Craniosacral therapy, or cranial sacral therapy (CST), is a gentle, noninvasive and hands-on treatment that may provide relief from pain, like headaches and neck pain, side effects of cancer treatment and more. A healthcare provider may recommend CST in addition to other forms of treatment.

CST focuses on the gentle placement of hands to help release tension in your body’s connective tissue. This is known as “fascia” (pronounced “fash-ee-uh”). Fascia is the Latin word for band. It’s a casing found throughout your body that holds your organs, glands, nerves, muscles, blood vessels, brain and spinal cord. The fascia forms a body-wide connective tissue network.

The human body is interconnected, both structurally and functionally. This means that one area of your body can affect another. The goal of CST is tension relief (fascial clearance).