How to Sense Your Body with Somatic Gentle Touch

by SharonHartnett | Aug 11, 2024 | craniosacral, Craniosacral Therapy, Energy Healing, mindfulness, Spiritual Healing

What is Somatic Bodywork?

It is a form of body centered therapy that focuses on the living experience of embodiment. The term, “somatic” comes from the greek word “body”.

There are different schools that teach various approaches to Somatic Bodywork. Some of them are: The Hakomi Institute, The Upledger Institute , The Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute, and Peter Levines’ the Trauma Healing School.

In my past experience of studying Hakomi, SER Therapy, and Trauma Therapy at SPI, I have learned Somatic techniques with both psychotherapists and also bodyworkers. The boundaries are a bit tricky from both ends due to licensing in each state around touch and therapy. Generally, manual Bodyworkers use somatic-emotional type of therapy to support any type of emotional or spiritual arising that occurs while working with the body primarily within a session. On the other hand, psychotherapists focus on the mind body relationship more from a distance. Yet each state has different laws that must be checked to keep within the license of practice.

Hakomi uses mindfulness as its key to developmental issues and to “heal attachment wounds”. At SPI, my training was more directed toward supporting any type of trauma that shows up on the table in a session. While I have not studied the SE Work, my understanding is that is similar to SPI’s focus on trauma.

Basically, what we are working with is an emotional response to distressing events. Some call this cellular memory. It is usually something that has not processed all the way through,

All of these modalities, help to release stress, tension and sometimes trauma from the body. I tend to focus most of my work on the table with gentle Craniosacral Somato-Emotional presence. When something deep or painful arises while I am melded with the person’s body, I may delve into my other techniques to help my clients come to their own deeper inner resources for completion. Often the healing response comes from sensing within. Working from a bottom of approach can help to integrate things that are not as available as in only talk therapy.

Remember, that if you are looking for a therapist to help you to heal deeply, that most programs and schools teach us to create a safe and trusting environment first and foremost. Still, it is important to interview and ask your therapist about their experience and backgrounds. Find the person who fits your needs best. All therapist have unique approaches.

Somatic Therapy is very helpful because it integrates the mind and body beautifully.

If you have any questions, contact me, and I offer free 10 minute phone sessions.

Sharon Hartnett CST-D

703 509-1792

www.craniosacraltherapistcolumbus.com

6797 N. High #333 Worthington, Ohio 43085

Loving the Silence of the Heart

by SharonHartnett | Aug 10, 2024 | meditation, mind body & spirit, mindfulness, Spiritual Healing

Discover the Power of Silence

The absence of sound. Stillness. Quiet. There is such a rich quality of life that is found when we stop talking. It’s a black velvet void. It’s peace of mind. Yet, silence can’t quite accurately be described in words. Words are too limiting. The best way I suppose, simply put, it’s an experience of nothingness.

To discover silence, although nothing can take us directly there really. There are guidepost points that can make helpful suggestions. Here is a list of 5 things I recommend.

1. Mindfulness. Mindfulness is practiced by each person indiviudally. To begin though, it’s wise to bring the attention of awarness inward. Bring your open attention to the present moment in a “listening” mode. With an intention of open awareness, the quiet has an entrance point to come to you.

2. Go out into nature. Being outside gives us an aesthetic sense of the the beauty of life. It also allows us to quiet down into silence to observe the natural order of life as well. With the different moments, different seasons, we witness the cycles of life from birth to death. This can be a great learning experience. It can also bring forth spiritual transcendence experiences, along with joy and wonder. Also, being out in nature can make us feel more safe in our emodiment because of the deep meanings we find in the silence of nature.

3. Breathing. Breathing is at the core of keeping us alive. There is something so intrinsicly important about being connected to our breath. The best way to help us reduce stress is to breathe naturally. If you breathe shallow, breathe shallow. Visa Versa, if you breathe deeply, breathe deeply. Observe the experience of the breath without alterning. However, if the breath change on it’s own accord, be with the change. The breath takes us deep into the core of silence. Trust in the breath!

4. Stop talking for a certain amount of time each day. Sciecne has actually shows that this can help nourish brain cells.

5. Art. Expressing ourselves through art can be a very quiet endeavor. Finding our creative wave and allowing it to move through us, quiets the mind, and bursts forth expressions of life’s experience. The more immersed we are, the deeper rooted we can become in the engagement of the dance of silent exploration.

Silence is an experience of nourishment. I think that when we stop the busyness and give ourselves some space to be, that the rest in silence is so vitally important to our health and wellbeing. Yet so often overlooked in our daily schedules.

Be kind to yourself. Balance out your list of “to do” things with some empty quiet time. You’ll feel better. You’ll feel more rested. You may find yourself actually feeling more full in the emptiness. When the mind quiets, the heart sings.

Sharon Hartnett CST-D

703 509-1792

www.craniosacraltherapistcolumbus.com

6797 N. High St. #333 Worthington, Ohio 43085

How to Change with Ease: Craniosacral Therapy

by SharonHartnett | Aug 6, 2024 | change, meditation, mindfulness

Change Opens Doors…

Do you want to change and get “Unstuck”? If you do, that big scary thing is going to happen. Life is going to shift and the ground is going to crumble. Nothing stays the same forever. Life is a constant “happening”. Deep down, you know that!

