Is craniosacral therapy good for anxiety?

If you’re here, I’m willing to bet you’re experiencing some anxiety, and that doesn’t always feel aligned in our body. You’re wondering if craniosacral therapy is good for anxiety, and can it help you? Short answer, yes. For some of you, that’s enough - please reach out so I can support you with a path forward - one that is guided by your body and your needs. Click here for a 30 minute call to set up your Path to Body-Led Living.

Everyone else - Read on to learn more!

What is anxiety?

Webster’s Dictionary defines anxiety…just kidding!! As someone who notices anxiety show up in her body, I like to view it simply as a signal or a message from the body. I want to start by sharing that I’ve been there - me and my girl Lexie (Lexapro) were good friends for some time! It wasn’t until I began a path of somatic listening that I was able to eventually wean off of it (under the guidance of a medical doctor) and receiving craniosacral therapy plays a role in anxiety management for me to this day. If you actually Google “what is anxiety”, the answer is “a normal feeling of worry or fear, often a ‘fight-or-flight’ response to stress. It becomes a disorder when it’s excessive, persistent, and interferes with daily life, causing physical symptoms such as:

• rapid heart rate

• Sweating

• Restlessness”

A few things I want to point out:

• Feelings of anxiety are normal - so what you’re feeling is a part of the human experience. What isn’t normal is persistence and the inability to decide what you need to do next.

• Fight-or-flight: People who experience anxiety are all too familiar with the feeling - it pretty much feels like the physical symptoms mentioned above - rapid heart rate, sweating, restlessness. Sometimes, a lump in the throat or chest tightness.

My question for you is: When you experience anxiety, are you naming it anxiety and moving on, or are you pausing to detect the physical sensations?

In my opinion, this is a game changer for anyone experiencing anxiety or chronic stress. We live in a “neck up” society - that is, one that loves to name feelings instead of well…feeling them. We’ve lost touch with the rest of our bodies! Once you pause to detect the physical sensations, it’s much easier to speak your body’s language. You’ll start to notice that instead of a feeling of “anxiety” that by breaking it down into physical sensation, that what you thought was “anxiety” is much more nuanced! Since we’re so conditioned to name our feelings, we’ve lost the nuance of what our bodies are trying to communicate.

I invite you to resist naming these sensations, and simply feel them. Upon noticing a physical sensation, don’t do anything with it - simply notice and witness it as it comes. Say “thank you” to your body for sending you such a clear signal by sticking with it as it passes. At first, it may be tempting to diagnose, find a why, or try to decode what the signal means. I encourage you to avoid this and simply be with your body. She may communicate with you what she needs to feel safe, or she may not. That’s okay! Just stick with it. I encourage anyone on this journey to seek the guidance of a licensed mental health professional to safely guide them through this process.

But Joanna, I don’t know HOW to tune in to my body!!

Have no fear, my friend - THAT’S where craniosacral therapy comes into play. Craniosacral therapy is good for anxiety because it’s a super gentle modality with the literal purpose of tuning into your body to discover areas that are asking to be noticed. You may feel physical or even emotional releases during a session. It helps you become more attuned to your body, your inner wisdom, your inner knowing and THAT’S step one. Check out my Instagram to see a session in action so you know what you’re in for! (Come on now, you experience anxiety, I know you want to be prepared!! I got you!).

If you experience anxiety and are considering craniosacral therapy, I strongly recommend you’re active in mental health therapy or counseling services to process what may come up during a session. I am not a mental health therapist or counselor and I am not licensed or representing that I am licensed to assist you with anything other than that which is within the bounds of craniosacral treatment.

If this resonates, I want to support you in your path to relief with a free, 30-minute “Path to Body-Led Living” Call, where we map out a plan for you to feel relief. Click here to schedule. You CAN do this - I believe in you.

Sending you love always,

Joanna

More about me in my Bio

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