SharonHartnett | Lighten Up Therapies

Low Back Pain

by SharonHartnett | Aug 9, 2015 | Structural Integration

Low Back Pain is a Common Problem

In the current AMTA Massage Therapy Journal, it states that, “Generally speaking about 80 percent of the adults ages 30-60 in the United States have reported suffering from lower back pain at some time in their lives. According to the National Institutes of Health, its is a leading contributor to missed work days and job-related disability.”

On a positive note, low back pain can often be alleviated if dealt with proactively or in the early stages.

low back pain relieved with massage

Some of the best things you can do is to improve your posture. Here are a few ideas:

While I have studied and practice various modalities of body and healing work, I find the best results for performance enhancement and pain relief such as with low back pain with Rolfing types of Work called Structural Integration (SI). Structural Integration works with both dysfunctional patterns in the fascia and gravity to bring the body back into healthy alignment. During the ten sessions, I work with different areas of the body, until I help the client find their structural integrity so that they can move in better balance, more length, and with more vitality through life. However, if someone is have an acute low back pain issue, we can often see great pain relief in just one session.
One of the best things you can do for posture is to exercise. Yoga, Pilates and other types of sport can build and strengthen core connection and flexibility. However, it’s important to know that you want to go for symmetry and length in the body as a target.
If you are working seated most of the day, take a few moments every 1/2 hour or so and stand and stretch.
While you sit, imagine doing so with a tall straight, but flexible spine. Imagine a sting pulling the top of your head up.
Keep your feet on the floor when you sit.
When you stand allow your shoulders to pull back but relaxed.
Keep your knees soft.
Tuck your lower anterior ribs in.
Practice pelvic tilts.
Lie on your back with knees up and explore your feet connection from the balls of your foot to the heel. Body awareness!
When you sleep on your side, put a pillow between your legs.
Sleeping on your side is better than sleeping on your belly for low back pain.
Doing the Cat-Cow and Cobra Yoga exercise daily can be great for low back pain too!
General Massage can help with muscle aches, tenderness or spasms. Also with stiffness and lack of mobility.

Low Back pain can be helped by becoming proactive in your life. However, if the pain is extreme-make sure you don’t ignore it.

Call your physician for an appointment:

The majority of herniated disc problems occur between L4 and L5. If you are feeling any tingling, numbness or weakness, this may be more than a soft tissue issue. While massage is usually still very helpful, you may want to contact your doctor and let him/her know that you are experiencing these symptoms.

Sharon Hartnett CST, SI, LMT

Columbus, Ohio 740 966-5153

Healing Old Trauma with Massage

by SharonHartnett | Aug 6, 2015 | craniosacral, Massage, Structural Integration

Love with Mindful Contact is the Best Healer for Trauma

Trauma can start young. Children are naturally trusting and they have basic needs. They look to adults for acceptance, love, nourishment and so much more so that they can grow and thrive in this world.

Yet statistics say that child abuse is reported every 10 seconds.

In most cases, children adapt and survive many cases of abuse and trauma, but that doesn’t mean that the mind and body have processed the whole experience/s.

So as adults, often in a trusting massage relationship, emotions and sensations come up as the body eventually reveals old patterns that may have developed as a trauma defensive reaction. Traumas can include something like falling off a bike as a child, being scared by a loud argument, re-occurring abandonment situations or being terrorized by an event.

Most people have touched into some type of trauma whether small or life impacting and developed strategies to cope with life without being fully aware. But through a series of mindful Craniosacral Therapy or other types of bodywork- the body’s own intelligence can set the pace for healing. Not only in the body, but the sensory information is related to the brain as well to restore balance.

Opening the human heart through gentle contact to heal past trauma.

Craniosacral Therapy

Sharon Hartnett LMT, and Certified Advanced Craniosacral Therapist has trained to work with trauma at the Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute, the Hakomi Institute, and the Upledger Institute to understand how the body holds and can release trauma in a safe and comfortable environment. She has worked with soldiers, victims of rape, neglected children and adults who face physical challenges due to accidents in their childhood.

In the Craniosacral Therapy sessions, licensed counseling is not provided , but what does happens is that dialogue can help the process open up. As the younger “child consciousness” shows up organically, support and love are held without judgment. When the younger energy is acknowledged, accepted, cared for, and allowed to feel deeply in the body, often the process is able to complete and no longer circulates as anxiety and reactionary systems anymore.

Sometimes, when talk therapy doesn’t help with a physical challenge, going to a trained Craniosacral Therapist CST, who trained in ethics and in holding a compassionate container to support their clients in this process, will be the way through. When no other avenues have helped you to integrate, the body intelligence may be able to complete your healing through the mind, body, and spirit connection.

It’s important to say that this is more of a self educational type of session as Craniosacral Therapists are not necessarily licensed psychologists or such. The Craniosacral Sessions are one of Self-Discovery that has helped many to find inner peace and love.

All information shared during sessions is confidential.

For more information, contact Sharon Hartnett CST-d in Columbus, Ohio

703 509-1792

www.craniosacraltherapistcolumbus.com

Headache Relief with Craniosacral Therapy

by SharonHartnett | Aug 5, 2015 | craniosacral, Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K

Help my headache go away!

Headaches show up for a variety of reasons… What’s important for you to know is that there are some things that can be very helpful for headache relief, and one of those things is Craniosacral Massage Therapy.

Help your headache with Craniosacral Therapy

Craniosacral Therapy for Headache Relief!

