CranioSacral Therapy for TMJ in Oakland
You’re in the right place if you are looking into CranioSacral Therapy to help your TMJ. From my studio in Oakland (Rockridge) my clients have found successful reduction of their TMJ pain. CranioSacral can help TMJ – especially when paired with other mind-body healing efforts from dietary, fitness, and lifestyle changes. Living in the San Francisco Bay Area, we’re all too familiar with the stress of our urban lifestyle that may be making us more prone to TMJ Dysfunction. CranioSacral Therapy is one healing modality worth exploring.
In my sessions, I incorporate CranioSacral Therapy, Visceral Manipulation, SomatoEmotional Release and energy work. It is my goal that you leave your session feeling empowered around your own health and more connected to your body. CranioSacral Therapy helps reconnect you to your body’s innately wise and self-healing capacities. I believe that physical injuries and illnesses are our opportunity to communicate with our deeper wisdom.
What is TMJ?
This joint works hard for you every day – each time you chew, talk, or yawn, your TMJ is involved. Problems in this joint – which usually present as pain felt just in front of the ear, clicking or popping in the joint or in the ear itself, difficulty chewing, or the mouth getting “locked” in the open or closed position – often result from poor joint alignment. The muscles, ligaments and cartilage of this joint must all maintain a balance between mobility and stability in order for smooth, controlled opening and closing of the mouth to be possible.
What causes TMJ?
Various factors can influence the alignment of this joint. Poor posture of the neck or back, jaw clenching, tooth grinding, extended dental work, the use of oral appliances like braces, or asymmetrical chewing (as in habitual gum chewing, or chewing on one side of the mouth to avoid pain from a cavity) are some of the most common. If the joint is not aligned properly, even if it is off by a couple of millimeters, the delicate length-tension balance of the muscles and ligaments around this joint can be lost, leading to pinching of tissues that normally have no problem getting out of the way as the jaw opens and closes. This can cause inflammation and pain.
What is CranioSacral Therapy?
CranioSacral Therapy uses a gentle touch to evaluate and release restrictions in the soft tissues. Once the tissue is released, the body doesn’t have to spend the extra energy to work around the restricted area and you will feel much better. By freeing the central nervous system to perform at its best, CranioSacral Therapy naturally eliminates pain and stress, strengthens your resistance to disease, and enhances your health and well being.
As a skilled CranioSacral therapist, I listen with my hands to the subtle rhythms of the body, detecting restrictions and imbalances held in its various systems, especially the nerves, tissues and fluids. As shifts and changes happen in your body, I will ask you questions to continue to guide the process, and support you to connect with your body’s inner wisdom. Sometimes there are just physical changes, and sometimes during a session CranioSacral Therapy facilitates the gentle release of unprocessed emotion and trauma.
From my Oakland studio, I serve the East Bay communities from Walnut Creek to Berkeley and clients come from San Francisco and Marin for:
CranioSacral Therapy for mom’s and babies
CranioSacral Therapy for anxiety
CranioSacral Therapy for tinnitus
CranioSacral Therapy for Concussions
CranioSacral Therapy for Migraines
Also Now offering Holistic Pelvic Care™ treatments!
Does Craniosacral Therapy Work for TMJ?
Integrating Craniosacral therapy as part of a comprehensive TMJ pain treatment plan is a good idea. Other components that should be part of TMJ dysfunction treatment include exercises for muscle re-education, rest via temporary diet modifications that allow for decreased chewing, and postural changes to allow for continued optimal joint alignment. Visiting a chiropractor that is trained in the use of Craniosacral techniques may also be helpful. Elon Bartlett is a TMJ Chiropractor in Walnut Creek that could be worth reaching out to.
Why Does Craniosacral Therapy Work for TMJ?
A therapist trained in the use of Craniosacral techniques can assess the position and motion of the temporal bones, as well as the alignment of the mandible, and can work to bring all of these bones toward more optimal positions. This is an important component in comprehensive treatment of TMJ, for if the membranes within the cranium are pulling the temporal bone into a dysfunctional position, no postural re-education program, anti-inflammatory, or night splint will completely correct the problem at the joint.
CranioSacral Therapy Rates:
CST Initial/Intake session for adults - 75min/$275
CST Follow-up session for adults - 60min/$220
CST Initial/Intake session for kids/babies - 60min/$220
CST Follow-up session for kids/babies - 45min/$165
CST Mommy/Baby combo session - 90min/$330
Holistic Pelvic Care™:
HPC™ Initial Intake session - 90 min/$330
HPC™ Follow-up session - 60 min/$220
In our initial 90 minute Holistic Pelvic Care session in Oakland, your specific womb and pelvic floor concerns will be evaluated and an average treatment plan of 2-8 sessions may be recommended.
Sirena is an amazing healer. I’ve learned so much about my own body and healed so much beyond what I went in to see her for. Her care, sensitivity and skill are unmatched. I highly recommend her for anyone looking to heal their own relationship to your body.
Optimistic and excited after my first session with Sirena. She is very grounded and knowledgeable and is clearly passionate about the work she is doing. Her space felt very clean, safe and nurturing, with gorgeous succulents growing in the walkway and yard. I felt incredibly nurtured and supported by our session, and I am grateful for the wisdom and information I received. It feels powerful to be addressing core issues, rather than simply doing exercises and hoping things change.