Craniosacral Therapy

Craniosacral therapy is a combination of hands-on bodywork and energy work. Through light touch, craniosacral therapy can release stress, tension and emotions held in your body.

Releasing these blocks offers a wide range of benefits for your health and wellbeing. This is a great place to start if you’re new to somatics and want to dip your toes in this work. All craniosacral appointments take place at my office on Mercer Island and serve clients in the Greater Seattle area. Scroll down to learn more.

Why Craniosacral Therapy?

Craniosacral Therapy in Seattle and Mercer Island, is a kind of gentle bodywork and energy work.

Craniosacral therapy works at the interface of the mind, body, and emotions, and as a result, can help with a wide range of challenges. The benefits of craniosacral therapy can include:

  • Craniosacral therapy works at the interface of the physical body and subtle energy body.

    As a result, it can help balance your energy system and clear energetic blocks that contribute to physical and emotional challenges.

  • Craniosacral therapy works directly with the nervous system, helping to release tension from the soft tissues around the central and peripheral nervous systems.

    Releasing this tension can reduce stress levels and promote a deep sense of relaxation.

  • Craniosacral therapy can reduce or alleviate chronic tension and pain, especially in the head, jaw, neck, back, and hips.

    Oftentimes chronic pain is connected to tension held in the nervous system. This is one reason why symptoms can intensify when you're stressed.

    Releasing tension held in the nervous system can help surrounding tissues like muscles, fascia, joints and viscera find more ease and freedom.

  • Craniosacral therapy can facilitate the gentle and gradual release of stored emotions and trauma held in the body, without having to talk about past experiences.

    When an emotion surfaces during a session, it usually only lasts for 1 minute or so. You'll have full control over whether you'd like to feel this emotion or not.

    Emotional releases can be a cathartic experience and can be one of the fastest ways to release physical tension and energetic blocks held in the body.

  • Releasing tension from the head and emotions stored in the body can improve mental clarity, focus, and can be a complementary approach to support your mental wellbeing.

  • Releasing tension from your nervous system, reducing physical pain, and helping your body access a more relaxed and parasympathetic state can improve the duration and quality of your sleep.

  • While craniosacral therapy can release tension, emotions, and trauma stored in the body, its primary focus actually lies in enhancing your body's innate healing capacities.

    Your body has incredible wisdom that knows how to heal. By amplifying this wisdom, craniosacral therapy can help your body on a more quantum level in addition to releasing more superficial layers of tension.

  • Craniosacral therapy is appropriate for people of all ages, from little ones to elders.

    Because this work is gentle, it's a safe and effective way to support everyone's health and wellbeing.

Craniosacral Therapy Demo

There are two main types of craniosacral therapy called Biodynamic and Biomechanical craniosacral therapy. I’m certified in both approaches, though my sessions are mostly Biodynamic.

Sometimes during craniosacral sessions, a process called unwinding occurs. In this video of a Biodynamic session, you'll see my client's body start unwinding.

The client isn’t intentionally moving, nor am I as the practitioner moving her. Rather, I'm supporting her body's knowing of how to release tension on its own terms.

People are often in awe when unwinding occurs. This process can provide tremendous relief and is unlike bodywork most people have ever experienced.

Logistics:

Craniosacral therapy appointments are located at my office in downtown Mercer Island. The address is 3035 Island Crest Way, Suite 111, Mercer Island, WA.

Sessions are one hour and starting January 1st, 2025, the rate is $170. Thirty minute follow-up appointments are also available for $100. Gratuity isn’t accepted.

While I don’t accept insurance, I am happy to provide you with a superbill if your insurance provider reimburses for out-of-network massage therapy / bodywork. If you’d like to submit your craniosacral sessions to insurance, I’d recommend that you reach out to your insurance company before your first session to see if this work qualifies for partial reimbursement.

What to Expect:

When you arrive, we’ll talk for a couple of minutes about how you’re feeling and what you’d like the session to focus on. For example, you might want to focus on calming your nervous system, releasing tension in your neck and shoulders, and/or improving your sleep.

Then you’ll lie down on the treatment table, fully clothed, and the work begins. Oftentimes clients report a sense of deep relaxation, and many people will fall asleep. Sometimes people also notice sensations of warmth, coolness, movement, areas of tension releasing, and may even perceive the subtle energetic dimensions of their body.

At the end of the session, we’ll talk for a few minutes about what happened, I’ll answer any questions you may have, and we’ll discuss next steps.

Schedule Craniosacral Session

  • Words from Anna:

    “I got more out of one craniosacral therapy session than six years of talk therapy.”

  • Words from Amy P:

    “I met Elizabeth in a pilates class where she told me about craniosacral for the first time. My son was struggling with ADHD as well as other mental health issues, so I was willing to give it a try.

    Four years later my whole family as well as many of my friends see Elizabeth each for different reasons.

    You don’t always know what physical or emotional issues might be addressed at each session, but it is certain you will leave feeling lighter and brighter. You may talk, cry or sleep during a session. Elizabeth’s positive calm energy makes you feel so comfortable with whatever response your mind or body decides.”

  • Words from Sara K:

    “I came to see Elizabeth as I was experiencing chronic hip and shoulder pain. I have had craniosacral work before, but she is different.

    I have described her as a human epidural, and I mean that in the best possible way. Not only did my pain diminish, but she unearthed old injuries I had long since forgotten about and helped me work through those as well.

    Elizabeth has a way of communicating with the human body that is truly unique and special, I can’t recommend her highly enough.”

  • Words from Annika K:

    “Elizabeth is a highly skilled bodyworker who my body completely trusts. Her craniosacral therapy is deeply rejuvenating for me, and I am so grateful that she can guide my mind and body into the deepest states of receptivity and relaxation.

    In this state, my body will send waves of energy through my spine. While I’m not 100% certain of how or why this energy moves, my intuition tells me that it helps my spirit inhabit my body more fully, unwinding, cleansing, and re-calibrating the deepest unconscious patterns and programs that my cell memories hold.

    I highly recommend working with Elizabeth not only because of her amazing skill sets, but because Elizabeth deeply understands how to honor the unfolding of a human body and mind in an unimposing way that makes you feel deeply held and cared for.”

  • Words from Stephanie C:

    “Although I’ve had years of bodywork experience, I was completely new to craniosacral therapy. In only one session, I felt immensely soothed and relaxed, especially in the area with chronic pain—my right SI joint.

    Elizabeth was impeccably patient and professional as she walked me through what the session would entail, what she was doing, and as she carefully pointed out what and where movement was happening.

    I felt my body unwinding as pressure was placed on the areas Elizabeth surveyed and I was so at ease in Elizabeth’s care.”