Upledger Craniosacral Therapy is a gentle physical therapy designed to help release both physical and emotional pain, and stress. Typically people come for assorted musculoskeletal issues (especially back, neck & head), nerve issues including sciatica, headaches, stress, sleep problems, emotional issues, deep relaxation and increased well-being.
Upledger Craniosacral Therapy was created by an osteopath, it is a cloths on gentle physical therapy, and is now taught in 50 countries around the world.
I work from Follaton, on the outskirts of Totnes: Tuesdays to Fridays, and from The Sports Clinic and Wellness Rooms in Newton Abbot, 2 Wharf Road, TQ12 2DA alternate Thursdays.
My standard rate is £45 for up to 75 minutes of therapy. I am still covid sensitive, and am happy to wear a mask on request.
Please ring or text me: Nick on 07792594634 if you have any questions or wish to book in.
I use Upledger craniosacral therapy primarily to work with the fascia, the bodies connective tissue that literally holds the whole body together and in place: all the bones, muscles, organs, nerve and blood and vessels. All the different muscle bundles are surrounded by fascia, and all fascia is connected thru-out the body (thus often responsible for referred pains). Fascia has several unusual characteristics. Fascia can allow great flexibility of our bodies, but under different circumstances the same fascia can tighten up and create very rigid protection for our body’s internal organs, especially our brain and central nervous system.
The fascia also has the amazing ability to absorb unresolved physical and emotional issues and trauma, leaving us feeling healthier and happier. As brilliant as it is at this, overload can still cause excess tightness in the fascia, and may need releasing.
From the foetus onwards, illness, accidents, lifestyle, upbringing, shock, toxins, surgery, and childbirth can leave detectable tensions, misalignments, and tight constrictions in our fascia. These can then cause ongoing health problems that may be difficult to treat fully with other therapies. Releasing facial constrictions has the potential to help improve ones mobility, organ function, brain function, nerve efficiency and blood supply. ……..And how we feel! Our feelings at any one time often relate to a combination of different areas in our bodies relaxing or tensing. For example: if we’re happy our heart area tends to relax, if we’re tense, it often tenses up. These somatic changes going on in our bodies are often very subtle, and there are various practices that can help us become more conscious of them. Craniosacral therapy can be useful in helping to release old emotional patterns/tensions within the fascia and tissues, and lessen the impact of related negative emotions.
Most craniosacral treatment uses very light touch, and is done in the quiet, or with quiet music, and is done fully clothed lying on a massage couch. Clients often experience deep states of relaxation, old memories re-surfacing, some physical and emotional releases, and the occasional revelations and understandings about themselves.
Strait after the treatment clients usually feel very calm, relaxed, happy and have greater mobility. Integration may take a few days.
I love doing Upledger craniosacral therapy. It is a physical therapy, not an energy therapy. The training includes a lot of anatomy, and increasing my kinaesthetic/touch sensitivity many times till I can feel through the body to different organs, vessels, impactions and subtle body rhythms. Although scientists seem uncertain how memory is held, I feel this therapy actually touches upon the most physical aspects of clients memories, and often meeting these with the gentle non-judgemental craniosacral methods encourages healing. Every treatment feels different and is an adventure for me, and I feel honoured to be able to help with the clients’ processes.
If you are interested in trying craniosacral therapy for specific issues, for when other alternatives haven’t worked, for a relaxing fascial ‘tune up’, for when you just aren’t ‘feeling right’, or if you are looking for something different and wish to experience the potential of craniosacral therapy, please ring me. Upledger craniosacral therapy is a lesser known form of bodywork, and not for everyone, so I sometimes do special offers for the first treatment to make it easier to trial it: contact me and ask.
John Upledger ‘discovered’ craniosacral therapy in the early 1970’s, and the Upledger Institute is now the largest school of craniosacral therapy, teaching students around the world. Most of the Totnes craniosacral therapists have however been taught at the smaller biodynamic schools in the country, including the Karuna college in Dartington, which have taken the practice in a different directions. I find the Upledger style is more pro active at meeting issues, whilst Karuna is more about standing back and ‘allowing’ issues to do their ‘own thing’. Upledger craniosacral therapy spends a lot more time working around individual parts of the body (as opposed to mainly the head and feet), and I find this change of focus can often give a greater sense and understanding of what the issues being worked on are. If you’ve already tried Karuna and fancy a change, do contact me.
Upledger craniosacral therapy has a lot of potential: call me if you have queries.
“I highly recommend craniosacral therapy with Nick, whether you have a specific health problem, or you’re just looking for something nourishing to give yourself.”
“The therapy was extremely gentle and subtle and I felt a great sense of warmth, peace and well-being. After the treatment the pain had gone and I was trouble free for several weeks afterwards and also slept much better.”
“Nick is certainly among the best I’ve encountered. His approach is warm, understanding and down to earth.”
“My first craniosacral treatment was a revelation, rapidly transporting me into a blissful state of relaxation.”
“Everytime I walk away feeling emotionally balanced and nurtured.”
“I have intense pain flare-ups due to chronic illness (ME) which normally last between 1 to 4 weeks. During a flare-up of my neck, which was quite unbearable, Nick gave me a 20 minute session of his craniosacral therapy. By the end the pain had almost completely gone, and the last remnants had completely disappeared within 3 days. This shocked me.”