Craniosacral therapy

Craniosacral therapy (CST) or cranial-sacral therapy, cranial osteopathy, and cranial therapy are forms of bodywork or alternative therapy using therapeutic touch to manipulate the synarthrodial joints of the cranium. A practitioner of cranial-sacral therapy may also apply light touches to a patient's spine and pelvis. Practitioners believe that this manipulation regulates the flow of cerebrospinal fluid and aids in "primary respiration". Craniosacral therapy was developed by John Upledger, D.O. in the 1970s, as an offshoot osteopathy in the cranial field (OCF), or cranial osteopathy, which was developed in the 1930s by William Garner Sutherland. "Craniosacral therapy" is the more common term in the United States, whereas in the United Kingdom the term "cranial osteopathy" is more commonly used.