I have been reading Peter Levine’s book, Waking The Tiger: Healing Trauma. One of our CranioSacral Therapy instructors mentions this book in several classes. So, I thought it was time to buy it and read it. It has been a fascinating, very educational book about how trauma, of any kind, can get stuck in the nervous system of the body.

This paragraph was at the end of a chapter I finished tho other day and the words resonated with me so much that I had to mark the page. I read this paragraph every time I pick up the book to continue reading. I think what sticks with me so much about this paragraph is that it sums up my belief as a CranioSacral Therapist and my belief about the body’s self healing abilities.

As a CranioSacral Therapist, my ‘job’ is to connect with my client on the table in a way that allows me to simply support what self healing he/she needs on that particular day. I do not do the work (or the healing)! The client’s body does all the work. I am simply there to help facilitate areas that may be stuck and not allowing full healing or resolution to occur.

This is an important distinction about CranioSacral Therapy from other therapies out there. A lot of therapies are done to or on a client; putting the healing responsibility on the therapist or doctor. CranioSacral Therapy works with the clients body to evaluate what that person’s body needs to truly resolve a trauma or release a restriction that is causing symptoms. The therapist has no responsibility other than evaluating and listening to what the client’s body needs and supporting the client through the process of release. In CranioSacral Therapy the client is the healer, not the therapist. It is very empowering to the client to regain control of his/her health.

So, here’s the paragraph that inspired me to write this post …

Because every injury exists within life and life is constantly renewing itself, within every injury is the seed of healing and renewal. At the moment our skin is cut or punctured by a foreign object, a magnificent and precise series of biochemical events is orchestrated through evolutionary wisdom. The body has been designed to renew itself through continuous self-correction. The same principles apply to the healing of the psyche, spirit, and soul.