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Call/Text to Book: (828) 338-9969
Acupuncturists without Borders FREE Crisis Acupuncture Schedule
Heather Vaughan, L. Ac.,
MSOM, C. Ay, CYT
Wheelchair Accessible
Craniosacral Therapy (Weaverville, North of Asheville, North Carolina) is offered as a standalone treatment for children and babies, and may be added into an acupuncture treatment for adults.
What is Craniosacral Therapy (CST), and how does it work?
CST is an extremely gentle technique of bodywork in which as a patient, you will feel deeply relaxed. The practitioner feels for subtle rhythms in cerebrospinal fluid which bathes the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), and allows that rhythm to slow down and regulate. A practitioner will also feel for the natural rhythm of organs, circulation, muscle tension, and joints, allowing free flow in these different systems. This allows for our bodies to regain access to our parasympathetic nervous system, where physiological healing is possible.
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Our nervous system (NS) is divided into two areas - the sympathetic NS "fight, flight, or freeze," and the parasympathetic NS, which is responsible "rest and digest" functions. The body naturally reacts to stressors by initiating "fight, flight, or freeze" functions. The more stressed one is in life for any reason (ill health, chronic pain, loss of a job or home, or general anxiety, etc.), the more time our body spends performing sympathetic NS functions. This is a natural survival mechanism to keep us on our toes and able to defend ourselves, escape, or hide. Ideally, as soon as the threat has passed, we shake it off (literally, if you've ever watched a herd of antelope after they evade a lioness, the whole herd shakes), and return immediately to our relaxed, parasympathetic state. However, as we become more and more stressed as a society, and spend less and less time in sympathetic activation, the more difficult it is to return to "rest and digest."
Luckily, our bodies are just as hard-wired for relaxation as we are for evading threats. It doesn't take much to remember.
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This transition into the parasympathetic state initiates our body's healing functions. The more time we spend in a state of relaxation, the more regeneration our cells are allowed to do. CST's ability to reset the body to rest and digest is at the heart of why so many conditions begin to improve with treatment. In particular, the function of tissue repair and regeneration is impossible when the body remains in fight or flight. Without this function"turned on," healing slows dramatically. ​
Fight or Flight Physiology
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heart rate increases
- blood pressure increases
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breathing quickens and becomes shallow
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blood floods large muscle groups
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digestive function is inhibited
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sweating begins (aka nervous sweating)
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blunt pain response decreased
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hypersensitivity to sound, sights, movement
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muscles may twitch or tremble
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potential to lose control of the bladder
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tissue repair is put on hold
Rest & Digest Physiology
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hearth rate slows
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blood pressure decreases
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breathing slows and deepens
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blood flows to your internal organs
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digestion resumes
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sweating stops
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pain response becomes regulated
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senses become regulated
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muscles relax
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bladder is controlled
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tissue repair resumes
CST may help you manage symptoms of:
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Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) recovery
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ADD/ADHD
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PTSD and Complex PTSD
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Nervous system dis-regulation
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Insomnia
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Anxiety
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Addictions Recovery
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In Babies & Small Children, CST may help all of the above, and many common pediatric conditions including:
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Gastrointestinal Reflux Disorder (GERD)
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Colic
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Digestive Disturbances
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Sleep
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Sensory processing difficulties
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