What if I told you that a simple technique that incorporates 15 minutes lying down might be able to help your well-being, alleviate headaches, reduce a fever by up to four degrees, help with acute and chronic musculoskeletal dysfunctions, reduce the effects of stress and help support your immune system? I bet you might want to know more. Well here is the scoop…
A system in the body I work with quite frequently is the CranioSacral System (CSS). This system is organized around meningeal membranes. These membranes attach to the skull, several upper cervical vertebrae, the 2nd sacral vertebrae and eventually attach to the coccyx (the tailbone). These meninges cover your central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and thus can exert an influence on it. So anything that influences these bones can influence our CSS, hence our central nervous system. There are a wide variety of symptoms which can be caused by tension in these bones or meninges, such as (but not limited to) headaches, back pain, GI problems, foggy thinking, scoliosis to symptoms of children on the autism spectrum and people with cerebral palsy.
The CSS has a rhythm that can be palpated by a trained practitioner (similar to the heart rate and breathing rate). The CSS has ‘pauses’ in the rhythm during the day. We call those pauses ‘stillpoints.’ The stillpoints are likened to the body re-setting itself to achieve a better balance. This is like when we have to ‘re-start’ our computers if they have been acting up. We can induce these stillpoints in the body to encourage the body to a better balance or self-correction in about 15 minutes – even if you cannot feel the rhythm!
This simple, 15 minute ‘treatment’ involves lying on a ‘stillpoint’ inducer (SPI); typically the body will respond by going into stillness. This self-correction or balancing can have profound effects on the central nervous system, such as feeling calmer, decreased muscle tension, a balancing of the autonomic nervous system (which could help to balance such things as blood pressure and fevers).
Do not use the SPI if there is any situation in which even slight and transient increases in intracranial pressure are to be avoided (such as, but not limited to) impending cerebrovascular hemorrhage or aneurysm. Do not use the SPI in the acute stages of stroke or head injury. Do not use in children under the age of 8 years old.
Stillpoint Inducers can be bought or made. The hand-made SPI is very easy: you need 2 tennis balls and a sock.
To make your own SPI, take 2 tennis balls and push into a sock. Tie the sock so the tennis balls cannot separate from one another. Recline on a firm surface and place the SPI under your head so that the entire weight of your head (NOT the neck) rests on the 2 tennis balls. The placement is such that the tennis balls are placed so that each ball is just to the side of midline and about 1/3 the way up the back of your head near the top of the occipital (the base of your skull) bone (below the suture). There is a slight horizontal depression in the skull just above the attachment of the main neck muscles. If someone were to look from the side, the SPI would be level or slightly above the openings of the ears. That is it – just lie on it for 15 minutes (or even a bit longer is OK too).
If you would like to purchase a commercially made SPI, send a check for $30 (includes $21.95 for SPI and tax, S&H) to Unlimited Potentials, 10 Lafayette St., Swansea, MA 02777.
This is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical prevention, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult with your physician, pharmacist, or health care provider before taking any home remedies or supplements or following any treatment suggested by anyone on this site. Only your health care provider, personal physician, or pharmacist can provide you with advice on what is safe and effective for your unique needs or diagnose your particular medical history.