Mental health is also expressed through the body. Biodynamic craniosacral therapy works on deep-seated tensions through gentle touch, helping to restore inner safety and support nervous system regulation.
The body as a silent mirror of inner states
Mental health is not only about thoughts or emotions. It also shows up in the body. When stress, intense feelings or difficult life events build up, it can become hard to relax, sleep, concentrate, or even breathe freely. Inner experience often finds its way into the body as pain, tension, or a generalised sense of unease. The body speaks—often in its own language.
Some therapeutic approaches take this bodily dimension seriously. Biodynamic craniosacral therapy is one such approach. It offers the body a chance to release what it holds, without manipulation or corrective intent. The therapist places their hands carefully on different areas of the body, listening for subtle internal movements. These may relate to breath, deep tissues, fluid flow and natural rhythms within the system.
When protection becomes overload
When the body perceives threat—whether from shock, fear, or prolonged stress—it enters a state of alert. This is a normal physiological response designed for protection. But sometimes this state persists, even when the original threat has passed. The autonomic nervous system stays activated, which may manifest as anxiety, fatigue, chronic pain or a pervasive sense of insecurity. The body keeps reacting as if it were still in danger, even when it is not.
In these situations, craniosacral therapy offers a moment of pause. Through calm and compassionate touch, the person receiving care can begin to feel that constant vigilance is no longer needed. The body can start to release tension. The therapist does not aim to suppress defensive reactions but welcomes them as natural responses. This recognition is key: it allows the nervous system to regain its ability to self-regulate and recover.
Rather than “eliminating pain”, the approach seeks to create conditions in which pain no longer needs to exist. A symptom is not treated as a nuisance to silence, but as a message to be heard. And once that message is received, it often doesn’t need to repeat itself.
Regulation, inner clarity and coming home to oneself
Many people who receive craniosacral support report deep change. They feel more present, less overwhelmed by thoughts or internal tension. They sleep better, regain energy, and often describe a renewed sense of vitality. Some speak of lightness, clarity, or even reconnection. As if something has begun to move again. As if it were once again possible to feel at ease in their body—and thus in life.
At a time when mental health concerns are rising sharply, it is important to remember that the body can be a powerful ally. Biodynamic craniosacral therapy offers meaningful support in mental health care pathways, particularly when emotional struggles also show up as physical pain, hypervigilance, or feelings of helplessness.
Therapeutic touch, when offered with skill and respect, can open the door to deep calm and inner steadiness. It does not seek to impose a result, but to accompany a living process. By restoring inner safety, it becomes one of the ways to support mental health in a sustainable, embodied and profoundly human way.
Selected bibliography
- Haines, S. (2018). Trauma is Really Strange. Singing Dragon.
- Porges, S. (2017). The Pocket Guide to the Polyvagal Theory. W. W. Norton & Company.
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