I like to check in on my clients around 2 days after their session, especially if they’re new to CranioSacral Therapy.
This is because while it may seem like nothing is happening on the surface, our body is doing alot of processing and healing during the session. And it doesn’t end just because our time is up. Our body continues the process after the session and during this period, clients may experience what is commonly termed as “the Healing Crisis”.
The Healing Crisis refers to the uncomfortable reactions one might experience within 48-72 hrs after receiving a session.
The most common ones I’ve come across:
① The worsening of the ailment before it gets better
The healing crisis is believed to be caused by the detoxification of the body in response to the treatment. The body releases the toxins that it has been holding on to during this process and in my clients’ case these “toxins” appear as pain or discomfort. It’s a natural part of our body’s healing process.
The good news is this discomfort usually goes away within 48 – 72 hours.
Like my client, Jessie, who had TMJ pain for a decade. She received a distance healing session with me and reported feeling more pain in the jaw next day even though she felt the pain subsiding during the session. 3 days later though, she felt the pain and tightness gone entirely. She’s one of the lucky few who experienced such a transformation in just 1 session.
② Migraine / Headache
Again, I’m attributing it to the detox reaction a body is going through and thus presenting it in the body in the form of a migraine / headache. Kind of like if you try to quit coffee.
③ Frequent urination / bowel movement
Maybe you’ll find it odd like many of my clients who asked me, “Sharon, I came in for neck pain / anxiety / * (insert issue here), why do I pee so much after the session?”
I’d like to use this opportunity to reiterate my philosophy, which is that our body is whole and it is wise.
This means that any releases one might feel eg. relaxing of tight muscles or crying from resolving emotional issues, may translate to a physiological release as well. In some cases, through the body’s natural channels of waste removal – poop or pee.
What can I do then?
3 things you can do to help yourself
① Be kind to yourself your body is unloading years and years of baggage (emotional / physical) and it needs to process at its own pace. Will you eat your lunch and expect the food to be digested within the next minute? You probably also wouldn’t go for a marathon right after eating because your body needs time to digest.
Similarly, here the body needs time to digest the baggage, so please be patient and give yourself the time.
② Loads of water to flush toxins out.
③ Rest if you need. This will give the body more space to do its job because it wouldn’t need to direct energy / resources elsewhere.
What if the reactions persist?
If the reactions continue to be a bother after 72 hours, it is best to contact your practitioner again for them to re-assess. We need to be patient with holistic healing because we want the body to heal at its own pace. The chronic conditions that many people experience didn’t occur over 1-2 days, they were accumulated over years. So I’d appeal to you here, on behalf of my colleagues and myself, to have patience and see this as a long game. If you have decided on a healing modality, stick with it for a while. For CranioSacral Therapy, most of my clients experience significant changes in around 6 sessions.
If you’ve chanced upon this article because you’re experiencing discomfort / reactions after receiving a session, I hope you find this article useful.
Please share some of the healing crisis you might have experienced before and what you did to help yourself!