John Jennings Craniosacral Therapy

28/02/2022

WHAT IS CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY ?
Most new clients come to me because of being recommended by someone who had been to me previously and were pleased with the result. I usually start by asking them if they know what it is that I do. Their response is something like “ I’m not quite sure…they said that you placed your hands in different parts of the body, but didn’t do anything very much…but they got better.”
Well, that is true, however there is rather more to it than that. Let me explain. What I do is called Craniosacral Therapy, or sometimes spelled CranioSacral Therapy if it’s the Upledger method. Craniosacral or CranioSacral Therapy is a method of treating tensions or obstructions in the Craniosacral System. The Craniosacral System is a body system in the same way that your Digestive System or your Cardiovascular System are body systems. It is made up of the bones of the head, of which there are twenty-two, the sacrum, which is the big triangular bone at the base of the spine, the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord, of which there are three layers, and the cerebrospinal fluid that is contained by the membranes and provides the environment in which the brain and spinal cord live. This fluid provides nutrients for the brain and spinal cord and takes away waste products.
Every nerve in your body needs to pass through these membranes to get to the organs and tissues the brain needs to send information or instructions to, and again when the organs and tissues need to send information to the brain. Therefore, anything that affect these membranes adversely could have far reaching effects.
So, how might that happen? To give a very simple example, suppose the muscles of the neck attaching to the cranial bones got tight through injury or poor posture. They would start to pull on those bones, and the pull would be extended to the membranes surrounding the brain, and the ones separating the left and right hemispheres, and those separating the cerebrum from the cerebellum. As mentioned, the cranial nerves, have to pass through these membranes and could become impinged by the increased tension. That, in turn, could impact negatively on the target organs or tissues supplied by those nerves, resulting in decreased, or unwanted function.
The result may be headaches or migraines. Blurred vision, poor memory function, anxiety or any number of other symptoms depending on where the tension is sourced, and which nerves are affected.
The membranes of the head are continuous with those surrounding the spinal cord. Therefore, the muscles of the back, if put in tension by strain or injury, could pull on the sleeves of the spinal membranes impinging or completely blocking them from reaching their target organs or tissues.
This could result in back, neck or shoulder pain; IBS, menstrual problems in ladies, or fertility issues and a whole range of other problems depending on where the strain or tension is sited. One must bear in mind here that because the spinal membranes are continuous with the cranial membranes any pull or tension in one can affect the other. So, to make what I am saying absolutely clear, tension in the cranial membranes can affect areas as remote as the feet, and tensions in the pelvic floor say, or other muscles that attach to the spine or pelvis could potentially affect the head, neck, or any other part of the body.
There are many poorly understood conditions that arise from tensions or strains that arise in this way. The doctors are not trained to look for and treat the underlying physical cause, and can usually only offer tests or scans, which don’t show muscle or membrane tension, and medication is their only option to treat the symptoms. This brings a welcome relief, but the body is still suffering but has lost its voice which has been gagged by chemicals.
Craniosacral therapy is a highly effective system for finding and treating such restrictions, restoring the body to optimum function and ease.

31/01/2022

SUDDEN PAIN
You don’t have to fall off a horse, a bike, or a building to suffer from pains and strains. You don’t have to have lifted something too heavy or worked out for too long in the gym. You may have done some or all of these things at some time or other and not noticed any ill effects afterwards. Not lasting effects anyway.
What most of us don’t realize is that the effects of excessive strain or effort is cumulative. Slowly, slowly, little by little, the muscles and other tissues in our bodies get tighter and tighter. Then one day we will do something very normal like bend down to pick up something, or turn round to take something from a shelf and we get a little dart of pain which in a short while seizes us up so that we can hardly move, and we wonder why it has happened.
Very often it’s because we have slightly extended our usual range of movement, and the affected muscles go into spasm because they have been tightening up unnoticed by us. Muscle fibres can be likened to telescopes opening and closing as we bend and twist in our daily activities. However, unlike telescopes, if they are stretched beyond their comfort zone, they tend to slam shut as a protective measure against damage and are reluctant to open up fully again. We experience this as stiffness, often accompanied by painful joints, and or muscles.
Sometimes the original cause ( or more often, causes ) can have happened months or even years or decades previously, building up in different parts of the body. These go unnoticed or cause temporary discomfort and are quickly forgotten. This is because our body has a wonderful capacity for adapting to restrictions and limitations. But there comes a point where no further adaptations are possible, and we get symptoms that demand attention.
When clients come to me for treatment they are often surprised when I work in an area that is quite remote from the place that is painful. They may present with neck and shoulder pain for example, and I go to work on their pelvis. This is because there are tensions in the tissues in that area that put the pelvic bones out of alignment, which in turn causes an adaptation in the spine that results in pain in the neck and shoulder.
If I worked solely on the area that is painful, I might get some relief, but it would, at best, be temporary and the pain would return. Craniosacral therapy is exceptional in that it provides a means by which areas of tension and restriction, painful or not, can be located and resolved. It may take several sessions to resolve the different areas affected, or sometimes even if there is only one source of pain.

