Cranio Sacral Therapy and Singing

Anna Walker

Name: Anna Walker Main Subject: Classical Singing Research Coaches: Yvonne Smeets and Ami Shamir Title of Research: Craniosacral Therapy and Singing Research Question: How can craniosacral therapy be relevant in helping singers free up their voices and overcome physical obstructions to make them better performers? Research Process: My goal was to understand more about why craniosacral therapy (CST) has helped my singing so much and to find out whether it could also help other singers become freer artists on stage. Studying literature by osteopaths and CST therapists such as John Upledger, Michael Shea, David McFarland and Michael Kern has given me insight about the nature of CST, its background in osteopathy and some basic knowledge of anatomy. In addition to the theoretical background I used my own journey with CST as an example and looked closely at how CST has helped me. I interviewed my singing teachers Gerda van Zelm and Rita Dams and my osteopath Ami Shamir about my technical and artistic progress and wrote about my own perception of the development. To understand more about how CST and singing could work together I interviewed Hamburg-based singer, singing teacher and CST therapist Stefanie Hoffmann. Summary of Results: CST, which has its roots in osteopathy, uses gentle manual techniques to detect and release restrictions that occur in the body as a reaction to trauma (injury, surgery, illness). The rhythm of the cerebrospinal fluid that flows around the brain and the spinal cord, called craniosacral wave, is a stable motion that is not influenced by heart rate or breathing. It is palpable because its waves are transmitted through membranes enveloping all structures of the body (fascia) and can therefore be used to detect areas of restricted movement. Some areas of the body are frequently places of restricted craniosacral movement, e.g. all major transverse/horizontal structures such as diaphragm, pelvic floor, cranial base and thoracic inlet. These areas happen to be crucial for singing as well. For example a free diaphragm is very important for a singer’s breath support or a free jaw and neck (connected to cranial base and thoracic inlet) are crucial for flexible articulation. CST’s techniques for release of the transverse structures can therefore be highly beneficial for a singer. The body’s numerous functional connections can produce symptoms as a sort of chain reaction in various parts of the body after trauma. CST can help find the cause of the problem and help release the tension by facilitating the body’s own motion. My development as a singer has been greatly supported by CST, because CST was the therapy form which addressed my initial problem (difficult birth, vacuum delivery: pressure on head, neck and spine) at its core, at the level of the nervous system. My body reacted to this treatment with (lasting) structural changes, which have made breathing, articulating and resonating easier for me. CST is certainly a good tool for a singer to become more aware of his/her body. It can also help a singer whose development is impaired by physical obstacles that pure functional voice training cannot solve.

Research Proposal- February 2013

Cranio Sacral Therapy and Singing

Student and main subject: Anna Walker, Singing

Research Coaches: Yvonne Smeets, Ami Shamir

Title of the Research: Cranio Sacral Therapy and Singing

Research question: „How can Cranio Sacral Therapy be relevant in helping me/ singers to overcome physical obstructions and free up my/their instrument?”

Motivation

Artistic expression requires a functioning instrument. For a singer the body is the instrument with which he expresses himself/ herself. The music passes through his/her mind and body, carried by the breath that moves through his/ her vocal chords and vibrates in the resonance space in- and outside of the body. In order to produce a free sound and to make the voice function healthily, the body must be in balance to serve as an instrument.

Through trauma at birth or later in life some of the bodily structures can be blocked and using the instrument can be difficult. The body can compensate and usually still sing, but in a lot of singers one can observe so called “bad habits”- things a singer does while singing that are meant to compensate but that actually interfere with singing. The technical education we get from our singing teacher helps to deal with those habits and establish a good use of voice and body, but sometimes a singer can become frustrated if the body does not respond in the way he and the teachers want.

Then it could be helpful to look directly at the physical obstructions that could have been caused by trauma and try to release them.

I had some difficulties and also frustration during my singing studies. I felt some obstruction and found it difficult to do what my teachers asked me. (For example to release my jaw) I felt my technical progress somewhat difficult and slow. Already a few years ago I started working on my body because I felt that I wanted to become freer in my singing. (Alexander Technique, Osteopathie, Yoga)

Then in 2012 a brief encounter with Cranio Sacral Therapy during a session with Ami Shamir made me curious about its effects for singing. I immediately felt an important change in my jaw and neck, which improved my freedom to perform and wanted to understand why this approach helped me so much.

I believe that CS Therapy can be very beneficial for singers because of it’s impact on the head- neck- spine relationship that is particularly important for singers because of the influence of posture/ alignment on breath, sound, articulation etc.

I am curious to investigate on my own example, what process with my body I am in. I would like to understand how Cranio Sacral Therapy has helped me with my physical obstructions and how it hopefully continues to improve my singing.

