Understanding Craniosacral Fascial Therapy
What is Fascia and CFT?
For Your Little One
In infants, fascial tension often stems from birth history or position in the womb. This can present as difficulties with feeding and latch, disrupted sleep patterns, digestive discomfort (colic or reflux), or noticeable body tension like torticollis. CFT provides a warm, reassuring path to comfort, helping babies 'unwind' so they can thrive.
Fascia is the body's internal support system—a continuous web of connective tissue that wraps around every muscle, bone, nerve, and organ. Think of it as a form-fitting bodysuit that holds everything in place. When this tissue is healthy, it is fluid and flexible. However, birth trauma, physical injury, or chronic stress can cause the fascia to become tight, scarred, or restricted, creating 'straightjackets' of tension around vital structures.
Craniosacral Fascial Therapy (CFT), known as the Gillespie Approach, is a gentle, hands-on modality that merges the subtle nature of craniosacral therapy with the structural depth of myofascial release. By identifying and unwinding these areas of fascial strain, we help the body return to its natural state of fluidity and ease, allowing for optimal development and nervous system regulation.
For the Birth Parent
Postpartum recovery is a profound time of transition. We use CFT to support physical healing from birth, address lingering pain, and regulate the nervous system after the intense emotional and physiological load of pregnancy. This trauma-informed support helps you feel grounded and present in your body as you navigate the joys and challenges of parenthood.
Who Benefits from CFT?
For Your Baby
CFT offers a gentle path for infants experiencing physical or nervous system tension. By supporting the body's natural unwinding process, we help resolve challenges that often stem from birth trauma or positioning in the womb, allowing your baby to settle into a state of ease.
- Feeding difficulties & latch challenges
- Reflux, colic, & digestive fussiness
- Body tension, rigidity, or back arching
- Torticollis or a strong rotation preference
- Stressful, prolonged, or instrumental births
- Multiples seeking regulated development
- Gas, constipation, & sleep challenges
- Tongue tie (pre & post-release support)
For the Birthing Parent
CFT provides essential support for the birthing parent throughout the transition of pregnancy and postpartum. Our holistic approach focus on easing the profound changes your body undergoes while promoting deep nervous system regulation.
- Easing natural body changes during pregnancy
- Supporting physical healing postpartum
- Nervous system regulation & grounding
- Managing the emotional load of transition
- Addressing lingering physical pain from birth
- Restoring fluidity and structural balance
Whether you're seeking to resolve specific challenges or looking for holistic support to help your family thrive, CFT offers a non-alarming, gentle environment where healing can truly begin.
What to Expect
Sessions are relaxed and hands-on, involving gentle positioning and movement designed to help the body release deep-seated tension. Whether the recipient is an infant or an adult, they are supported to remain as calm and content as possible throughout the process. The work is so subtle and soothing that many babies may smile or even sleep through the entire session.
Meet Your Provider
Jamie Smith, MS, OTR/L, BCP, CLSP
Hi! I am Jamie, a board certified pediatric Occupational Therapist (and professional baby snuggler) with more than a decade of experience working with children and their families. I provide Craniosacral Fascial Therapy (CFT) to give families a calm, comfortable start. Using gentle, hands-on work and genuine connection, I help babies and birth parents release tension patterns and find nervous system regulation through focused, specialized care.
As a Gillespie Approach trained CFT provider, my work is intuitive and hands-on, focusing on the specific patterns of tension that often affect infants and birth parents during the postnatal period. I visit you at home to provide holistic support that helps your whole family find more ease and physical comfort through these early stages.
Specialized Training
- Craniosacral Fascial Therapy (Gillespie Approach)
- Certified Infant Massage Specialist
- Advanced Infant Feeding, Development and Positioning
- Care for Postpartum Parents