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Craniosacral for Babies and Children

Craniosacral Therapy with Babies & Children

Is your little newborn having some challenges adjusting to life outside the womb?

Does he or she seem fussy and uncomfortable, or restless and does not sleep well?

Does your older baby have symptoms that just have not resolved over time, like discomfort , sleep issues, digestive problems?

Does your older child have any physical or emotional issues?

There can be many challenges at any stage of development for babies and children. Craniosacral Therapy can be an immensely valuable resource in helping your baby or child to resolve any issues from their birth and find better health and well being.  When any symptoms or imbalances can be addressed and resolved at this early age, they don’t show up as major issues later in life.

Craniosacral Therapy can be of help with particular symptoms and it can also be a general support to help your baby or child access optimal health.

How Craniosacral Therapy can help your baby.  It can address:

  • fussiness
  • restlessness
  • molding of the cranial bones
  • inconsolable crying
  • torticollis
  • difficulty with sleeping
  • digestive problems
  • difficulty with nursing
  • colic
  • respiratory Problems
  • structural problems in baby’s body after a forceps delivery or vacuum extraction
  • imbalance in baby’s structure or movements
  • bonding and attachment issues

Cranioscral Therapy can also help with:

  • integrating a challenging or “normal” birth experience for mom and baby
  • supporting premature babies
  • supporting babies with developmental delay

Some of the issues that Craniosacral Therapy can address in older children:

  • structural issues, imbalances in his/her posture or movements
  • behavioral issues
  • emotional problems
  • any stress left over from his/her birth
  • learning disabilities and developmental delay
  • support him/her during difficult phases of development
  • help with recovery from a surgery or prepare for a surgery
  • sleep issues
  • help with autism and other disabilities

Why do Babies need Therapy?

A newborn baby has just been through one the most most intense experiences that we encounter as human beings – being born.  Even if the birth went without any complications, baby encounters great intensity and the process itself can be quite overwhelming. Often imprints from the birth experience do not get resolved by themselves and are held in the little baby’s body and nervous system.  As a result, adjustment to life outside of the womb might be affected.  He or she might be disoriented and have a hard time settling into his or her new environment.

A baby’s autonomic nervous system (ANS) can be strongly affected by the birth experience. It might be in a fight or flight state, which is part of our survival mechanism. The fight or flight state can lead to many symptoms, including fussiness, restlessness, inconsolable crying, not sleeping, trouble with nursing, digestive problems etc.

A stressed ANS can also express as the opposite:  baby may sleep a lot, be very quiet and slow.  They may not make contact well, have attachment issues and seem withdrawn.

Generally the more complications arise during the birth, the more the baby’s nervous system is affected, but  even a smooth birth can leave effects on the ANS.  Craniosacral Therapy can help baby’s nervous system to release the survival energy and find a place of more balance and settledness.

There can also be physical issues, resulting from birth, that do not get resolved by themselves.

Sometimes the baby’s head or body do not completely unfold after being compressed in the birth canal.  Bones in the head might be pushed over one another or spaces between bones get compressed, leading to pressure on important nerves and blood vessels.  This can lead to symptoms, like colic, respiratory problems, difficulty with nursing or sleep, fussiness etc. Craniosacral Therapy can help baby’s body on a structural level, so that patterns of compression can be resolved.

More and more research shows how important bonding and attachment to his or her caregiver are for the infant during the first months of life.  Any physical symptoms or nervous system stress can interrupt the bonding process, leading to further  complications.

As the child grows older, any physical issues from birth can turn into  painful or limiting patterns in the body.  Nervous system dis-regulation can affect how he or she responds to stress and bonding and attachment issues can have impact on later relationships.

It is far easier to resolve these issues with a young baby,  than later as an older child or an adult when patterns become more solidified.

How Craniosacral Therapy can help

Craniosacral Therapy (CST) is a gentle and yet very effective way to support a baby in releasing the impact from the birth process.

CST works with subtle rhythms in the body that are part of who we are as human beings. All of our tissues and fluids move with those rhythms. The free expression of those rhythms is essential for health and wherever they are not expressing, there is usually holding or constriction in the body. Constriction can result from physical impact (like physical challenges during birth), emotional impact or shock to the nervous system.  If any of those impacts were too much to process in the moment they occurred, they get held in the tissues and nervous system and often lead to a variety of symptoms.

A craniosacral practitioner uses very gentle touch on the body to determine where those rhythms are expressing freely and where there are restrictions.  He or she then supports the baby’s system to release restrictions and find it’s free expression again.

The reorganization that results happens on very deep levels, including the ANS.  Often the ANS will discharge imprints and come into a regulated state and physical patterns will unravel. ( Read more under modalities: Craniosacral Therapy).

When should a baby receive Craniosacral Therapy?

As soon after birth as possible is optimal, but any issues present can still be worked with in older babies and children.

What does a  Craniosacral Therapy session for a baby look like?

Craniosacral Therapy is very gentle and involves light contact of my hands with baby’s body to listen to the subtle internal rhythms. I might hold the bottom of the spine, the neck, belly, their head or other places.