I would like to make other singers aware of their possibility to become freer performers by treating their own physical obstacles. I would like to find out what their difficulties, frustrations and therapy experiences are and then research in what way Cranio Sacral Therapy could make a difference for them too.

Research process

1 Literature

· “Craniosacral Therapy” John E. Upledger & Jon D. Vredevoogd, (Eastland Press, 1983)

· „Your Inner Physician and You“ John E. Upledger

· „Working Wonders, Changing Lives with CranioSacral“ John E. Upledger

· “Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy, Volume one”

Michael J. Shea (North Atlantic Books, Berkeley California)

· “Wisdom in the Body”

The craniosacral approach to essential health

Michael Kern (North Atlantic Books, Berkeley California)

2 Interviews

· Ami Shamir,- I questioned him about the last 3 years of work with me, my obstacles, the causes, the therapy, the process I am in. I recorded the interview on video and made a transcript (December 2012)

· My singing teachers,- I will question them about their view on my singing both at the beginning of my studies and now, about my physical difficulties, about my progress, about the direction for my development over the next 2 years

· Singing colleagues, I will question them about their physical difficulties, how it affects their performance, their “bad habits”, their frustration, their therapy experiences (what did they try to improve, why and did it make a difference?) etc. I made the questionnaire, will discuss it with my coach and then send it to as many singers as possible)

· Hopefully I will find a singing teacher to interview that uses Cranio Sacral Therapy in his/ her teaching (Stephanie Hoffmann, Hamburg)

3 Observation

· I watch myself sing (Videos of my Bachelor Recital, Videos of Singing Lessons and Practice)

4 Analysis

· Use the information gained in my interviews and questionnaire to answer the following questions:

What were/ are my specific physical issues?

Where am I now and where do I want to go with my singing?

What effect has made Cranio Sacral Therapy on my body and how has this influenced my singing?

What aspect of my singing would I like to focus on in my singing lessons and therapy sessions?

What are the most common physical tensions that make performing as a singer difficult?

What strategies could help in overcoming these physical tensions?

What would be the ideal singing body?

· Use the information I get from literature to answer the following questions

What is Cranio Sacral Therapy?

In which cases is it used?

How does CST work?

What obstructions did I have on a physical level?

What were the reasons for these problems on a physical level?

What parts of my body were treated?

· Use the information I get from watching myself perform to answer the following questions:

Are there things („bad habits“) in my singing that disturb the artistic performance and delivery of music and text? What are they?

Which of these things and habits have something to do with physical obstacles that could be improved through Cranio Sacral Therapy?

What do I want to improve over the next two years?

Expected Results and Form

· I will be able to explain, show/ demonstrate graphically or on an anatomical model what my physical issues were (where the blockages were), why I had them (demonstrate what happens during vacuum extraction birth) and how they made singing difficult for me (what membranes, structures are particularly important for singing and how they are linked)

· I will sing live/ or show a video of me singing demonstrating the effect of the obstructions on my performance to show in which way the performance could be improved by having treated the obstructions

· I will describe what the most common difficulties are that singers have with their bodies and for what reasons these difficulties occurred.

· I will show my collection of the complaints the singers I questioned deal with and explain what CST could do for them

· I will be able to explain how Cranio Sacral Therapy works to release tensions and obstructions and why it was so effective in my case

“My belief is in the blood and flesh as being wiser that the intellect. The body- unconscious is where life bubbles up in us. It is how we know that we are alive, alive to the depths of our souls and in touch somewhere with the vivid reaches of the cosmos.” (D.H. Lawrence)

Cranio Sacral Therapy and Singing?

In Hamburg there is a singing teacher combining Singing with craniosacral work. According to her craniosacral work can be a great help with singing. Her website can be found under the following link:

http://www.hamburg-gesangsunterricht.de/?page_id=34

I am planning to interview Frau Stefanie Hoffmann about her work and experience. Hopefully I'll be able to also talk to some of her students.

Literature List

Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy Volume one

Michael J. Shea (North Atlantic Books, Berkeley California)

Wisdom in the Body

The craniosacral approach to essential health

Michael Kern (North Atlantic Books, Berkeley California)

Craniosacral Therapy

John E. Upledger & Jon D. Vredevoogd

(Eastland Press, 1983)

Working Wonders

Case Studies from Practitioners of CST

The Upledger Institute (North Atlantic Books, Berkeley California)

Your Inner Physician and You

CranioSacral Therapy and SomatoEmational Release

John E. Upledger (North Atlantic Books, Berkeley California)

“Craniosacral Therapy is an approach that touches many levels of our experience and at the same time is firmly grounded in the anatomy of the body” (Michael Kern)

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