Do you ever remember having the feeling that you were caught in a loop? Or maybe a spiral? It’s that deja vu feeling that you have already lived the dynamic in which you are now repeating. It gets so old at some point.

So often, we individuals, find ourselves resisting “change”. We fight it. We yell. We scream. We run. Anything to stay in the familiar. We protect the past, and refuse to be in the present. What a crazy thing for us to do. Right?

The challenge is that our brains are wired this way. We are animals, looking for safety and to meet our basic needs until they are fully met. Our thoughts of trust and grounding need to be strong in order for us to trust and to let go of the conflict between “change” and “static”.

If you don’t have a compassionate and nurturing past, it makes it much harder to deal and interact from the present “Now”. Yet it’s never too late to change course. If you are tired of playing the same story over and over, question your thoughts. Pray. Meditate. Find a Therapist or a Friend to get new perspective.

Change is always here with us. A friend, an opportunity, a gift. We never get bored with change. Yet most of us have to find a way to navigate through the ease of change to get to the other side.

About 20 years ago, I moved the focus of my work into Craniosacral Therapy (CST). I found more than anything, CST brought me back inward to help me discover the core of myself. I learned to trust my body, and my other internal and external processes by calming my nervous system, and also by receiving nourishing touch and melding with healthy boundaries.

I have been working for close to 30+ years in the field of healing. Never have I felt so focused and grounded, and at the same time free and open. As the body receives new information the old unwinds and opens doors to a deeper connection to Self and to others. Embraced change brings vulnerability, but it also blesses us with embodied power and love.

If you’d like to find out how Craniosacral Therapy can help you navigate through resistence and change, look for a Somato Emotion Release Therapist near you. www.upledger.com

Sharon Hartnett CST-d

703 509-1792

www.craniosacraltherapistcolumbus.com

6797 N. High St. #333 Worthington, Ohio 43085

How to Continue Feeling Your Best with Fibromyalgia Symptoms.

by SharonHartnett | Aug 6, 2024 | Energy Healing, fibromyalgia, healing, meditation, mind body & spirit

Were you diagnosed with Fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia pain is not a simple diagnosis. It can reveal itself in different ways based on the uniqueness of each individual person. What we do know is that fibromyalgia does feel like heightened pain. It can show up anywhere on the body. However, normally a physician can diagnose by pressing on certain tender points. There are nine familiar locations found from the top of the body on down.

Flares can be brought upon by stress, hormonal changes and lack of sleep. Some people say weather changes can attribute to more pain as well. Whatever the cause, people with fibromyalgia suffer from body aches and fatigue.

Once you are diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, what is next?

What is now understood is that the central nervous system (CSN) has beeen overstimulated. Of course anything that calms the CNS is helpful. Check with your physician for any recommendations they suggest. Of course, there are also integrative practices that can be helpful too.

1. Yoga

2. Tai Chi and Qigong

3. Very Gentle Stretching

4. Walking

5. Meditation

Also, I’d be remiss if I did not bring up Craniosacral Therapy as a promising modality to help with fibromyagia. The Upledger Institute has taught many therapists who work across the world to work with clients through soft and gentle listening and melding with the Craniosacral System. Often my clients enjoy this manual therapy over massage because they don’t feel pain with the touch, nor do they feel sore afterwards. Their brains feel calmer and their bodies relax.

If you’d like to find out more about how Craniosacral Therapy can help you, check out the Upledger website. Find a Craniosacral Therapist, call and interview each practitioner until it feels like the best fit for you. Let me know on my blog how it goes, because I like to hear how CST can help!

Sharon Hartnett CST-D

703 509-1792

www.craniosacraltherapistcolumbus.com

6797 N. High St. #333 Worthington, Ohio 43085

How to Get a Good Nights Sleep: Craniosacral

by SharonHartnett | Aug 4, 2024 | craniosacral, Craniosacral Therapy, Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K, upledger institute

Nothing helps me to get a good nights Sleep More than Craniosacral Therapy!

Are you one of those people who tosses and turns at night? The racing thoughts keeping you wide awake? Well I am.After Menopause, I found myself sleeping less and less.

One of the best things I decided to do is take Magnesium and other supplements which relax my body. But even better, I started treating myself to Craniosacral Therapy sessions once every week or two. That really calmed me down a lot. Something about the combination though worked best for me. Mostly because the tension inside melted away.

I am not a nutritionist. But I am a Craniosacral Therapist myself.Almost everyday I see how Craniosacral Treatments relax the nervous system. The peace of mind that arises after a session fills the room. It’s palpable in the joy that is present when a person can relax deeply inside.

The more that we nourish our bodies, minds, and spirit, we break the stressful patterns. We create a new way of Being that brings us deeper rest and Wellbeing.

Create your life afresh through inner calm.

Sharon Hartnett CST-D

703 509-1792

www.craniosacraltherapistcolumbus.com

6797 N. High St. Worthington, Ohio 43085