Cranial Sacral Therapy for Kids: A Mom’s Experience with Tongue Tie, Anxiety & Nervous System Healing
Discover how cranial sacral therapy supports nervous system healing, releases stored tension, and helps sensitive children through a holistic parenting lens.
Today I took my son to cranial sacral therapy, and honestly, I’m sitting with that quiet “I knew it” feeling that only moms understand.
If you’ve followed along with our journey at all, you know it hasn’t been a short one. Arlen had a posterior tongue tie that we had revised when he was five. That decision alone came with months of myofunctional therapy teaching his muscles how to move, rest, and function the way they were always meant to. After that, he went through dental expansion for a full year.
All of it was necessary. All of it helped. And all of it was… a lot.
What I didn’t fully understand at the time (and honestly didn’t have the capacity to address) was how much tension a tongue tie can create throughout the entire body. When the tongue is restricted, it’s not just a mouth issue, it’s a full-body issue. The tongue connects to the diaphragm, the rib cage, the neck, the spine. Everything compensates.
Looking back, bodywork alongside all of that therapy probably would have been ideal. But let’s be real for a second two years of appointments, exercises, and dental visits maxed us out in every way. Emotionally. Financially. Logistically. We did the best we could with what we had.
Recently though, we’ve been noticing more anxiety in our very sensitive kiddo. The kind that doesn’t always have a clear “why,” but you can feel it sitting in their body. That’s when my mom instincts kicked in (again), nudging me toward cranial sacral therapy.
And wow… they were right.
During his session, it became clear just how much tension he’s still holding his diaphragm, rib cage, mouth, even his back. At one point, he had a brief panic moment because the release happened so quickly. His body wasn’t used to letting go yet.
That moment alone confirmed we were exactly where we needed to be.
If you’re not familiar, Cranial Sacral Therapy (CST) is a very gentle, hands-on therapy that uses light touch to help release tension in the connective tissues surrounding the brain, spinal cord, and pelvis. The goal is to support the craniosacral system and allow the body to tap into its own ability to heal.
I’ll be honest I’m personally not a big fan of most chiropractic care (no shade, truly. To each their own). But CST is different. It’s incredibly gentle on the nervous system. There’s no force, no cracking, no pushing the body faster than it’s ready to go. In my experience and research, it can accomplish what chiropractic care aims to do and often much more especially when it comes to trauma, tension, and nervous system regulation.
Watching my son’s body respond today reminded me how much our kids carry. Things they don’t have words for yet. Experiences that get stored in their tissues long after the “issue” seems resolved.
So if you’re walking through:
• lingering tension
• anxiety that feels rooted in the body
• past oral ties, birth trauma, or medical stress
• nervous system dysregulation (for you or your child)
I gently encourage you to look into cranial sacral therapy.
Sometimes healing isn’t about doing more.
Sometimes it’s about finally letting the body feel safe enough to let go.
And sometimes… it’s just about listening to that quiet voice that says, “This is the next right step.”
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