05/01/2022

FUZZY THINKING - HEREFORD

Have you ever gone upstairs or into another room, and then wondered why you were there? Well nearly everyone has at some time or another, but what about having difficulty in thinking clearly, that is, formulating your thoughts easily into clear, intelligible sentences. It’s something most of us take for granted, well, most of the time.
That being said, I have on many occasions over the years, had clients say that fuzzy thinking had become an issue for them, but could not explain why, or sometimes when, it had started. Fortunately, I have come to recognise the conditions that lead up to the onset of this disturbing situation.
It is nothing to do with their brain being diseased or mental deterioration. Often, it’s to do with strain or tension in the neck or shoulders. Sometimes the root of the problem is much further away from the head, and can be found in the lower back or pelvic floor. The pull of tight muscles can travel through the body in several ways. Muscles or tissue attaching to a common point from different directions can transfer the pull from one to the next and on again if there is another common attachment.
Another way tension is transferred is through the membranes surrounding the spinal cord. These membranes have sleeves in them to bring the nerves through the bony parts of the spine. The sleeves are embedded in the muscles attaching to the spine, which if tight, can transfer the pull to the membranes. Bearing in mind that your nerves must pass through these membranes on their way from the brain to the target organs and tissues, and back again to relay information to the brain, you can see that the potential for many apparently unrelated problems to manifest.
In this way the muscles attaching to the bones of the head, or the membranes can cause restrictions to the flow of blood and lymph to and from the brain, causing oxygen restriction, and toxin build-up.
Using the gentle touch of craniosacral therapy to locate and release these tensions and restrictions resolves the problem leaving the patient brighter and fresher mentally and physically. www.john-jennings.co.uk

30/12/2021

Babies - Colic - Reflux - Sleeping Issues
Being born may be one of the more challenging experiences of your baby’s life. Many people believe that babies come into this world without any muscle or joint problems. How could they have problems, they haven’t done anything yet! But, in fact, they have done a great deal. They have been moving around in the womb, getting comfortable as they grow, exploring their new selves and their environment. Quite often a leg or arm will get stuck in an awkward position inducing strain or tension in the muscles. The head may become pressed against the pelvic bones or wedged at an acute angle.
Then there is the birthing process; the journey from the womb to mum’s arms can be quite physically and emotionally demanding, involving squeezing, pulling and pressure. All of which can be the source of further stresses and strains. So, actually, your baby has done quite a lot of work before coming to rest in your arms.
These are not life threatening or dangerous for your baby, but they can interfere with his or her quality of life after birth. Frequently, they are the root cause of colic, feeding and sleeping problems and, later, behavioural and learning difficulties such as dyslexia, ADHD and dyspraxia.

Fortunately, there is a tried and tested way that these upsetting difficulties can be eased from the body allowing it to reach its full potential.
Cranio-Sacral Therapy is a gentle and compassionate hands-on approach using a light pressure, like the weight of a small coin. It aims to release tensions and restrictions from the craniosacral system.
The craniosacral system is made up of the cranial bones, the membranes that attach to them, and the cerebrospinal fluid that forms the environment in which the brain and spinal cord live. This fluid provides nutrients for the brain and spinal cord and takes away waste products.
Every nerve in your body must pass through these membranes going out to organs and tissues, and again on their way back to the brain. Therefore, anything that adversely affects these membranes can have such far reaching effects as mentioned earlier.
However, one or two 30-40 minute Cranio-Sacral sessions can usually resolve most of these issues allowing your baby to relax into smiley time. www.john-jennings.co.uk

Effective pain relief treatment of backpain, migraines, wiplash, sciatica, reflux, IBS and asthma, joint pain, head and neck. Children and Babies. Call for further information.

15/02/2021

Dyslexia In Children.
Dr John Upledger discovered, over fifty years ago, that over fifty per cent of children with dyslexia could be cured of the condition by releasing tension in the muscles of the neck and shoulders.
These muscles attached to the bones of the head causing them to be pulled out of alignment thereby causing tension on the membranes surrounding the brain.
When the tension was released the children no longer found that they confused lower case b’s with lower case d’s, or p’s with q’s nor had difficulty in seeing certain words in a sentence transposed or other visual disturbances associated with dyslexia.
I have every reason to be grateful to Dr Upledger, as my son was diagnosed as profoundly dyslexic by the British Dyslexia Association. With the aid of Craniosacral therapy my son was able to complete his education, and went on to gain a 1st class honours degree in English, and a Masters degree from Trinity College Dublin. He is now teaching English.
I have been practising Craniosacral Therapy for nearly twenty years, and have been able to help other children with this problem.

25/01/2021

Vertigo is a type of dizziness which can be accompanied by nausea and visual disturbances. It can be brought on by sudden movements of the head, or even rolling over in bed. The on-set can be sudden, but there also periods that are symptom free. Injury or strain to the muscles of the neck, shoulders or upper back are a common cause. I have used craniosacral therapy to resolve these issues and thereby the vertigo. ,

14/01/2021

Some babies have difficulty in latching onto their mother's breast. This can be because the bones of the head including the hard palate i.e the roof of the mouth of the baby can become restricted i.e they cannot move as freely as they should, because they have been compressed during the birthing process even in Cesarean section. This can also interfere with the nerves supply to the muscles involved in sucking and swallowing. The baby can't get its tongue around the ni**le and sometimes can't lift the back of the tongue sufficiently to block the throat during the sucking phase. This can be quickly and easily resolved through pediatric Craniosacral Therapy. for more information click here https://john-jennings.co.uk/ , , ,

16/11/2020

The journey from the womb to mom's arms can be quite an emotional one because of all the changes taking place so quickly, or sometimes not so quickly, in the case of prolonged labour. Thankfully Baby will have no conscious memory of this after it’s all over, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t had an effect. Fortunately most babies come through the ordeal unscathed; mothers have been perfecting the process for millions of years, but some do have problems as a result. These may show straight away as colic, resistance to suckling, constipation or diarrhoea. Regurgitating food, and an inability to settle or sleep for very long can also be a result.