I received my first sacral cranial therapy treatment a week ago, and I must admit that, in a way, I prefer it to massage. I also believe that the benefits of this treatment (in terms of healing) will far exceed what you might expect from a typical massage. In this article I describe my experience with cranio-sacral therapy.

I entered my treatment knowing a bit about cranio-sacral therapy, primarily that the therapist works with your head and spine to gently relieve blockages in your body caused by stress and trauma. I went in with the intention of removing those blocks and seeing if anything could be done to reduce the “Viking syndrome” (also known as Viking disease or Dupuytren’s contracture) that I have in my left hand, around my left ring finger. . The medical profession does not know much about Viking syndrome except that the connective tissue is affected, that there is often trauma associated with the condition, and there is no treatment except surgery (which is risky and does not cure the condition).

I can’t praise enough the gentle pressure my therapist applied to my head, neck, and spine. It was incredibly relaxing, and I felt sparks of energy running down my feet, as if my nerves were strengthening and channels opening.

After working on my head, neck, and spine, the therapist began working on my left hand, again with gentle pressure. I realized that it was then that she started to take a deep breath, and I knew something was up with it.

When he finished the cranial sacral treatment, he asked if it would be okay to share what he “saw” in his mind when he was working on my left hand. He explained that he saw a large black woman who lived on a plantation, whose job it was to cook for the plantation owners. One day the son of this black woman ran away from the plantation, and it was common in those days to punish slaves for any wrongdoing by cutting off part of their feet or hands or toes. This slowed them down and scared the rest. Because her son had escaped, the woman had the middle and ring fingers of her left hand cut off as punishment. In his mind, the therapist saw the woman pleading with her owners: “But massa, if you cut my fingers, how am I going to bake your cakes?” she begged.

The therapist further explained: “The energy in his fingers was not connected to the energy in his hand; something was blocking the flow. But now it is connected … I am not sure if this has to do with a past life or with his ancestors “. (My therapist is unsure of the idea of ​​reincarnation and past lives.) But I fully understand that I have had past lives and that this incident had to do with the “ancestry” of my soul, not my blood ancestry. Also, my ancestors are Polish, they have lived in Poland for many generations. (And by the way, I haven’t had any trauma to either hand in this present life.)

After the treatment, I drove down the street to Gayle’s Bakery in Capitola and found myself looking at the delicious cherry tarts, but I was not pleased. I am not currently on a dairy or wheat regimen so I just got some treats for my kids.

Anyway, it will be interesting to see what happens to my Viking disease. The syndrome had taken years to develop and it has been only a week since the sacral cranial therapy, but I expect a relatively quick cure. In any case, I think of this black woman from time to time and feel fond of her. My heart opens even more because of her, and I also know that deep down I have the experience and wit of a black woman who lived on a plantation within me, and that I can tap into those inner resources whenever I need them.