Craniosacral Therapy in Exeter's Heart
Alison welcomes clients of all ages for deeply relaxing sessions of Mindfulness, Reiki and Craniosacral Therapy in Exeter, Exminster and Topsham, at three tranquil locations, in the heart of Exeter, Topsham and Exminster. This page concentrates on Alison's practice for Craniosacral Therapy in Exeter and beyond Topsham, but for more information on her other specialities click on Mindfulness, Swedish Massage or Reiki.
Craniosacral Therapy is a powerful, yet gentle technique that can allow better access to the miracle of the human body's own healing mechanisms. Alison has particular experience working with Craniosacral Therapy in Exeter and Topsham on injuries, fatigue conditions (including chronic fatigue, post viral fatigue, M.E. and long COVID), chronic pain, birth trauma, migraines, insomnia, anxiety, depression relationship difficulties, head injuries and more.....
Newcomers to Craniosacral Therapy in Exeter, often find that it takes them to a more relaxed, calm place than they thought was possible. That they are able to have a break from their mind and other symptoms and difficulties; and feel deeply supported, emotionally and physically. Alison would love to hear from you and you're invited to find out more or book here for an appointment of Craniosacral Therapy in Exeter's heart, at The Practice Rooms on Castle St , Zamora Natural Health and Beauty on Magdalen Rd, or Nancy Potter House, Nelson Close, Topsham.
Picture your 1st treatment of Craniosacral Therapy in Exeter, for further details get in touch...
How Does it Work?
Craniosacral Therapy was developed by Osteopath William Sutherland to work with the whole person and the body's own self-regulatory and self-healing systems, with consideration of the anatomy involved.
Trauma (physical and emotional) and modern life (with all it's stresses); often triggers fight or flight responses; or defensive strategies and patterns of tension. These can be hard to let go of and can leave us in a partially activated state; with areas of tension, pain and a variety of conditions, disrupting our lives and connections. If these states remain 'held' they can lead to various long term effects including chronic pain and fatigue and can influence our relationships.
The profound relaxation often reported during Craniosacral Therapy; allows the body to unwind and come out of these activated states (partially using the parasympathetic nervous system, at it's designated task). As the systems in the body are able to flow more freely, the body’s own healing processes are able to work more effectively with gentle support from the practitioner.
In this way all sorts of different traumas, however long held, can have an opportunity to heal themselves whether felt in body, mind or spirit and we can become more present to ourselves and others.
Alison belongs to the Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy Association and their website here , offers some useful further information on the subject and information about research in the field. Alison's Blog includes tips and information to help people help themselves.
In a first treatment of Craniosacral Therapy in Exeter or Topsham Alison will typically take a case history before using a variety of gentle holds. The technique involves the whole body although holds are often centred around the feet, back, shoulders, head or a particular injury. There are other ways of working when it is called for and it is not essential to use touch for instance with children who like to move around and to help people build connections. For couples, Alison prefers to start with the individuals to prepare the ground for joint work later.
| Craniosacral Therapy in Exeter & Topsham | Price in Exeter | Price in Topsham |
| Babies and Children | £45 | £55 |
| Adults | £55 | £65 |
Alison has a limited number of Concessionary places for Craniosacral Therapy in Exeter & Topsham, please contact her if required.
Craniosacral Therapy is not intended as primary healthcare, but to work alongside the service provided by your Doctor.
Craniosacral Therapy in Exeter for Injuries and Pain
Alison works with injuries using Craniosacral Therapy in Exeter, aiming to soothe, release the shock of the injury, reduce inflammation and guide soft tissues and bone back to health. Alison works with the different types of tissue involved in the injury, eg blood vessels, nerves, bone, interstital spaces, tendons, ligaments and muscles.
Alison experiences a connection somewhat like empathy while using Craniosacral Therapy. As the relevant part of the body begin to expand and release tension in a safe place, Alison tends to feel something akin to grief surface though the connection and can help it to process and release. Often clients report a significant improvement after this has begun in sessions. Injuries that have been held in the body for a substantial period can take longer to reach.
Get in touch here to find out more about Craniosacral Therapy in Exeter and Topsham for injuries and pain.
Craniosacral Therapy in Exeter For Fatigue and Chronic Pain
Alison's specialisms include treating Fatigue and Chronic Pain with Craniosacral Therapy in Exeter. (In fatigue cases there are often accompanying symptoms such as insomnia, anxiety and pain). Alison has seen life-changing results using Craniosacral Therapy to address Chronic Pain and Fatigue conditions. Since Long Covid has come on the scene there has been a lot more research into the condition than previous fatigue conditions which may also be relevant to these similar conditions and informs the typical issues I look for in clients.
