Have you noticed the suffering that passes through the generations?
By taking a stand for your own health and wellbeing, you can give back that which came before you, and set good boundaries for those who try and pull you into the family drama.
Craniosacral Therapy is a kind and powerful set of techniques that listens to the wisdom of your body. The tissue tensions release and often clients find themselves discovering more clarity as emotions release and integrate, and images and beliefs surface into the present. The body holds our history, and when the compensations release- our past habits do as well. Our organization in how we interact with the world changes.
Unlearning painful family dynamics, and discovering your power of voice and creative is freeing and sets you on your own course. Your fate belongs to you.
If you would like to find out more about Craniosacral Therapy, please feel free to give me a call for a free 10 minute phone consultation.
Does Craniosacral Therapy help you to heal longstanding chronic pain, anxiety, stress?
It’s a great question.
The best that I can tell you is that in my 25+ years of bodywork practice, I have switched over my practice primarily to Craniosacral Therapy (CST) because I do see how much it benefits my clients.
Day after day, I see people relax and feel better than when they walked in. The most notable change is when a client comes in each week for a period of time. Why? because with CST, we are addressing the Central Nervous System to find a way to heal itself. We facilitate the change, but we only do this by listening to your body’s own Inner Wisdom to heal. And as it was your mind and its relationship to your body that made all the choices to get to the point of pain, the mind must awaken and find another way to live. One that is kinder, gentler and more open. When stress leaves your body on a deep level, you’d be amazed and how much easier life becomes. It takes time to undo and unlearn all the bad habits from the past, and to create a more free authentic way of living for yourself.
Does it work is a subjective perspective for the client most often. From a therapist perspective, I feel the changes happening underneath my hands and fingertips. Fascia is unwinding, and organs and muscles find better motion. It feels like everything is becoming more revitalized and balanced. However, some clients feel a lot happening if they are sensitive to their bodies, and for others who don’t usually pay attention physically, they may not feel much at all. But that does not stop the work from doing what it needs to do to help produce more peace, alignment and yes- joy in the body. It’s always important for a therapist to meet the client where they are, and help them journey inward to release and integrate dysfunctional issues, and to bring a person back to center. This can take time and patience. It usually does. In the longrun, I have seen lives changed dramatically in a positive way.
Sometimes I get clients in who want to be fixed in a day. This doesn’t work. Clients may feel a big shift in one session. I know that I have gotten off the table when I was a client myself, and felt like I had moved through lifetimes of stuckness which released. But to get the full effects, life is a process. We are multi-dimensional beings that have to shed behaviors and habits that no longer serve our bodies and our sense of self. This is not usually a one day fix. Rather- it is a commitment to work through whatever is holding you back so that you can lovingly break through and make a better “Present”.
I would recommend that people try at least 10 sessions. Yet usually one experiences an integrative positive change in 3. Sometimes the work is so subtle. Yet, usually after this amount of work, clients get off my table and remark how much different they feel, for the better. It has often been gradual, but it is more permanent than other types of bodywork/massage that I have practiced or received. So yes, Craniosacral Therapy Works. But you’ll have to try it yourself to have yor own experience! It’s important to invest in making yourself see yourself as valuable enough to show up and receive.
The belief that I carry with intention, is that we are all worthy of feeling great and aligned in our lives, so that we can create abundantly and with peace and joy.
Meditation is Bliss! Life is so busy these days. It’s rare to naturally find the time to relax and enjoy doing nothing. Yet it is important for each of us to have a safe and quiet space to let our guard down and just “Be”. It does take intention to give this gift to ourselves.Have you ever sat in the silence of a moment? The preciousness is sacred and often quite peaceful~Meditation is a practice that teaches focus on awareness. It brings more clarity, along with an expanding open mind~Mindfulness allows one to explore both what is happening inside and outside with a fullness that feels ripe and complete. It helps to bridge the two through healthy integration~
Most people believe meditation is all about stopping thoughts that seem to be looping through our minds. In fact, it is more about training the mind to bring conscious attention to exactly what does spring forth in the moment from the well of our thoughts and deeper. It is about finding an appreciation for all of creation, making it easier and easier to be in acceptance to what IS.
Meditation can be done on a walk through nature. It can be done sitting in a jail cell. It is an awakening tool that can be done anywhere and anytime for free. Putting in the time will bring rewards much greater than anything else you can do. You might find that with a little curiosity and mindful awareness that you will go deeper and feel more alive than ever before.
