CranioSacral Therapy, Visceral Manipulation & Somatic Experiencing

Ursula Hoefler PT Cabrini Wellness

CranioSacral Therapy, Visceral Manipulation and Somatic Experiencing

Ursula Hoefler, PT, CST-T, SEP

CranioSacral Therapy (CST) is a light touch, whole body treatment approach with the intent of facilitating greater whole body/mind/spirit balance. Blending CranioSacral Therapy with Visceral Manipulation and Somatic Experiencing, allows for pattern change throughout all body systems by releasing built up or stored tension deep inside your body and supports the process of healing from trauma through our body-mind connection. CST is able to release restrictions, reduce/eliminate pain, improve postural alignment and assist in Nervous system regulation with the goal to optimize whole body health and well being.

Common Conditions Treated by CranioSacral Therapy & Visceral Manipulation

 

Chronic fatigue

Scoliosis

Acid Reflux

Digestive disorders

Migraines & headaches

TMJ syndrome

Women’s health

Chronic neck & back pain

Stress & tension-related disorders

Anxiety & depression

Fibromyalgia

PTSD

Investment

CranioSacral Therapy, Visceral Manipulation & Somatic Experiencing

  • What My Clients Say

    Ursula is magic - she has an uncanny ability to read the body, to listen and do exactly what is needed to make me feel better. Things like helping me overcome debilitating back pain, acid reflux that used to wake me up in the night, and feel more balanced and less stressed during these very uncertain times. I have turned to Ursula over the years for acute issues but I prefer to see her on a regular basis to promote overall wellness and to feel restored.

    - H. A.

  • What My Clients Say

    Adding CranioSacral Therapy has taken my recovery to the next level. Many years of dancing led to a major surgery of my ankle, which has kept me off the stage for years. After the surgery I had chronic pain in my ankle & foot which then led to chronic hip pain. Working with Ursula changed all that. Her ability to listen with her hands and find the places in my body that need attention is incredible. No matter what my problems are when I walk in, I always feel better in both body and spirit when I leave.

    - B. W.

  • What My Clients Say

    My experience with Ursula and CranioSacral therapy / Physical therapy/ intuitive hands-on healing, has been life changing. Her supportive, intuitive and deeply compassionate approach to my unique combination of needs, has led to ongoing relief of chronic pain, releasing of alignment patterns, a discovery of my natural unrestricted breath and processing grief. My posture is more aligned, my body more grounded and breath more expanded,A 'work in process', I am truly blown away by this experience and the shifts that occur during/after each session. 
    Words don't do justice to this organic and very personal process.

    K. B.

  • What My Clients Say

    I feel so lucky to have found Ursula and to have the opportunity to continue my work with her. Her incredible ability to listen to the body and gently encourage movement towards healing is both subtle and profound. I have worked with a lot of people for some very complex and interconnected issues stemming from both repetitive use (former pianist) and PTSD, and I have never felt the kind of deep, inner releasing and shifting, both physically and mentally, that I have experienced in Ursula’s caring and patient hands! She is able to intuit what is needed on a given day, and patiently stays present throughout the process in a way that creates a safe environment for change. I cannot recommend her highly enough.
    - K. F.

  • What My Clients Say

    Working with Ursula has been an absolute game changer in my health journey. She is deeply skilled and combines CranioSacral and Somatic techniques in a way that gently supports the release of tension and restores balance between body and mind. What truly sets her apart is her holistic approach. She looks at the whole body and takes all symptoms into account rather than treating issues in isolation. Each session feels safe, intuitive and fully tailored to what your body needs in that moment.

    - J. T.

  • What My Clients Say

    Ursula is an integral part of my team of experts that help me manage symptoms of hypermobility and a hypersensitive nervous system. She has a unique ability to hone in on exactly what structure is limiting efficient movement throughout my body. She has also helped me to identify emotional stressors that were a component of some of my chronic pains, which has dramatically reduced the intensity and frequency of those symptoms. I highly recommend Ursula as a caring, intuitive, conscientious, and effective physcal therapist - especially for complex and interconnected issues.

    - A. H.

FAQs

  • CranioSacral Therapy (CST), developed by osteopathic physician Dr. John E. Upledger, is a light touch manual therapy that seeks to locate and treat areas of tension in the body. Throughout our lives we endure stresses, strains, and traumas and our tissues absorb them until we can not handle the build up of tension anymore. This can negatively affect our nervous system and any other body system, resulting in discomfort, pain and disease. CST releases those tensions and allows the body to self correct to balance and wellness.

  • Visceral Manipulation, developed by Osteopath Jean-Pierre Barral, is a gentle manual therapy that works with your viscera (internal organs) and assists in your body’s ability to release restrictions and strain patterns that cause pain and dysfunction. Just like CST, VM does not solely focus on the site of the pain or discomfort but evaluates the whole body to find the source of the problem. The treatment is a gentle compression, mobilization and elongation of soft tissues. In addition to physical symptom reduction/resolution and due to the fact that emotions can be stored in our organs, VM can help restore emotional balance.

  • Somatic Experiencing, developed by Peter A. Levin, PhD, is a body oriented approach to support the nervous system to complete nervous system responses like fight/flight/freeze/fawn after trauma or chronic stress. It works with the felt sense in a titrated way with the goal to reconnect with safety, regulation and resilience.

  • During a CST/VM/SE session clients can stay fully dressed (comfortable loose fitting clothing) and are positioned on their back on a treatment table. Each session begins with an evaluation of the whole body with a light touch to monitor the rhythm of the fluid that is flowing around your central nervous system to assess for decreased tissue motion or restrictions throughout the body. In addition to delicate manual techniques being used to release areas of dysfunction, you also connect to your felt sense to improve the function of the central nervous system and the body as a whole. A session is typically 60 minutes long.

    What you experience during your appointment is highly individual and no session is the same. Afterwards clients in general report a feeling of deep relaxation, pain reduction, improvement of range of motion, a sense of balance in body and mind. The body will continue to process and integrate the changes for a day or two after a session.

  • This is hard to tell. Some people feel better after only a few sessions, for some people it may take many more than that. On average people need 3-8 sessions for a reduction of symptoms and pattern change to wellness. After symptoms are resolved oftentimes clients continue to come in for follow up maintenance to help their body to stay balanced and to feel restored. If after 3 sessions you see no improvement or change of symptoms we will discuss and decide if CST/VM/SE is the right approach for you.

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