The deep relaxation alone can be extremely helpful for clients with fatigue conditions or chronic pain. Sometimes the fight, flight or freeze mechanisms keep tensions or physical or emotional traumas locked in place. If we are able to relax and feel safe, our bodies are able to go into recovery mode.
Covid has long been linked with excessive inflammation, with the cytokine storm that can cause life threatening inflammation during Covid. Current Research has told us that ATP2 receptors are attacked and destroyed by covid cells as it finds its way into the body and reproduces. These ATP2 receptors are found all over the body and are critical to the body's ability to reduce inflammation and manage hormones. Clients often find they are more comfortable as Alison begins work on bringing down inflammation
Damage to cells has been found across many parts of the body including in blood vessel walls, nerves, lung tissue. The blood cells have be shown to become prone to clotting, with the blood cell walls roughened and leaky. It often seems helpful to treat the blood vessel walls to help them to regain their smooth shiny surface and work more efficiently, with reduced likelihood of clotting.
Alison also uses Craniosacral Therapy to help re-regulate the lymphatic and nervous systems and rebalance the cerebral spinal fluid. Swelling in the central nervous system can mean that flow is impeded, in the blood, nerves and cerebral spinal fluid.
Get in touch here to find out more about Craniosacral Therapy in Exeter and Topsham for Fatigue and Chronic Pain
Craniosacral Therapy for Relationships
Alison finds that her work can help clients with their relationships. Some people prefer to work with Craniosacral Therapy on their relationships, relying less on talking, which can end up going round in circles. How we are in our bodies can help connections feel safe, with tools such as embodiment and body language. This can bring an OKness to the dance between two people with differing needs.
Once we have an awareness of any attachment issues and are more settled in ourselves we can find better balance and are less bothered by the things that usually lead us to react. This can help us express our boundaries in a calm way, prevent escalation where it has repeatedly happened in the past and help build intimacy.
In working with connections between two adults, Alison prefers to start with the individuals to help them settle in themselves, before working directly on the connection in joint sessions.
Adult, child connections are often part of a child session.
Get in touch here to find out more about Craniosacral Therapy in Exeter and Topsham for relationships.
Craniosacral Therapy in Exeter For Anxiety and Depression
Alison also has an interest in helping clients with anxiety using Craniosacral Therapy in Exeter. The root of the anxiety is often in a held trauma and the client has become 'ready', with their mind and body set for something traumatic to happen, sometimes in an event before they can even remember (see below in the section on Craniosacral Therapy for Babies). Alison works with gentle touch to help clients let go of held trauma and feel safe in their own skins; partially working with the fight/flight or freeze mechanisms.
Alison also likes to help clients align with a more happy, well, content version of themselves and help them find ways to reach it themselves. This peacefulness seems to work like a muscle, if we practice it, we get better, stronger and quicker at reaching this place.
Some clients like to address their mental health with this gentle body centred approach, bringing them into themselves, into embodiment and releasing the trauma without getting too bogged down in it. It can feel less like they are retraumatising than can happen in talking therapies
Get in touch here to to find out more about Craniosacral Therapy in Exeter and Topsham for anxiety and depression.
Birth Trauma and Craniosacral Therapy in Exeter for Babies and Children
One of Alison's particular interests is to use Craniosacral Therapy in Exeter to address birth trauma and even trauma from before that. Craniosacral Therapy is suitable for babies as the technique is extremely gentle but effective. In fact babies and children tend to respond well and quickly to the treatments especially if the trauma is relatively recently. In adults early trauma tends to resolve more slowly as it has become more set in the body and part of how we perceive, process and react to the world.
Craniosacral Therapy can be very helpful even in small babies recovering from birth and events before and after that. Alison is able to gain an understanding of an infant's story partially through the body language and partially as it is expressed non verbally through an empathetic like connection during a session.
For babies as in adults 'being heard' regarding a traumatic event can help them let go of it and allowing healing as explored in pre and perinatal psychotherapy. Alison also feels and aids the release of events and the associated shock and emotions as they surface and are understood in a safe, compassionate place.