Meditation can be done in any religion. It can be done with no belief at all. Each person has a capacity to discover oneself. The pathway is available for all who commit to walk the path. Take the time to care for yourself. Find a quiet place in your home, outside, where’ve you feel comfortable the most. That way you can relax when you first begin. Then let the practice of meditation take flight.
Craniosacral Therapy can help you too with this process. It is a type of bodywork that includes meditation with guidance. It supports integration of the mind, body &soul. If you are interested in journey together, call Sharon Hartnett CST-D for a free phone consultation at 740 966-5153 in Columbus, Ohio.
As Children, We grow up believing much of what we are taught.
The first half of life, we as children absorb and live through many experiences which form our world. We as children, usually question everything wanting to understand how life on earth works. In this, we make the best decisions we can that will help us navigate and live in harmony and love. For the most part, we want to feel included, and part of the systems in which we find ourselves. We do almost anything to feel like we belong. There is a certain safety in that. We listen and often do what we are told. We accept the world around us, when it makes sense, and even when it does not.
As we grow a little older, we start to press up against our parents, our teachers, and community leaders to find out more about the question, “Who Am I”. Often we are confused, and our bodies change, and our world too. We lean toward our peers, and friends become important players in our lives. Many of the beliefs that we were raised with will help shape how we choose to interact with those around us. We often move towards or against. Sometimes when we choose the easier path, we ride the wave.
By the time we start our own families, beliefs start to become a powerful force in how we create. Young adults will eventually start to question all the things that come back to them from their outer world. To become empowered individuals, they will have to learn how to make their own decisions free from other people’s thoughts. Wise parents will teacher their kids to be independent thinkers, and to not take any beliefs too seriously, but rather to try on different hats, and to experience life to the fullest. But they will also have to help define boundaries and learn to respond rather than react. Maturity means becoming responsible and owning the choices we make.
Our children eventually leave, and we find ourselves as empty nesters. When we are fortunate to retire our jobs, we are sometimes given the opportunity to find our real life’s work. If we are even luckier, we rekindle our passions as follow that path. This is a wonderful time to re-question what we think and how we want to do things. If we are open enough with curiosity and wonder, we may even become more clear that reality is not what we once believed. We may understand that the moment in which we now live is rich and it is ours to travel.
As we age into our later years, we start to think about death. Our parents have left years ago. Our friends start to pass too. We grieve. We fear. And yet we know that our time in this life is shorter. At this point we can let go of everything that has ever stressed us. We know that we can’t take anything with us when we cross that bridge. There is a certain freedom awaiting us. And that possibility in the Unknown is Wide and Deep. We can either embrace the mystery, or resist. But we know that we are the authors of our own destiny.
At any of this moments in our lives, God gives us the opportunity to believe or not. We are always given the gift of questioning. Sometimes along the way, we take things so seriously. We get entangled into what is right, and what is wrong. We often throw away important relationships for the sake of what we are believing. It’s not a bad thing to let go or walk away. But if you want to be a Truthful Authentic Human Being, be willing to step into another person’s shoes, ask questions, open up to other possibilities you could never imagine. Invite new things in. When you judge others, notice that. See how your criticisms affect the situation you are in. Do they serve you or do they not? Be willing to lay down all the things you once thought were important to invite the Light of God back into your heart, even if it has been broken. Especially if it has been broken. There is something so sweet and powerful about being vulnerable in truth. So transformative and empowering.
What say you? Are you willing to surrender into the truth? Take an inventory and throw out the things that limit you from being in your heart?
Can Craniosacral Therapy help relieve symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?
To live through a deeply disturbing event, can afterwards lead a person into overwhelm. The ability to cope with every day life can become very difficult. Each person responds to a trauma differently. What one person can deal with, can be very scary for another to experience. With PTSD, a person could continue to feel anxious, sadness, experience nightmares, or flashbacks. There is help. In conjunction with psychotherapy, massage and bodywork can be very helpful in reducing stress, and in supporting emotional integration.