Creating safety for your baby first before we start working is very important.  If your baby does not feel safe, he or she will be in a survival state and we won’t be able to help the nervous system shift out of that state.

Therefore, I will usually start a session with you holding your baby and talking for a bit, so he or she can get used to me.  Then I will start lightly touching him or her while on your lap.  Then we might progress to me holding your baby or working on a massage table, but only if your baby is comfortable with that.

I can work with him or her while your baby is nursing or while you are holding him/her or while he/she is asleep, as well.

Craniosacral Therapy tends to be very soothing and often a baby will fall asleep during a session.

I allow an hour as a time-frame and we might not work that entire hour. Often, I will work in intervals while your baby is cooperative and we might take some brakes and allow for diaper changes etc.

How many sessions will it take?

That will depend on the baby’s system and what symptoms are presenting.  Sometimes great change is achieved in one session, but often it takes several sessions over some time.

Craniosacral Therapy with Children (older than infants)

Craniosacral Therapy can be done with children of all ages.  Children are generally very sensitive and responsive to this type of work.

Some of the issues that Craniosacral Therapy can address in your child:

  • structural issues, imbalances in his/her posture or movements
  • behavioral issues
  • emotional problems
  • any stress left over from his/her birth
  • learning disabilities and developmental delay
  • support him/her during difficult phases of development
  • help with recovery from a surgery or prepare for a surgery
  • sleep issues
  • help with autism and other disabilities

What does a session look like for a child?

The first aspect of a session is always safety.  I might start out playing for a bit with your child or talking about things that matter to him or her to establish relationship with him or her.

Then, depending on the age of your child we find what works best for them.  For  younger children, like toddlers and pre-school aged children, I usually have them sit on the massage table while mom or whoever is with them reads some books to them or plays with some toys.  We might change locations if necessary, like move to the floor.  We might also take breaks, so your child can move around for a bit.

Some older children might be okay with lying on the massage table while listening to music or while being read to.

We make it work for your child, because their comfort and cooperation is key during the session.

I will lightly put my hands on your child’s body, on the bottom of their spine, their neck, head or abdomen or other places.  Then I listen through my light touch to the internal subtle rhythms in their body ( read more under: modalities – Craniosacral Therapy).

How many sessions will it take?

That will depend on the child’s system and what symptoms are presenting.  Sometimes great change is achieved in one session, but often it takes several sessions over some time.

Renewal Healing Arts

Ines Manteuffel CMT, BCST, RPP
303-746-4626

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Testimonials

I started seeing Ines for massage therapy, but quickly found that she offers much, much more. I’ve continued working with her during a time of stressful life changes because her unique ability to combine massage with other powerful therapeutic techniques provides such a deeply nourishing experience. Ines is a healer with remarkable skill, insight and genuine warmth… her approach is empowering! This work integrates support for mind, body and spirit… helps me connect to my inner strengths…… Read more
Mary K.
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I was really pleased with the results of my 5-month old daughter having six sessions with Ines. Before we came in, my daughter, Cailyn, held her head to the right side much more often than the left and seemed to have a sensitive spot at the back of her head. At times she had a hard time calming down or going to sleep. After Ines helped to release some tension, we noticed her movements were much more symmetrical, the extra sensitivity at the back of her head was gone and there was a dramatic diff… Read more
Megan M.
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Before we started working with Ines, my son was experiencing some pronounced anxiety, hyperactivity, inability to follow classroom expectations and sensory processing challenges. Through cranio sacral therapy, Ines was able to significantly help reduce my son’s challenging behaviors. He was noticeably calmer, better focused and less anxious in the days following a session with Ines. We even saw improvements in his fine motor skills and a significant decrease in his emotional meltdowns. Our … Read more
Lisa Scholz, LCSW
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I am a creative and ambitious person with a tendency to work too hard, fill my calendar with too much, and drink way too much coffee to get through it all. Overall I have a healthy lifestyle, but my stressful (and fun) lifestyle is hard on my nervous system. When I saw Ines, I was looking for an enjoyable massage that might relax some knots I carry in my calves and shoulders. What I received was far more than I could have imagined. I received the enjoyable massage for sure, but Ines also introdu… Read more
Myka M.
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I got into a car accident in which I suffered impact from significant whiplash. I worked extensively with both a neuromuscular massage therapist and a chiropractor. After one year of care, I noticed that I had sustained injury. This is when I began to work with Ines. I specifically sought out working with Ines because of her combined expertise in massage, craniosacral therapy, and trauma re-negotiation. I knew that the combination of these three modalities, given from an expert practitioner, cou… Read more
Blythe
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Last spring I experienced severe low back pain for the first time in my life, where I could not sleep, I could not sit or work.  I went to see Ines for Ortho-Bionomy sessions to find relief.  I was expecting that fire must be fought with fire – that only deep pressure would make a difference to pain this intense.  When Ines started to work with subtle movements I thought I got roped into some Boulder BS, that this surely wouldn’t effect any change.  To my surprise I found that after 2 sessions m… Read more

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  • Hello world! January 20, 2014
pain relief

Pain Relief

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