Before the age of 3, memories tend to be implicit, with the story felt rather than exact events known. For example a toddler who had difficulty feeding after birth told a story (and enacted it) about a cow not eating it's food. Other young children seem to manoever themselves to re-enact their birth, with particular events during it recognizable to the parents.
Alison also has experience working with adults to allow release of long held birth trauma. This can allow clients to feel more complete in themselves and let go of subconcious strategies and ways of thinking that no longer serve them and may have been causing physical discomfort through patterns of tension.
Birth and carrying a child can also have a huge impact on the mother emotionally and physically, whether or not it was successful. Craniosacral Therapy can safely and gently support the mother through all the stages of pregnancy.
Alison welcomes children of all ages for treatments of Craniosacral Therapy in Exeter. Different issues have a tendency to come up for children at different ages, for example teething, asthma, allergies, reactions to vaccinations, hormonal balances and indeed the many different ailments that effect adults.
"There is no doubt that work such as yours [CST] is vital to the health and well-being of society which is, now more than ever, so desperately in need of mental, physical and spiritual sustenance. I am convinced that your work with babies and young children, in particular is crucial in helping to avoid the suffering of future generations by healing imbalances so early in the young lives of individuals." - HRH King Charles
Get in touch here find out more about Craniosacral Therapy in Exeter and Topsham for birth trauma, babies and children.
Craniosacral Therapy for Migraines and Head Injuries
Alison also uses Craniosacral Therapy in Exeter to support recovery from Head Trauma and Migraines. This powerful but deep work can significantly improve the myriad of distressing symptoms associated with head traumas and migraines and help clients to feel more whole again.
Symptoms from migraines can include very painful headaches, dizziness, numbness or pins and needles and problems with your sight such as patches that are obscured, lines or zigzags.
Symptoms can continue some time after a head injury and after main stream medicine has discharged clients, it is of course important to have head injuries checked out by a main stream medical professional. The symptoms depend on which area of the brain has been effected. For example a concussion to the back of the brain may cause balance issues, fogginess, neck pain and difficulty concentrating.
Alison works on settling the system, calming and inviting integrity of nerves, blood vessels and other tissues this can help calm inflammation which can also improve flow of cerebral spinal fluid. This can also be addressed by working on any constrictions and scar tissue. As in other areas of the body, surfacing and release of shock/ trauma usually allows improvements.
Get in touch here to find out more about Craniosacral Therapy in Exeter and Topsham for Migraines and supporting recovery from Head Trauma.
Craniosacral Therapy for Insomnia and Stress
Alison has experience treating insomnia and stress using Craniosacral Therapy in Exeter. Both these conditions respond well to the deep relaxation of Craniosacral Therapy and it's ability to bring people out of an activated state.
Typically Alison works with the nervous system, improving flow in the nerves and cerebral spinal fluid, soothing the nervous system and helping tensions release in muscles. Often Alison will teach clients a few tricks that they can try at home to promote calm.
Get in touch here to find out more about Craniosacral Therapy in Exeter and Topsham for Migraines and supporting recovery from Head Trauma.
Body Stories
Our graceful dance of connection and empathy.
Spatial needs met, compassionately held.
Ebbing and flowing with sensitivity, contact an invitation,
The whole self to feel safe and to rest in the present, no matter our past.
Within this cocoon, knots expand, letting go our protective ways; even just for one, deeply restful moment.
All that has been held can release.
Those times that we could not face, those times that we pushed away, down, down into a tense festering ball, those times that come back to bite us. Soothed, all softening, ready for change.
Through our unwinding; implicit memories can surface, stories held in our body. Details unknown, narratives felt as a child remembers. Like the cow she tells us, shows us would not eat, when it was her all along.
Babies, adults, all our welcomed and held. Grief surfaces as bodily injuries process, or the grief of loss; overwhelm, anger, fear, frustrated screaming…..
The belly digests in a rumble or I feel the cathartic flowing through and out.
So, the weight of that time can come up in safety, to release.
We cycle back through onion layers to when our ways of holding ourselves began; ways that don’t serve us now.
Maybe a moment around birth; stuck or wrestling our all, against an unwelcome intervention. Though it was needed, it was rough and not understood.
Maybe shock around the cord, the bringer of all nourishment, cut, lost.
There was a time when connection was life or death.
What was needed then, can be given now.
The body’s story can be told, heard and so let go.
Alison Macdonald (Craniosacral Therapist in Exeter and Topsham)
www.alisonmacdonald.net
"Healing is a matter of time but it is also sometimes a matter of opportunity" Hippocrates
