Trauma and Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy

BCST and Trauma :

Traumatic stress arouses the Nervous System to the extreme by activating the three survival reflexes; fight, flight or freeze.

When the Nervous system becomes overwhelmed and our coping strategies cannot keep up, we can feel traumatised.

Where the traumatic event is not processed completely, fragments of unprocessed emotion- such as fear can become trapped and locked into the body- into our tissues and cellular memory.

This holding onto stress and trauma within the body can present as a multitude of symptoms in the physical/ mental and emotional bodies; including anxiety, depression, pain and dissociation. In an attempt to separate ourselves from the pain and the implicit memory of the trauma, we can dissociate to some degree from our body, losing our sense of self.

Implicit and Explicit Body Memory:

Implicit memories are emotional and physical sensations without an explicit (mind) memory context - something happened, I’m not sure what, but I don’t feel right. The body remembers, but the mind does not.

Implicit memories can be accessed through the body with gentle body-centered therapies such as Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy.

Where there is an inherent foundation of safety through Presence and deep listening, this work can be particularly effective in releasing the "issues in the tissues" to assist in restoring a sense of balance in the body.

Supporting the client to stay present to their physical body sensations during the session not only facilitates safety and releases implicit memories but also helps the client to reintegrate their dissociated parts. This in turn leads to a greater sense of Wholeness, clarity and well being.