What is CFT? Craniosacral Fascial Therapy
What is CFT? Well, aside from it being my new obsession(!), it is a gentle holistic health modality aimed at reducing tension and stored trauma in the body. I hope to do it justice in this blog post, but I truly could talk about it FOREVERRRR and no one wants to read a book for a blog post lol!
CFT combines both the craniosacral system and the fascial system because they are interconnected within the body, and operates under the idea that both systems must be treated together in order to have maximum healing benefits. The craniosacral system (brain, spinal cord, and spine) is surrounded by fascia, and if that surrounding fascia is tight, it will restrict craniosacral motion and negatively impact nervous system functioning. In fact, fascia is connective tissue that can be found all throughout out bodies surrounding muscles, nerves, organs, etc. You can think of it like the white webbing within an orange. Fascia provides a framework that helps support and protect muscles, organs, and the entire body as a unit. It envelopes organs, muscles, nerves and even blood, for protection from outside trauma. It supports the musculoskeletal system and allows us to perform functional activities like walking, jumping, running, or simply changing position. When this fascia becomes restricted as a result of illness, injury, or physical/emotional trauma, it causes tension and dysfunction of the tissue it is surrounding. For example, fascia surrounding the sciatic nerve can cause sciatic nerve pain when restricted; fascia surrounding the diaphragm can cause breathing difficulty when restricted; fascia surrounding pelvic organs can cause pelvic floor dysfunction when restricted, etc. Fascia surrounding nerves and the nervous system at large, and cause nervous system dysregulation and force an individual into constant fight/flight mode that can cause a host of other health issues.
Our brains must expand and contract to support physiological functioning throughout the body. We have cranial respiration for nervous system function, just like we have lung respiration for breathing. Any restrictions or damage to this motion can greatly affect our health and wellbeing. CFT techniques are designed to gently unwind and release accumulated fascial strain to allow for optimal mobility of cerebrospinal fluid and better brain function. When this system is loose and open with minimal restriction, there is free flow of cerebrospinal fluid to help nourish all parts of the body and cleanse toxins.
This cranial respiration is “measured” by the brain cycle, which is a wonderful tool for measuring progress and healing on someone’s journey. The brain cycle is calculated by counting the number of seconds it takes for the cerebrospinal fluid to expand and contract. There is no “best” number, or specific goal, of the brain cycle, but in general, the higher the number, the better. More time for expansion and contraction equates to a healthier, and less restricted flow of cerebrospinal fluid throughout the craniosacral system and body as a whole. A brain cycle of 0 means that the fascia of the body is SO restricted that the expansion and contraction cannot be felt, or is shut down completely. If this is the case, the cerebrospinal fluid is not as freely flowing throughout the body, and therefore, bodily functions are unable to be carried out optimally, causing health issues. Like I said, there is no ideal brain cycle, but in general, I like to see it improve within a session and also between sessions. It is an objective way to measure progress and healing, and is a great tool for the practitioner. Improvements in brain cycle accompanied by reported symptom improvement on behalf of the client are great signs that CFT is an effective treatment for the individual!
A common question I get asked before seeing someone for a session, is "what does a typical session look/feel like?” and I like to respond by telling you it will be relaxing :) As your body tension unwinds, it might feel somewhat similar to a massage and/or stretching, but it’s hard to completely compare it to either because it is something so unique. The “unwind” I refer to is the body’s innate and natural movement to release the tension; some people move more than others during this unwind, so a CFT session won’t look or feel the same for two different people. It should not hurt any more than a muscle stretch ‘hurts’ – if it is more uncomfortable than that, please inform your practitioner and they will adjust their pressure or movement – but it should feel like you’re stretching or loosening tight muscles.
CFT is effective for all ages, and Dr. Barry Gillespie is especially passionate about providing CFT to newborns so that they can unwind from all the tension that has accumulated in utero and start their lives in a more regulated state.
Conditions for which CFT can help infants include, but are not limited to:
- Birth trauma
- Tethered oral tissues
- Torticollis
- Reflux
- Colic
- Difficulty with breastfeeding (latching, suckling, swallowing, taking a bottle)
- Constipation
- Indigestion
- Fascial asymmetries
- Flat spots
- Earaches
- Autism
- TMJ
- Strabismus
- Attaining developmental milestones
Conditions for which CFT can help children include, but are not limited to:
- Asthma
- Earaches
- Concussions
- ADHD
- Learning disorders
- Sinus conditions
- Depression/anxiety
- Neck pain
- Allergies
- Bedwetting
- Headache
- Scoliosis
Conditions for which CFT can help adults include, but are not limited to:
- Migraines
- Concussions/whiplash
- TMJ
- TOTs
- Neck pain
- Jaw pain
- Hip pain
- Back pain
- Sciatica
- Sinus issues
- Depression/anxiety
- Pelvic pain
- Scars
In general, if a health ailment is caused by tight or restrictive fascia, CFT will help alleviate the negative symptoms associated with such ailment. CFT can be the ‘missing piece’ in someone’s health journey, especially if they’ve been bounced between doctors without answers as to how to truly improve their health. This is because, if the health ailment is caused by restrictive fascia, the only thing that will help improve symptoms is to release that fascial tension – like CFT does! As I said before, CFT is particularly effective among infants when parents are dealing with “common” diagnoses, such as colic, reflux, constipation, etc. Common does not equal normal and parents deserve better! Babies deserve to be happy and feel well in their skin.
The body has innate wisdom to heal and feel well, babies just need a little bit of extra support than adults do sometimes because they can’t voluntarily carry their bodies through the full range of motion required to unwind their fascia and tension. This is where CFT can come in clutch when working with babies – a happy baby means happy parents :) These days, there is more awareness in regards to tethered oral tissues (TOTs) in babies, and CFT is an important supportive therapy when managing these tongue, lip, and cheek/buccal ties. If a parent chooses to go the route of releasing the tie(s), CFT can help work out some tension in the tissues beforehand so that the release provider can truly see the tissue that they are working with and get a full release. After the release, CFT can help support the healing process and work on establishing proper functioning with the new range of motion in the oral structures. I personally advise parents to do some type of bodywork therapy before AND after a TOTs release in order to ensure the most success with the procedure, and I love working with families as they walk through this journey! I will probably publish another blog post at a later date with more detailed information about TOTs, so stay tuned for that!
Commonly misunderstood, CFT is not the same thing as CST (Cranio Sacral Therapy, which is more well-known). CFT incorporates the fascia system throughout the entire body, not just within the craniosacral system. The difference between the two therapies is further explained HERE on the CFT Gillespie website. In my opinion, CFT is more comprehensive than CST; while CST is a great tool and therapy, if the cerebrospinal fluid is restricted by tight fascia, which affects the whole body’s fascia web (everything is connected!), then the releases that CST can initiate will only go so far. The body will still continue to be restricted by tight fascia unless the whole fascia web is addressed.
I hope this has helped to explain CFT for you and that you now have a deeper understanding of this incredible treatment modality that helps so many people heal and feel well. Check out the Gillespie Approach website for more information and to fill in any gaps I wasn’t able to cover here!
If you have any remaining questions, please don’t hesitate to email me so we can chat further! If you are interested in a CFT session for yourself and/or any of your family members, and you are local to Southern NH, please contact me - I would love to help you feel well :)
