Relieve headaches by balancing deep cranial bones
Balancing your sphenoid bone may help soothe pain
This post is updated from its original.
Years ago, when my Lyme disease headaches were at their worst, I felt almost constant pressure and pain inside my head, behind my sinuses. Pain killers did nothing. I couldn't pour myself a bourbon. The only reliable way I found to relieve the pain was to rebalance my sphenoid bone.
I work on my clients’ sphenoid bones often, and it’s nice to have a qualified bodyworker do it for you while you peace out. But you can also try rebalancing this bone (really, a system of bones and craniosacral fluid) at home, on yourself. It’s not that hard. And it can help with most headaches, Lyme disease-related or no.
Basic info on the sphenoid bone
Here are a few photos of the sphenoid bone, to make visualizing it easier:
The sphenoid bone illuminated, floating inside the skull.
The dragon-like sphenoid, seen from the perspective of looking at someone's face.
Why I love the sphenoid bone (and you should, too)
You can see in the images above that the sphenoid is situated right in the center of your skull. Its wings reach up and touch your temples, and it also forms a part of the back of your eye sockets. (Your optic nerve flows through a canal in the sphenoid.) Its legs sit behind your rear top molars.
The sphenoid cradles the base of your brain. Your pituitary gland, a master gland controlling many hormones, is suspended directly above it.
Your sphenoid articulates with many other cranial bones in your skull, making it a sort of keystone in your skull's structure. Any twists or stickiness in your sphenoid (like any bone, it can twist and get stuck) reverberate throughout your cranium. I've never had a headache that didn't have something to do with my sphenoid being off.
Visualizing your sphenoid - the baby manta ray inside your head
Your beautiful, sensitive sphenoid is like a baby sea creature. It’s bathed in the pulse of your cerebrospinal fluid (CSF); the fluid that flows throughout and cushions your brain and spinal cord.
Passages in the center of your brain, right above your sphenoid, fill slowly with CSF and then release it throughout the brain and spinal cord in a rhythm. This pulse of fluid is soft and gentle, and its rhythm supports the health of your entire nervous system. The CSF rhythm and the sphenoid seem to balance each other – if one is moving in harmony with its surroundings, the other will most likely follow.
A happy sphenoid feels as though it were floating in a magical bath of CSF. It floats in the center of your head behind your eyes and your nose, like a small manta ray, with wings that reach out to your temples. The sphenoid is like a spirit animal within your cranium; softly alive, suspended in a warm and gentle sea.
Balancing your sphenoid
Like all visualizations, this one takes imagination; inviting dream-like imagery and sensations to flow through you. If you have Lyme disease, for once it can be a big help. Lyme can create an exhausted, brain-challenged state in between sleep and waking where dream imagery flows more easily. If you don’t have Lyme, try practicing visualization right before falling asleep, or right after you wake up.
Place your palms over each of your eyes, closing out all of the light. Just relax like this for a bit, letting your eyes soften. Then gently begin to move your hands side to side, so that they pull your skin but don't slide.
Imagine the pull taking your sphenoid bone along with it, left to right. Feel the soft, manta ray-shaped bone, cushioned in water, gently sliding side to side. Take your time. This should feel good, your eyes relaxing, the inside of your cranium like a warm, dark sea.
As it feels good, begin to move your eyes in the opposite direction that you are moving your hands, If you slide your palms to the right, slide your closed eyes to the left. You are moving your eyes in opposition to your sphenoid bone now. You will find one direction easier than the other. Explore both sides, staying with the visualization of watery support inside your head cushioning the movement.
Over time the two sides will even out a bit as your sphenoid loosens. You can play with any other kind of movement that feels good, sensing the relationship between your eyes and your baby manta ray, feeling the movement smooth out and become more comfortable, more relaxing.
When you are done, you may notice that your vision is a bit clearer. This is a great sign! Your eyes may move more smoothly as well, and hopefully your headache will be only a distant memory. My Cranial Healing meditation takes you through some very relaxing visuals for your inner cranial structures as well. If I am too tired (or lazy) to actively visualize, I listen to it. Wear an eye mask if you can.
Tuning forks can help
Having a few tuning forks at home can be a wonderful support for DIY bodywork. I use the Acutonics tuning forks. The only one suitable for use directly on the cranium is the Low Ohm fork – a very gentle, adaptogenic frequency that can help to rebalance the bones of the cranium and even the structures within. If it feels too harsh to use tuning forks right on your head, you can hold them a few inches away.
I have no one specific point I use on myself and my clients to rebalance the sphenoid, I just play. You want whatever you are doing to feel watery, relaxing, blissful. Sometimes this means using the forks right above the third eye point in the middle of the forehead. Sometimes it means using them right below the jawline, where lymphatic drainage can get sluggish. There is no rule book, just your own inner guidance to follow. You can always schedule a session with me online or in-person to find what works best for you.
Thank you so much for reading! I wish you hours of blissful floating,
Shona