About Craniosacral Therapy

Unwind and release in deeply restorative nervous system regulating sessions. Craniosacral Therapy (CST) is a soothing, light-touch method of bodywork that stems from the manual healing work of osteopathy. Using subtle and attuned touch, CST supports the body's entire fascial structure to release stress, recover from strain and injury, and restore balance holistically.

CST often feels magically relaxing because it communicates directly with your nervous system, providing nurturing touch and co-regulation, and provides space, time and intention to deeply settle and unwind. It's like a medicinal dose of relaxation, giving the nervous system a corrective, down-regulating experience, so that we can grow our capacity to stay present and respond with what we truly need.

What it looks like: While resting face up, gentle holds are offered at major junctions of the body from feet to the hips, ribs/respiratory diaphragm, chest, neck and head, often with one of my hands below the body, and one above (we are at least 3-dimensional)! It is quiet, nurturing, subtle, and deeply relaxing.

How often to come? Regular sessions support the greatest outcome, but it depends on your intentions and goals. I recommend weekly (or at least biweekly) sessions for a 6-8 week period, and then tapering to a monthly rhythm as feels right.

My specialties include:

• Healing chronic/persistent pain, especially mystery pain (not just managing)
• Nervous system healing
• Pain Reprocessing Coaching
• Neck, back, jaw and shoulder issues
• Stress and anxiety relief
• Injury, accident, trauma, and surgery recovery (release protective holding to help restore full, pain-free range of motion)

If you suspect your body's symptoms have more dimensions than just the physical structures, you're probably right.

I love working with high/over-functioning, highly sensitive people to connect with and befriend their bodies.

Your body is your ultimate guide to healing your nervous system, pain and tension patterns. I believe in "Feel it to heal it" and "Take radical responsibility for your reality." Because you can't respond adequately to what you aren't aware of.

Recovering people pleasers, perfectionists, A-types, c'mon down. Research shows that people who tend to be more self-critical, put a lot of pressure on themselves, or tend towards hypervigilance to be more likely to develop chronic/mystery pain. I know a lot about that from my personal journey (more below).

And healing is totally possible.

Hi, I'm Alex (aka Alexa, she/her)

My own healing journey with chronic pain, tension, anxiety, and heightened sensitivity brought me to mind-bodywork at a young age, and I've been doing personal growth work, mentorship, coaching, conscious movement practices, and bodywork for over 15 years.

I know first-hand what a difference the right care and approach can make, and how frustrating it can be to try everything or feel like you're doing everything right but still suffering so much.

I've had 30+ years of sometimes debilitating pain and symptoms, ranging from migraines/headaches that started in middle and high school, plantar fasciitis, IBS, back spasms, neck pain, hip pain, shoulder pain, carpal tunnel/wrist pain, foot pain/neuralgia, leg pain that prevented me from walking/hiking/dancing/yoga (all my favorite ways of exercising), TMJ and night clenching, crazy sensitive teeth, as well as anxiety and depression.

The mental, emotional, energetic, financial, and relational costs all those things had on my quality of life was enormous and all-consuming at times. Sometimes doctors had a diagnosis and explanation for me, sometimes not. I stopped relying on western doctors after a while, it was all just so normal for me to feel like something in me was just broken and this was just how it was, they didn't seem to get it.

I am grateful I had loving people in my life who reflected back to me "You're too young for this," or "It just doesn't make sense. You're doing everything right. You are the most healthy person I know!"

I tried everything I could. I kept looking for answers, and I learned a lot. It wasn't until I found my way to the nervous system, to current pain neurscience, and pain reprocessing therapy, that the dots finally started to connect. I realized I wasn't broken, my nervous system was just stuck in an "on" position. And an "on" nervous system, which can stem from mental/emotional "on" patterns such as perfectionism, anxiety, and hypervigilance, has all sorts of "on" physical effects, such as increased muscle tension and heart rate, and decreased digestive function, circulation to limbs, and shallower breath—and increased pain sensitivity (sometimes increased everything sensitivity, in my experience).

Plus, because pain is inherently scary (it hurts, it can be debilitating, it can signal something is wrong, or that we did something wrong), we can get stuck in an anxiety-pain loop. See the "Start Here" section of my Resources page to learn more, or read on below.

I discovered craniosacral therapy largely out of my own need and deep cravings for gentleness, quitetude and nervous system healing, though I didn't know how to define that at the time. I was intuitively drawn to it. And it felt like the most relieving thing in the world to lay down, slow down, and have someone offer soothing, supportive touch without asking anything of me. I could unravel at my own pace.

I'd been a deep-tissue massage junkie for years, but I'd often feel just as bad or worse after. It hurt "so good" and felt so important, but I could often feel my body tightening up to protect itself from the intensity of the pressure. Turns out, we don't unwind intensity with intensity. You don't give a freaked out cat a deep tissue massage to help it open up, you hold it and pet it gently, repetitively.

I started my current bodywork practice in 2019, resourced from 15+ years of trainings, personal and professional work. I am a Certified Massage Therapist, CACMT #81617, focusing the core of my studies in Craniosacral Therapy and nervous system-informed techniques. I'm also a Certified Holistic Heath Counselor, and have a long history practicing meditation/mindfulness, ritual, consciousness and parts work, embodiment practices, and nervous system regulation. View my educational and training background here.