With Craniosacral Therapy, the therapist first tunes into the whole body by listening to the Craniosacral rhythm and palpating the fascial restrictions and tension. Through the practiced light touch of Craniosacral Therapy, one feels supports and follows the internal body wisdom to help the fascia soften… lengthen, often following with the body feeling more energized. With the intention of helping to sooth the headache, the next thing a seasoned therapist will do after listening to the entire body is to go to the diaphragms and release the tight layers. Since the body’s fascia is continuous, it’s important to make sure that other sources away from the head are freed up too.

When that is accomplished, one of the best techniques to release pain in the head is to Release the Cranial Base. This technique feels wonderfully therapeutic and often clients breathe a sigh of release when this is done:

1.The first aspect of this technique is to position the fingertips gently into the soft tissue posterior to the atlas (C1) as the tension melts away.
2.Next, the fingertips form a platform with straight fingers that aim towards the ceiling and then towards the eyes. This may be a little sore due to tightness, but to most people, it is the kind of feeling that feels quite good. Eventually the head will drop down into the hands and the atlas floats freely.
3.Part three of the Occipital Base Release aims to release the occiput from the atlas. This is accomplished by tractioning the occiput superiorly, while making sure that C1 stays stable.
4.To make this release even better, the hands continue to hold the head while fingertips spread the condyles laterally which effectively open restrictions along the cranial base and around the foramen magnum.
5.The final touch includes a gentle release of the dural tube with a delicate traction.
This whole process of working with the Cranial Base allows better flow through the Cranial Vault. It relieves pressure from along the major nerves. In addition to this wonderful new opening, a Stillpoint would be included. It also helps to alleviate pain and strengthen the nervous system’s balance. The Upledger Institute sells a Stillpoint Red Tool that I highly recommend for clients to buy for in between sessions. With about 10 minutes per day, there should be a significant improvement with headache pains.

Check into the Stillpoint Inducer at this link to help you maintain a Pain Free life: Stillpoint inducer

Sharon Hartnett CST 740 966-5153

Now Serving the Columbus Ohio area!

Craniosacral and Tools for Foot Pain

by SharonHartnett | Aug 1, 2015 | craniosacral, Craniosacral Therapy, Massage, Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K, Structural Integration

Foot Pain: As we get older, we pick up certain habitual patterns that contribute to how we feel and move.

Personally I have had issues with my right foot for years from a childhood sprain and twisting. The best I felt was about 20 years ago after going through a Rolfing 10 series. After we finished, I remember feeling so great and actually standing taller that I decided to study Structural Integration (SI) myself. For years now, I have been doing SI work and I have seen miraculous changes with my clients. But since I have integrated Craniosacral Therapy, some Feldenkrais that I learned and a few basic tools into my daily practice and table work, I have shared these concepts in order to help others. I like to see people get better!

So here is what helps me and my clients:

Structural Integration helps the whole body come into alignment. Myofascial relationships shift and work more efficiently with gravity.
Craniosacral Therapy (CST) relieves dysfunctional issues in the cranium and brain, and also with the fascia. In addition, it helps to enhance fluidity around the joints and in the tissues and to support a nervous system that helps clients to feel balanced and more vitalized.
The below tools have helped me too and give me a sense of self-empowerment to change.

The roller, red ball and Yamuna foot fitness tools can be used daily to break up old patterns in the feet. But this goes way beyond just the foot. As the tension there begins to melt, the tissues going up the leg and trunk change too. You will start to feel your hips changing and your posture relaxing. Use your daily practice as medicine, and I invite you to go out on a limb and find some good bodyworkers to facilitate.

Good-Bye to Foot Pain!

Blessed day and blessed feet to you!

Sharon Hartnett LMT, CST, SI & Brennan Healing Practitioner

740 966-5153

Columbus, Ohio

www.massageincolumbusohio.com

Sports Conditioning with Massage in Columbus

by SharonHartnett | Jul 26, 2015 | sports, Structural Integration

Sports Massage is a Specialty.

It is focused on performance.

Many different techniques have been used to help athletes work optimally. Just to name a few: friction, stretching, range of motion, effleurage, compression, and deep strokes have been part of a typical routine to help circulation, lymph flow, and enhanced neurological functioning. Massage can be enjoyed before or after an event based on the needs of the athlete.

I like to think that there is an even better way to help sports-oriented people feel and challenge themselves.

Structural Integration which is based on fascia and myofascial relationships is key in allowing the body to release tension, rotations, and restrictions. When I have worked on athletes, young and old alike, I have seen dramatic changes which have increased mobility and allowed more space for the body to lengthen and perform better. Clients are amazed at how this type of work helps where others have not!

In the best 10 series, clients connect to their line. What this means, is that a vector of sorts is felt from their grounding to the top of the head which allows them to move more freely in relationship to gravity. Being in alignment creates better efficiency in rest and in motion! During a 10 Sessions Set, the Structural Integration Therapist starts with the upper body, and then moves to the lower, and then integrates superficially. After that, the work deepens into core and continues to balance and re-educate the athlete to work with more ease. By the last session, well- everything comes together in a new way. Clients feel more energized.

sports massage columbus

The three areas that most athletes call for a massage visit that I see are:

1. Performance Enhancement- Bringing symmetry, more vitality and balance into the body.

2. Sore Muscles

3. Injury/Restoration/Scar Tissue

Working with the fascia can be extremely beneficial in all three of these areas.

If you would like to find out more, call: Sharon Hartnett, LMT, SI, CST, and Brennan Healing Science. at:

740 966-5153

www.massageincolumbusohio.com

East of Columbus, Ohio