HOLISTIC HEALTH Therapy focuses on head

A practitioner should have a large dose of empathy.
AUSTINTOWN -- Jill Lewis, LMT, believes the concept of CranioSacral Therapy is to meet resistance to healing softly and gently, and to work through it. She has experienced this in her personal life, and now, through her training and empathy, is able to help others.
Lewis has been licensed in massage therapy for about eight years, studying at the Ohio College of Massotherapy in Akron. In her Junior year, the school began an experiment in teaching different methods each week, for instance, a focus on massage for babies, or polarity therapy.
It was at this time that Lewis became exposed to CranioSacral Therapy, then continued her study of this modality at the Upledger Institute in Florida. She has completed Levels 1 and 2 of CranioSacral, and Level I of SomatoEmotional Release.
Craniosacral refers to the physiological system surrounding the brain and spinal cord, which, it is believed, serves to keep the body in a state of well-being. Osteopathic Physician John Upledger discovered in the early '70s that there was rhythmic movement in the craniosacral system during spinal surgery, a pulsation of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), that occurs approximately every seven seconds. This fluid bathes the entire spine and nerve endings, tapping into the internal rhythm of the body.
If the rhythm gets out of sync, that's when a physical problem will manifest. Upledger also discovered that the bones in the skull were not fused, but moved freely throughout a person's life. It is only after death that the skull becomes rigid.
The system
When Lewis works with clients, she is constantly in contact with the body's internal rhythm through the flow of CSF, even when she is working on another part of the body.
"There is a 10-step protocol [hand positions on the client's body], beginning with the head, facial bones, neck, pelvic cavity, and so on, in which I apply a very light pressure, about the weight of a nickel," she explained.
An abrupt halt in craniosacral rhythm indicates that the client's body is going through a significant event. This is called the Significance Detector. Lewis says, "Often this point is reached by something the client was thinking, and I will ask them what just happened."
CranioSacral Therapy is used on a wide range of physical illness, pain, and dysfunction, including migraines and chronic neck and back pain, brain and spinal cord injuries, chronic fatigue, and learning disabilities, to name a few. Lewis says, "With CranioSacral work, you can meet the person on their level, wherever that is, then say to them, 'What do you need to get through this?' Everyone has that inner physician that defines their needs. I dialogue with their inner physician."
Another challenge Lewis encounters are her client's distractors. "I could be working on a clients' neck, and all of a sudden they will say, 'No, it's my foot that really hurts, and insist I go to that area. I have to decide if I am working on the wrong place, or if their distractor is talking because it knows I am about to reach a new level in their neck. In these cases, I usually feel pain in my own body if I am working in the wrong area." When a client is having difficulty with resistance and distractors it is often not on a conscious level.
Lewis' clients also recognize her gifts of empathy and her ability to lead others through their resistance to a place of healing.
Pain reduction
Dr. Linda Cooper, a neonatologist at St. Elizabeth's went to Lewis for headaches and neck and shoulder tension. She says, "I noticed a significant reduction in pain, and it was very helpful."
She also sent a very depressed client to Lewis. "Jill was able to get to the issues and deal with what was going on. She has a wonderful capacity to immediately hone in on the problem, to get to the root, and enable people to heal themselves."
Monica Lileas of Canfield says she goes to Lewis on a monthly basis, for mental and physical relaxation. She says, " It is great therapy -- feeling good in mind and body. Jill is very gifted, and it is a wonderful and peaceful experience. If something is bothering you, you can let it all go. The burden is then not as heavy, from everything ranging from death or loss, or other emotional trauma, to a physical ailment, like a sinus infection."
CranioSacral Therapy can also be used on animals. Dr. Luke Lukasko of Newton Falls Animal Hospital is a practitioner of this therapy.
XLaughing Crow is a Practitioner of holistic healing. She may be reached at laughingcrow@neo.rr.com.