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Article One
Mary's Migraines:
A CranioSacral Therapy Case Profile
by Janet Ferguson, RDMT, CST - D

Born in 1940, Mary* had been experiencing migraines since the mind-1960s. They started out once or twice monthly and gradually progressed over the years to several each week. Mary admits stress was a contributing factor, having separated in 1975 from an abusive and controlling husband.

Mar's doctor referred her to a neurologist. She saw three different ones, all recommending the same thing -- for her to keep a migraine diary, and for them to prescribe a variety of pain medications. Nothing worked.

By 1989 Mary retired after a motor-vehicle accident resulted in a dislocation of the scapula. The pain of the migraines progressed until they were continuous from 1993 to 1998 without a break. During that time she was getting regular Therapeutic Touch treatments, practicing meditation, visualization and Tai Chi.

ONe day at the Therapeutic Touch office, Mary saw my display of pamphlets and articles on CranioSacral Therapy (CST). She scheduled her first appointment with me for a one-hour CST session on January 29, 1999.

The CranioSacral Evaluation

On exam noted an asymmetry of the cranial bones with decreased ROM on the left side. I arced to the left greater wind of the sphenoid. She presented with a sphenoid left torsion sidebend with left convexity, a right lateral strain and sphenobasilar compression.

The right temporal bone was also stuck in flexion with temporoparietal suture compression. The TMJ was compressed on the right side, and the left side of the nasal bone and left zygoma were pulled medially. The maxillae and vomer revealed a right shear and right torsion with zero ROM of the right palatine.

The intracranial membrane system torsioned counterclockwise and the left occiput was pulled medially and superiorly, with right occipital compression of the atlas. The hyoidal musculature was especially tight on the right side, with the hyoid torsioned to the right and superiorly.

Peeling Away the Head Pain

One month later Mary returned for her second session and gratefully informed me that she hadn't had a headache for 11 days after her first visit. That hadn't happened for years. Mary purchased a Still-Point Inducer and used it faithfully two times each day thereafter.

The structural work continued as we "peeled away the layers of the onion," correction after correction. Mary's dural rube was restricted on the right side at C2 and T2-3. The sacrum was torsioned to the right with a strong pull superiorly of the lumbar dura mater.

In one particular visit, I arced to an energy cyst at the right of the lumbosacral junction It was there that Mary first experienced a Somato-Emotional Release® (SER). That and several others helped her release her anger from her first marriage, as well as the shame and guilt she had been nonconsciously holding on to.

One session is still very clear in her memory. She was commenting that migraines were a blood-vessel problem. Since I had just returned from Upledger's The Brain Speaks workshop in February of 2000, we acknowledged and dialogued with the cranial circulatory system.

Mary said the left side of her brain was feeling pressured, foggy, dark and heavy. It was envious of the right side, which felt light, bright and clear. As we dialogued, the left side wanted to flow through to the right side but it couldn't because the pathway connecting the two halves was virtually closed. Also, the right side was afraid to open up and complete the circle because it didn't want to lose the light.

Mary visualized implanting a surgical stunt between the two halves so that a permanent pathway was established. Dialogue, deep breathing and imaging helped clear out the fog, making the left side as bright as the right. We continued imaging the flow, but the inferior cerebral artery was blocked. After clearing the blockage, Mary followed the flow down the neck and to the heart.

Mary Learns How To Sidestep Her Migraines

Mary no longer has migraines. However, she says she does start to have tiny migraine-like feeling if she doesn't receive a CST session with four months of time. So for the first four sessions Mary came once a month, and now she books regularly every four months.

I have seen Mary for 21 sessions at a total cost of $1,230. Fortunately, we Canadians have all of our doctor and specialist appointments covers. Her corporate insurance plan paid for the medical prescriptions. The other alternative therapies Mary received before getting CST ran approximately $2,000.

I am honoured to work with Mary, She is an amazing woman. She continues on a daily basis to imagine blood flowing and her spine aligning, and she directs energy to needy sports using therapeutic breathwork. Her quality of life has been enriched with CranioSacral Therapy.

*Name has been changed to protect privacy.

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Article Two
Helping a Child Raise a Poor Self-Image:
A CranioSacral Therapy Case Profile
by Janet Ferguson, RDMT, CST - D

Danny* was 10 years old and in the 6th grade when he first came to my office in February of 2000. He was diagnosed with dyslexia when he was in the 3rd grade. Although he was schooled in a regular classroom, he spent 50% of his time with Resource Assistance.

Emotionally, Danny had a poor self-image. He was bullied and teased on the school playground, and he often got punished for outbursts of anger and retaliation. His attention span was short, he had poor fine-motor skills, his balance and coordination were off, and he had eczema covering his knees, elbows, scalp and eyebrows.

Danny's mother had been in a motor-vehicle accident toward the end of her ninth month of pregnancy, which promoted false labour. Danny was stuck in the birth canal for two weeks. Later, when he was 4 years old, Danny had his adenoids removed due to continuous sinus and allergy problems. Neck pain was a common complaint.

The CranioSacral Evaluation

On exam I found Danny's body hiatus to be in external rotation. Temporal bones were bilaterally compressed. The right temporal bone was stuck in flexion with temporoparietal and occipitomastoid suture compression. The sphenoid presented as a right torsion sidebend with right convexity and left lateral shear.

The left side of Danny's cranium seemed just as restricted,with a left frontosphenoidal and sphenotemporal suture compression. The falx cerebelli tension was drawing the occiput anteriorly and cephalad. We used breathwork to facilitate the release of several compressed sutures.

Danny 's dural tube had a strong pull superiorly with L5-S1 compression. The sacrum torsioned toward the right, with the right ASIS anterior and superior. It was sometimes difficult for Danny to be in one position for long, but we were able to balance the maxilla with the sphenoid, which were in the opposite CSR range of motion. The maxilla also revealed a flexion lesion with right torsion and compression. I addressed the imbalance of the hyoid and the abnormal tension of the hyoidal musculature.

Therapy Produces Measurable Results

In January of 2001, Danny's mom happily informed me that he had gotten his best report card ever. His attention span had improved and his marks had risen dramatically. Upon arcing to the solar plexus and through therapeutic imagery and dialogue, Danny changed the rough waves that he "saw" and felt to the stillness of a calm lake.

His resulting behavioral changes were noticeable. He no longer let the teasing on the playground affect him, and he was better able to avoid confrontational situations.

During one visit I arced to the parietal bones just posterior to the right coronal suture. It was here that we dialogued with "Thaffle" who said that he wasn't in the right place. Thaffle said that he had to move over to let "Prickly" reroute. After we finished rerouting Prickly, there was tissue softening and a feeling of reorganization.

I didn't attempt to analyze what had occurred, but when talking to Danny's mother at the next visit, she mentioned how much Danny's small motor control movement had improved, and that his handwriting was more legible.

Danny's visits averaged out to be once a month, and by February 2002 he had received 19 CaranioSacral Therapy sessions at a total cost of $1,112.50. Danny also visited a chiropractor for regular treatments, which OHIP (Ontario Ministry of Health) paid for.

His mom saved money on antibiotics as Danny no longer needed them for continuous colds and sinus congestion. The Claritin that he generally took for six months every year was also no longer needed.

June of 2003 was Danny's last visit for CranioSacral Therapy. He has since begun playing the guitar and he reads music. He also belongs to a rock-and-roll band with some friends.

I think it is safe to say that CranioSacral Therapy has changed Danny's life.

*Name changed in order to protect confidentiality.

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