If you’re living with chronic pain and you’re in Columbus or Worthington, I want to say this first: pain isn’t the problem. It’s a signal.

Most people try to push through pain or ignore it. Some rely on medication to get by. Sometimes that helps short-term. But chronic pain usually doesn’t resolve that way. It gets stored in the body. Over time, things tighten, movement changes, and the pain becomes part of daily life.

What actually helps is learning how to listen to the body and meet the pain in a way that is right for you.

Why Somatic Work Helps Chronic Pain

I’ve worked with people in pain for nearly 30 years. What I’ve seen again and again is that chronic pain doesn’t just live in muscles or joints. It lives in the nervous system, the fascia, and the tissues themselves.

This is where somatic work—like craniosacral therapy, gentle bodywork, or Hakomi-informed approaches—can make a real difference. Instead of forcing change, we meet what’s there and allow the body to respond.

Medication can dull pain. Somatic work helps the body reorganize so the pain doesn’t need to stay.

Pain Is Different for Everyone

There isn’t one kind of chronic pain. Everyone carries it differently. Body structure, stress, emotional history, and past injuries all play a role.

That’s why I don’t follow a formula. In my practice in Columbus and Worthington, I meet each person where they are. The body tells the story. My job is to listen. Most of the work is listening and gentle touch, but sometimes I do go deeper at points if that is what the body calls for. For some people, I will refer out if they need a wonderful massage therapist. One I recommend locally is Mia Mogavero. If I feel someone needs more active motion, I’ll add to the healing team and highlight people like Kelsey at Shift Motion. She offers great pilates classes which can help get movement, balance and strength in alignment. I am always looking toward my client’s real needs first.

Listening Changes Everything

Especially in the beginning, it can be important to talk about the pain—how it started, what it feels like, what makes it worse or better. Pain wants to be acknowledged.

After that, I listen more with my hands than with words. I follow the tissues, the fluids, and the subtle movements in the body. Over time, the body begins to show us what it needs.

Some people like quiet sessions. Others need to talk. Both are fine. There’s no right way to heal.

Chronic Pain Is Often Old Pain

Most long-term pain isn’t just about what’s happening now. It’s layered. Old injuries. Old stress. Sometimes old trauma.

Earlier in my career, I worked more assertively through Structural Integration. Change often happened quickly. Now I work mostly with craniosacral therapy. It’s gentler. Slower. Built on trust. For many people, it leads to deeper and more lasting relief.

When Trauma Is Part of the Picture

Some people don’t feel much in their bodies at all, especially if they learned early on to disconnect to survive. In those cases, we go slowly. Sometimes touch isn’t the starting point. Sometimes it’s simply sitting, listening, and establishing safety.

Healing doesn’t need to be forced.

Restoring Movement and Ease

The body is meant to move. Every tissue has its own rhythm. Chronic pain often shows us where that movement has been restricted—commonly in the neck, the cranial base, or the fascia.

When those areas are supported with care, things can soften. Movement returns. Pain often settles on its own.

The Way Through Chronic Pain

Pain isn’t something to fight. It’s information. It’s asking for attention and support.

If you’re looking for chronic pain relief in Columbus or Worthington, Ohio, my approach is gentle, respectful, and led by your body. You’re always in charge. We move at your pace.

Sharon Hartnett CST-D
(614) 653-8111
www.craniosacraltherapistcolumbus.com