CanioSacral therapy (CST) has been devised as an alternative method to better the state of autistic children and help them find some comfort within their own person and with the surrounding world. This therapy is based on the hands-on technique that will aid in the reduction of stress level on the brain and the nervous system as a whole. Medical researches have found that autism causes some degree of inflammation and loss of flexibility in the membranes that surround the brain. This can lead to creating some tightness in the brain tissue which compromises the functioning of the reticular activating system, hypothalamus and autonomic nervous system, together with producing hypersensitivity and irritation of the brain cells, change of pressure in the brain tissue, abnormal effect on the emotional system and toxicity and congestion in the brain tissue. The telling symptoms of autism like impairment in social communication, language development and imaginative thought is the outcome of the lack of communication and irritation that take place in the brain membranes.
The inception of this therapy has been carried out by an osteopathic physician called D. William Garner Sutherland in the 20th century. This therapy is based on the assumption that our whole nervous system is always in a rhythmic motion. The disturbance of this rhythm causes us depression and headache. In case of applying this therapy to autistic children, the therapist strive to locate that particular area in the cranium that is the most responsive to the craniosacral rhythm. Pumping technique and delicate release are utilized to increase the motion of this area. This therapy functions to enhance the balanced performance of the following:
- The surrounding membrane of the brain.
- The movement of blood and cerebrospinal fluid into the cranium, out of cranium and in all the brain tissues.
- Those parts of the body that is not responsive to the craniosacral rhythm, which causes some duress to the brain.
This therapy works in two ways- on the one hand, it increases the rhythmic motion and gives sustenance to that motion and movement of fluid, on the other hand it helps create motion in the non-responsive areas. This small changes lead to the greater changes making the whole brain responsive. This in turn acts as an aid to the surrounding membrane of the brain helping it to do away with the toxins and inflammation of the brain tissue and accelerate the functioning of the nerve cells. This newly-increased motion in the brain tissue and fluid will reduce the duress that the whole brain is under , allowing the brain with a better ability to process an information and react to it.
CST is not only confined to brain, rather it can be applied anywhere in the body to accelerate its healing process and facilitate neurological functioning. This in turn helps to correct various dysfunctional systems, immune and digestive systems being only two of them, that lead to the betterment of the state of health of autistic children. This therapy works best when it is applied in collaboration with other therapies like speech therapy, integration therapy, neurodevelopmental therapy, occupational therapy, homeopathy etc.
