Babies and children can benefit from Craniosacral Therapy and its calming and gentle approach. I greatly enjoy treating babies and children and they usually respond very quickly. Home visits are available and I receive many referrals from midwives and doulas, breast-feeding and tongue-tie experts, and NCT groups across London. Great results can be achieved when practitioners work together in the child’s best interests.
Craniosacral Therapy & Developmental Baby Massage
Babies and Children are some of my favourite clients to treat. Their systems are very open and sensitive, you have to negotiate a sense of safety and acceptance and allow them to feel in control.
Parents often bring their children in for Craniosacral Therapy during the weeks after birth and are encouraged to be part of the session. Colic, gut issues, twists in the neck or pelvic misalignment are common, as is pressure on the skull from forceps or suction cap births, and long labours or stress from umbilical cord trauma.
Tongue-ties are also being recognised more frequently these days and craniosacral is often recommended before and after having the frenulum cut to help integrate adjustments or to stretch the fascia before surgical intervention is considered.
C-section babies can also benefit as the sudden change in environment from being in the womb to the outside world can be quite a shock to the nervous system. These can all contribute to an unsettled and stressed baby and deeply ingrained patterns can influence our behavioural tendencies and nervous system regulation as adults in later life.
Trauma during pregnancy or conception may also be supported as this can also leave its imprint on the baby’s system. Stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol released by the mother if she is under stress can be absorbed by the fetus and affect the nervous and endocrine system. IVF and IUI processes can also be supported and parents can feel very held with CST navigating these journeys.
Babies can be asleep or feeding and held during a treatment and children may play with toys, read, watch a favourite video or eat a snack. You should see a difference after one treatment but may need several pending on how ingrained restrictions are or the extent of any traumas.
Pre-school and school age children often see great results with CST if they suffer from stress and anxiety, OCD and ticks, ear, nose and throat issues, stomach problems, sleep disturbances and developmental delays. Craniosacral Therapy helps the system transition from a tight contracted state to a more open, relaxed way of being, and there may be improvements in the child’s management of emotions, focus and concentration and social interactions.
Teens may also benefit greatly and feel more resourced in dealing with transitions through family life and school, and hormonal, emotional and mental challenges can be supported.
"I just wanted to say thank you so much. As soon as you left her trapped wind settled down - it was like magic! Also over the last few days she’s sleeping on both sides of her face without a real preference any more"
How the way we’re born can influence our behavioural patterns later in life
Behavioural Difficulties & Autistic Spectrum Disorders
Many common behavioural, social and learning difficulties can be supported by Craniosacral Therapy, with the child responding well on an emotional and physical level.
Children with ASD often have tense, hard bodies that are locked in fight or flight mode. Craniosacral Therapy can assist the release of stress from the nervous system and soothe the digestive tract, optimising the functioning of the gut-brain connection with the goal of enhancing engagement and focus. I see great results in children who combine CST with visits to Naturopaths and Nutritionists who can help assess levels of toxicity in the system from minerals and heavy metals, and possible vitamin deficiencies, all of which can affect the nervous system and result in behavioural problems.
I also teach Developmental Baby Massage having trained with the renowned cerebral palsy expert Peter Walker, and will empower you to increase your baby's flexibility if they are tense and stiff, or strengthen weak and floppy muscles so that your child reaches their developmental milestones using nurturing and stress-free methods.
Contact me at info@beatricedoubble.com