Chair of the College of Medicine (and former chair of the NHS Alliance /former President of the NHS Clinical Commissioners) gave an engaging talk about how he views the future of medicine to be on the path to becoming more integrated.
He proposed that with new doctors beginning to advocate nutritional advice (doctors currently receive hardly any training), and ‘social prescription’ (community-based support, yoga and mindfulness) over the use of drugs, recommendations for complementary therapies will inevitably follow. Dr Dixon said a few years ago he would have been hunted down and ridiculed for making such statements (his Wikipedia page used to be altered up to 3 times a day), but things now seem to be changing. The NHS have already expressed interest in 'social prescription' following recent studies in Rotherham, West London and Gloucester which demonstrate its effectiveness in reducing doctors visits by 25% and 50% in older patients. This is significant as using local resources then opens the door for complementary therapies to come into play. Dr Dixon also spoke about how scientific evidence is not necessarily the right kind of evidence with which to measure complementary therapies, and how it largely ignores patient experiences.
Overall there was a sense of excitement for the future of complementary therapies, with new doors opening for integrated medicine.
Our new film, 'What Is Craniosacral Therapy?'
Have a look at the film I produced and directed for the CSTA using testimonials from some of my clients below:
Craniosacral Therapy and Autistic Spectrum Disorders
We were privileged to work with Sophie and Matthew whose twins were born at just 26 weeks, and went on to receive a diagnosis of Autism. Here's their story of how Craniosacral Therapy helped support their boys:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_w5zPHrrpk&feature=youtu.be
Craniosacral Therapy and Meningitis
Here's our Craniosacral and Meningitis film made in association with the charity Meningitis Now. In the film Dillon tells his story of how Craniosacral Therapy helped support his recovery after he was left with debilitating headaches and sensitivity:
CSTA at the House of Commons
The CSTA were represented at the House of Commons today by Amal and Beatrice, discussing the potential threat to all complementary therapies that recent and ill thought-through proposals from the NHS and Charity Commission may bring about on an international scale.
Herbal and homeopathic medicines are specifically being examined, closely followed by acupuncture, but the impact will be felt by all complementary therapies. Sign the petition here:
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/200154
Craniosacral Therapy & Migraines
Craniosacral Therapy and its effectiveness for migraines got a mention in the Sunday Telegraph's Stella Magazine!:
"Craniosacral therapy, which uses gentle touch to manipulate the body, does exactly that. ‘Craniosacral therapy improves the circulation of cerebrospinal fluid and movement of fascia, the sheath of fibrous tissue that encloses the muscle. It also greatly benefits the central nervous system, which controls every system in the body from hormones to muscles,’ O’Connor explained.
I headed for a treatment three months ago. Far from being painful, I nearly dozed off. It didn’t wipe out my symptoms completely but I found was able to join in with my children’s One Direction warbling on the way to and from school, rather than demanding we travel in silence."
The Belly Button
In CST we often work with the naval centre. The belly button, made up of scar tissue is a reminder of our greatest battle: being born. Once tethering us to our mother, it is the portal through which we manifest into material existence. Supplying nutrients between bodies, it is our lifeline, and if cut too soon after birth, the shock can leave its mark. Consisting of reflex points that affect the health of the whole body, it is surrounded by neurons igniting communication through the gut and onto the brain. The original seat of consciousness, although for most deflected via the heart to the head; an anchor for our primary life force centre.
A review in this month's Yoga Magazine 'Transformational Therapies' article by Jane Egginton
CST in the Daily Mail with a quote from myself representing the CSTA:
Stress - National Stress Awareness Day
When I treat a stressed person during CST, their system often feels as if it is bubbling or fizzing, as if something is preparing to implode. Sometimes the body starts to lightly shake as releases begin to happen, or sometimes the system and body tissues can feel quite frozen or contracted. Emotions may surface, or there can simply be a deep sense of relief and relaxation. As the treatment progresses the breath deepens, fluidity returns and there is a sense of expansion and peace.
When our bodies are constantly in 'flight or fight' mode, for example when we're anxious, working too hard or under any kind of pressure, our 'rest or digest' mode is compromised and our body can't carry out its normal functions properly, or heal. We can become tense, run down, disconnected and overwhelmed. CST works directly with nervous system to re-connect us to a state of calmness, clarity and renewed energy.
You don't have to travel far to escape stress...
As above, So Below
As Above, So Below. The cranium and the pelvis are 'bowls' in the body that reflect distortions in one another and down the spine, affecting the whole system. In CST we can affect the whole body by working with the bones in the skull. Even misalignments in the jaw discovered during dental work can be reflected in the pelvis and vice versa. Picture taken in The Wellcome Collection.
Releasing held emotions from the body: This Thing You Do
I'm deeply touched by this beautiful poem from a client about her experiences of CST. Often, Craniosacral Therapy can assist past stresses and emotions to emerge and release, creating a sense of space and enabling us to move forward.
THIS THING YOU DO......
What is this thing you do - could you heal the world -
give your life up to that? Not die for but live for
The baby, plugged in for her short life, tiny chest rises and falls
at the behest of a machine, could you have saved her
Day-lily buds rose-tipped wait for tomorrow
to fulfil themselves. One glorious day.
She is beautiful, her soft cheeks faintly flushed
rounded, well-nourished in the womb, as if robust.
Jasmine, beside itself with blossom and scent
never so lush, never this heady this heavenly.
This babe has not learned to smile yet if smiling is learned,
she has little to smile for, but neither does she cry out.
Bindweed wreaks it's havoc, Convolvulos, fragile
white trumpets bely habit, choke sweetness.
The baby, enclosed, out of reach, no tender finger
to soothe her day. Nothing now to hold on to.
Looking up, sunlit splendour of a weeping Plane tree
reminds me, life is magnificent........
this thing you do is love, does the baby remember love
could that love have saved her......
could I have set her free if I had loved her more
if her fate had not been sealed by medical decree........
Fay Avsec 7.2015