Craniosacral Therapy and the Multimodal Approach

In the medical world, Craniosacral Therapy is widely regarded as an “alternative” or “complementary” therapy — something that can be used alongside mainstream healthcare modalities. But as someone living with a chronic health condition who uses craniosacral therapy as part of a multimodal healthcare approach, my experience is that it plays a far more fundamental role than those labels suggest.

Before discovering craniosacral therapy — or rather, before finding the right care — attempting to manage the symptoms associated with Ehlers–Danlos Syndrome (EDS) was a deeply demoralising, exceedingly expensive, and often traumatic experience that lasted far longer than anyone should have to endure. For over a decade, I was seen by numerous doctors, physicians, and therapists within both the NHS and the private sector. Each followed a prescribed course of action, attempting to treat my system-wide illness through a very narrow lens.

For those unfamiliar with Ehlers–Danlos Syndrome, it is a connective tissue disorder in which collagen — a protein that provides crucial structure, strength, and support to our skin, ligaments, tendons, bones, muscles, and nervous system — is affected by various genetic mutations. As collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body, the symptoms experienced by those with EDS are extensive.

Joint hypermobility (and resulting instability), chronic widespread pain, fatigue, dysautonomia, poor proprioception, and gut issues are some of the core features of this condition. And would you believe it — so are depression and anxiety. In fact, there is a well-recognised bi-directional relationship between pain and psychological symptoms. Just as chronic pain can worsen mental health, low mood can intensify the perception of pain. It makes perfect sense, right?

Now, add sensory, pain, and emotional hypersensitivity to the mix, and you begin to see the full picture. It’s a lot to carry in our fragile bodies. It really is.

So, back to my story.

Prior to my diagnosis in 2011, physiotherapy, osteopathy, chiropractic care, and sport and exercise medicine were the primary modalities I committed my time, money, and energy to, in the hope that I could overcome the symptoms that were infringing on my future aspirations.

Whether it was deep tissue massage to relax hypertonic muscles, myofascial release to address a tight and twisted larynx, or spinal manipulations for my unstable facet joints, the relief I experienced lasted no more than a few days, and any prescribed exercise programme brought little to no improvement in the way of strength, stability, or balance.

More often than not, these treatments left me feeling profoundly vulnerable. My sensitive body would register what was happening as a kind of violation, and I would leave feeling emotionally raw, unsettled, and slightly traumatised.

I don’t share this to discredit the practitioners who tried to help me. I believe they were skilled and knowledgeable within their respective fields. What was missing, however, was an appreciation of how my symptoms affected my life as a whole — physically, emotionally, and psychologically — and a willingness to think beyond isolated treatment models.

What I longed for was a truly multidisciplinary approach, where practitioners could collaborate, view my case through a wider lens, and treat me rather than individual symptoms.

Receiving my diagnosis eventually helped me understand why previous approaches had produced such limited results. It also prompted me to explore lesser-known and so-called “alternative” therapies — therapies that not one of the doctors or clinicians I had seen in the previous decade had ever mentioned.

One of these was a gentler form of chiropractic known as McTimoney, which corrects skeletal misalignments without the forceful thrusting commonly associated with traditional chiropractic care. These sessions were far less of an ordeal for my sensitive body, and the relief I experienced exceeded anything I’d felt before.

However, there was still a lingering sense of fragmentation — a feeling of being “wobbly” and unstable in my body.

Those of us with EDS already struggle with proprioception — the ability to sense where our body parts are in space — due to faulty neural feedback. When we exert ourselves beyond a certain threshold, or when our bodies are adjusted, this instability can increase. We can lose what little sense of cohesion we have and feel deeply fragmented.

I liken this state to that of a toddler learning to walk, or a child figuring out how to coordinate their jaw, tongue, and facial muscles to produce sound. The nervous system becomes confused — and so do we.

That’s why I truly believe angels were looking down on me the day my McTimoney chiropractor asked:

“Have you heard of craniosacral therapy?”

I hadn’t. But I jumped in wholeheartedly. My need to feel better far outweighed any scepticism or hesitation about trying something unfamiliar — or spending yet more money.

My first craniosacral session was added onto the end of a chiropractic appointment. What I experienced was unlike anything I had ever known. My therapist sat quietly behind me with her hands resting on my head, seemingly doing very little.

My first thought was: What on earth is this?

Then something shifted. I began to sink into a warm, fuzzy state as my body softened and expanded. I felt light and spacious — sensations completely foreign to me. My usual internal landscape was one of tightness, constriction, and torsion.

I drifted into a deep sleep, unaware of how much time had passed. When I eventually came around, I felt a peace and a sense of wholeness I had never experienced before. When I stood up, it felt as though I was inhabiting a completely new body — one in which all parts felt integrated and responsive.

For the first time, I was truly in my body. And that felt profoundly empowering.

With each subsequent session, these effects deepened. My nervous system began to unwind more readily, and my body learned how to let go of tension without resistance.

The impact was profound. Not only did my body feel more physically balanced, but so did my energy, my mood, and my spirit. I was able to sustain the benefits of chiropractic care for longer periods and engage in physical exercise with greater precision, thanks to a growing sense of body awareness.

Slowly, I moved from feeling hopeless and disempowered to feeling balanced, energised, and optimistic about life.

Perhaps most unexpectedly, I began to make progress in areas I had previously sought psychotherapy and counselling for. By working directly with my body, I was able to address the physiological dysregulation that occurs in response to overwhelming experiences — something that talking therapy alone cannot always access.

In slow, safe increments, I began to process and release experiences stored not in my conscious mind, but in my body itself.

I had found the missing piece of my healthcare puzzle.

A true game changer.

Craniosacral Therapy as part of a Family System

Now when I describe the role craniosacral therapy can play within a multimodal healthcare approach, I often use the metaphor of a family unit.

In this metaphor, Craniosacral Therapy is the foundation upon which this family survives and thrives — the head of the household, the parent or guardian. And the other modalities — chiropractic, physiotherapy, psychotherapy or chemotherapy, whatever else we might be receiving — these are the children. Each one is unique. Each has its own strengths, goals, and needs. And sometimes, these children are at odds with one another.

As the head of the family, Craniosacral Therapy recognises each child’s individuality and, with love and compassion, supports each one in working toward its goals — while also prioritising integration, cohesion, and harmony.

Whether you are living with chronic illness, recovering from injury or surgery, or navigating disease, Craniosacral Therapy may be able to help your body assimilate the changes that other therapies ask of it — changes that can otherwise feel intrusive and overwhelming, particularly for sensitive nervous systems.

Make your body a place of peace with Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy.