Craniosacral therapy is not one of those everyday therapies whose name readily trips off the tongue. Even if they've heard of it, most people have no idea what it involves.

Mike Donovan was as uninformed as everyone else when he first came across it, yet it exerted such a powerful pull on the Bristol-based audiovisual technician that he completely changed his career to pursue it.

"I literally just heard the name of it and it was like a sixth sense – I just knew it was something I had to do," he says.

Now, 18 months after qualifying with the Institute of Craniosacral Therapy – which included studying anatomy and physiology – Mike is practising as a craniosacral therapist. He describes the therapy as "a subtle and profound healing form which assists the body's natural capacity for self-repair".

Intensely relaxing and hands-on, it's so gentle that it is suitable for babies as well as children and the elderly, says Mike. His clients come to him with a variety of problems, including physical aches and pains, chronic disease, stress and emotional disturbances.

Setting up as a new practitioner is not easy, but Mike is one of three complementary therapists to be given a helping hand by Neal's Yard Remedies, the pioneering organic skincare and herbal remedies store which has outlets in Bath, Bristol, Cheltenham, Exeter and Salisbury.

He's a member of Neal's Yard's graduate clinic, which runs on Monday mornings from 9am to 1pm at the Bristol store and is especially for practitioners who have less than two years' professional experience.

The idea is to give them a helping hand into the professional field, but it's great for customers, too, because the fees are currently £25 per session – half the usual price – says nutritional therapist Maya Rowson, another of the clinic's graduate members.

"Good nutrition is vital to a healthy functioning body," says Maya, who runs her own Balance Nutritional Therapy clinic and is based in Slad, Gloucestershire.

"Nutritional therapy aims to identify and treat nutritional deficiencies, improve food assimilation, eliminate allergens and detoxify the body."

As well as digestive problems such as bloating, irritable bowel syndrome and constipation, it can help with a range of conditions including adrenal burnout, migraines, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, candida and diabetes.

The third member of the clinic is reflexologist Philippa Sweetnam, who explains: "Reflexology is a treatment on your feet (or hands) using massage and pressure techniques dating back to Ancient Egypt."

It's based on the principle that every organ and system of the body is linked to a reflex area in the feet or hands.

Lightly massaging those reflex areas can bring about a response in the corresponding organ elsewhere in the body.

The treatment is used for a wide range of disorders including skin and respiratory conditions, migraine, PMS and menopausal problems, chronic fatigue, stress, depression and anxiety.

"It produces a profound sense of relaxation and calm, easing physical and emotional stresses," says Philippa. "It helps the body find its own balance and restore well-being."

* To book a treatment with Neal's Yard Remedies' graduate clinic on Monday mornings (get 15 per cent off products bought in the shop on that day), call 0117 946 6034 or 0117 946 6035 or email bristol@nealsyardremedies.com