Craniosacral Therapy was invented by osteopath William G. Sutherland in the early 1930's. It is based on working with the connective tissue between the two halves of the brain. Sutherland claimed to be able to pick up rhythms or pulses in the skull and determine from these pulses what needed correction. Problems and traumas from the past, whether emotional or physical, could be detected by palpation (subtle soft touch) and healed with additional corrective palpation. The primary system affected by this process was the cranial sacral fluid in the spinal cord.

This form of therapy is practiced primarily by osteopaths but many others now offer it, some under different names. The practitioner is alleged to listen to the body through the hands, to pick up blockages and congestion from past traumas and gently release these blockages and congestion.

Practitioners claim to be able to heal a wide range of physical problems as well as emotional issues. The practice is controversial and involves some practices that put it on the fringes for some people. Some practitioners claim to get in touch with an "Inner Physician" to assist with the healing process. One man was charged with insurance fraud when he sought insurance payments for working on an epileptic. He told the man to stop taking his antiepileptic meds and the man died from a seizure.

It is safe to say that that craniosacral therapy may have some placebo benefits for some people but it doesn't have a very firm scientific foundation.

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