The following interview with Alyssa Peterpaul took place on Monday, April 1, 2024 with Hailey Ward-Maldonado
I had the pleasure of speaking with Alyssa on the phone on a sunny Monday morning. Alyssa shared with me about her style as a craniosacral therapist. We are so excited to have her as a part of the Balanced You Team!
- What does a craniosacral therapy session with you look like? When a person walks into the room for a treatment, even if I’ve seen them many times before, I look at them like I haven’t seen them before because they’re not the same. Their bodies and their emotions have changed, and I need to acknowledge that in order to give them what they need [in the session]. First I look at the person’s posture, and then I look at them through “artist’s eyes” to see who they are at that moment, for example, “I see a musician,” or “I see someone who is exhausted because they’re being pulled in too many directions at once.” It’s very intuitive. Once the person is on the table, I ask for their permission before I touch them because an unexpected touch can feel very invasive. The first areas I work with are the sacrum, the occiput, and the sphenoid because they are key to craniosacral work. Aside from that, my work is intuitive, and I don’t follow a set protocol.
- What are the benefits of craniosacral therapy? Craniosacral therapy can help with headaches, migraines, whiplash injury, neck and back pain, anxiety, depression, PTSD, and TMJ. This is just a brief list – there are things that craniosacral therapy can help with from A to Z! – Read Craniosacral Therapy A to Z by Alyssa Peterpaul at the end of this article to learn 26 Benefits of Craniosacral Therapy
To find out how craniosacral therapy might benefit you, we invite you to attend a FREE info session at Balance You Clinic with Alyssa on Saturday, April 27th, 2024 at 10 AM
- How can a craniosacral therapy session help to support folks in the transition from winter to spring? My teacher Hugh taught me that if someone asks you if you can help them, say, “I will do my best,” because we are never 100% certain although we are doing our best. As we have recently gone through a spring-forward time change, craniosacral therapy can help in the adjustment to more daylight hours. In the winter people tend to pull themselves in, whereas in spring, we are opening ourselves up. Craniosacral therapy can help ease this opening up process so that folks feel more relaxed and more fluid to then move more freely. It can help to shake off the winter blues, tension, and stress.
- Can craniosacral therapy help to combat symptoms that arise in allergy season? The spring allergies in East Tennessee are so abundant! Craniosacral therapy can help to release tension in the fascia and tissue around the sinuses and relieve congestion.
- What is one unique aspect of a craniosacral therapy session with you? One thing that makes my sessions unique is that I have studied with different instructors and learned different methods that I integrate into my work during the 18 years I’ve been practicing CST. Right now I am on the certification track for Visionary Craniosacral Work ® in Ashland, OR. I first learned about Visionary Craniosacral Work ® when I read the book The Heart of Listening: A Visionary Approach to Craniosacral Work by Hugh Milne. The book was recommended to me by my teacher at Utah College of Massage Therapy.
After reading this book, I knew I wanted to study with Hugh, and it took me over 20 years to get here! Hugh integrates acupressure and myofascial unwinding into his method of craniosacral therapy. He teaches to move in an intuitive way as opposed to via a protocol. Now that I am studying with Hugh, the reality of it is greater than I had ever dreamed – this modality is truly healing! Once I have my certification, I will be the only person in Knoxville certified in Visionary Craniosacral work, and the second in Tennessee. This allows me to offer a therapeutic outlet that is not readily available elsewhere.
Alyssa is providing a free craniosacral therapy info session on Saturday, April 27th at 10 AM.
Alyssa said, “I don’t believe in coincidence. So, the day that I walked into Balanced You with my resume I had actually planned to go to another clinic first but they were closed!” – That’s how she knows this is where she’s meant to be.
How Craniosacral Therapy Can Help from A to Z by Alyssa Peterpaul
26 Benefits of Craniosacral Therapy
- Migraines, Headaches
- Chronic Pain
- Motor-Coordination Impairments
- Central Nervous System Disorders
- Orthopedic Problems
- Traumatic Brain Injuries and Concussions
- Alzheimer’s
- Spinal Cord Injuries
- Scoliosis
- Conception, Pregnancy, Birth
- Pediatric Challenges
- Learning Differences, ADD, ADHD
- Autism and Sensory Processing
- Chronic Fatigue
- Emotional Difficulties, Depression
- Stress and Tension-Related Problems
- PTSD
- Fibromyalgia and other Connective-Tissue Disorders
- Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome (TMJ) and Dental Challenges
- Immune Disorders
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Post-Surgical Dysfunction
- Sleep issues/Insomnia
- Brain tumor
- Cancer treatment side-effects
- Overall health and wellbeing