Transforming anxiety with biodynamic craniosacral therapy
Anxiety. It's a hot topic in today’s culture. VOX just published an article on anxiety and consumer goods (weighted blankets, anyone?). And apps like HeadSpace and Calm are flooding the marketplace.
According to the Anxiety and Depression Index and the National Institute of Mental Health, anxiety is now the most common mental health disorder in the U.S., affecting as many as 18.1% of Americans each year, and nearly one-third of Americans over their lifetimes.
Anyway.....statistics, yada yada yada. Statistics provide interesting insight, but if you suffer from anxiety, you just want to heal the constant overwhelm and paralysis that anxiety causes in your life. Right?
If you're anything like me, its been there for a loooooong time, and it's shaped your life in ways you maybe don't like to admit.
The constant 'noise' in my head caused by anxiety prevented me from seriously pursuing creative passions like dance and music. It discouraged me from certain educational paths. It talked me out of many a social or recreational pursuit, and crippled my ability to leave the house on many an occasion. It has caused me chronic body discomfort, digestive issues, jaw tension and an inability to concentrate. It robbed me of joy, confounded my ability to make clear decisions, or to even hear the wisdom of my own intuition.
Because of this, I've had the opportunity to amass a laundry list of treatment options, from the mainstream, to way off the beaten path, all the way out in woo-woo land! From traditional pharmaceuticals, to various psychotherapies, to energy work, body work and meditation; you name it, I've tried it.
And throughout this journey, I've learned a lot about myself. I've actually pursued a career path carved out, in part, by my diligent quest to transform my anxious brain. What has worked best? For me, it's been a combination of working with my whole self: body, mind, and spirit.
For now, I want to share with you how I retrained my nervous system through extensive work with Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy (BCST). When I say extensive, I mean that I became a practitioner of the work. One of the beauties of learning biodynamic craniosacral therapy is that in many ways you are learning the work in your own body. BCST works brilliantly with the autonomic nervous system to reset it when it's in a state of chronic stress (aka: fight or flight).
When our bodies are in balance, our nervous systems pendulate with ease from fight-or-flight, into a rest and repair state that allows health and healing and calm to expand and flourish. In our fast-paced, online, and addicted-to-busy culture, we don't realize that our bodies and nervous systems are in constant overdrive. We get stuck in fight-or-flight, sometimes without even recognizing it. And then our bodies are awash in stress chemicals, our brains get muddled because we don't have the same access to our executive function, and our ability to experience life with open awareness and joy just.....isn't possible. To add to this, there is a cascade of physical symptoms that can manifest as pain or disease as a result of chronic stress.
As I've done this work, I have actually re-trained my nervous system to slow down, find calm and clarity, and YES! To teach my body and mind to remember how to not be anxious. Years ago, I couldn’t have fathomed the deep calm and stillness that I now feel in my body and mind. Now when I feel anxiety, it doesn’t hijack and hold me hostage. I can return to a state of calm with just a little extra dose of self-care. People now frequently express that they just want to hang out in my peaceful presence, and on how I seem to radiate joy. What??? ME?!! I love it.