Reducing PTSD Stress
Healing Team between Psychotherapists and Bodyworkers
Many Massage Therapists and Bodyworkers train to be able to support people who process emotionally when they are the table. While this is not psychotherapy, there is a way that Craniosacral Therapy can offer a sacred space for people who have gone through difficult experiences to move through PTSD symptoms. By creating a safe environment with safe touch, we can dialogue with the Central Nervous System so that it can better regulate. I have witnessed many people release deep tensions, fascial restrictions, and more importantly let go of old stories that no longer serve their health and wellbeing. Often I work with clients who see their psychiatrists and psychotherapists as well. I look at this as the building of a healing team. A successful healing process includes whatever it takes to support the client safely navigating through a frightening internal journey to the other side.
Craniosacral Therapists (CST), in particular, who have gone through SomatoEmotional Release Education are professionally trained at the Upledger Institute to serve in this way. This work is very gentle, powerful and focused on helping the client to find his/her own inner resources to heal. How we do this, is by listening to the Craniosacral Rhythm for any significant stops. While this work is subtle through touch, a trained Craniosacral Therapist can feel when something meaningful is presenting in the body by the change in quality, symmetry, amplitude and rate of the rhythm. Once this happens, a meaningful dialogue whether through touch, feelings, speaking or spiritually oriented experiences often happens. Support and presence are key moment to moment.
On a personal note, I have worked with many clients who are living with anxiety, PTSD, panic attacks to the extent that they have a rough time functioning well on a daily basis. There are times when it may take many sessions before I even place my hands on the client. Intentional Touch has to be done by building trust, and strengthening the bond between the CST and client. Safe touch means taking the time needed to build the relationship necessary so that the Central Nervous System can calm down. This can be done with weekly sessions, but there are also Comprehensive Intensives through the Upledger Work to receive multi-hand work when a person is ready.
SomatoEmotional Release
I enjoy working with people hands on this way. As each client is unique, so too is each Craniosacral Therapist. Along the way, I have studied Hakomi at the Hakomi Institute, and Trauma work with Pat Ogden at SPI. I also studied at taught at the Barbara Brennan School of Healing. There has to be a place where people can find a way to relax in their bodies and to find embodiment at their own pace and in a way that feels nourishing and secure. All people are worthy of a good life that is kind, compassionate and enlivening. I feel blessed to be a Craniosacral Therapist who works holistically with people. I feel honored to work with people who show up to be courageous and work through their dark times.
If you would like to find a SomatoEmotional Release Therapist near you, check out the Upledger Site. My recommendation is to look for a practitioner who is certified and has completed the first four classes. Ask for a consultation to find the best therapist for you.
It is the ability to keep finding solutions that is important; any one solution is temporary. There are no permanently right answers. The capacity to keep changing, to find what works now, is what keeps any organism alive.
Did you know that there are an estimated few million sports concussions and brain injuries each year? Many of those are young athletic children who hit their heads during their daily sports activities. Likewise, there are also many more people who hit their heads while involved in exercise, car accidents, falling off roofs, bikes, and also those who experience such mishaps as slipping on ice or tripping on a sidewalk. The symptoms of a concussion may not feel apparent at the onset of a fall, but these head injuries can often negatively affect the functioning of the brain. It’s important to keep an eye for any indications of a concussion after any forceful head impact. Even more critical is that you take good care of yourself until you heal and follow your doctor’s advice.
My Clients:
These are the types of people with whom I work. Many of my clients who have come in to see me have been in an accident. I’d say about half of them have experienced some type concussion signs. Some also find themselves in chronic pain. While most people do recover pretty well from concussions, there are those who do not. Some of the unresolved issues I have worked with are: confusion, blurry vision, headaches, imbalances, difficulties with concentration, fatigue, and sensitivities to light. Sometimes for months, and even years- my clients had not found any type of relief. Often Craniosacral Therapy is their last stop.
Brain Concussions and Trauma can become a huge disturbance in your life. I have worked with people who have had to quit their jobs and those who have been “let go”, only because there was no cure to pain and disorientation in their head. But rest assured, there is help. One of the places that encouraged me to become specialized in head trauma is the Upledger Institute. They have been doing Comprehensive Intensives with professional athletes at their clinic in Florida. The results of their work and reviews by clients have demonstrated time and time again that the brain can be helped to become better organized biomechanically and supported to self-heal. On a personal note, as I have attended a few 5 day intensives with the Institute both as a support and primary therapist, I have seen what seemed like miracles happen with many clients many time over. Observing improvements like that influenced me to go ahead and receive my Diplomate level expertise to treat just as effectively to bring out optimal health. Over the years, I have seen quite a few people walk out of my office happier and healthier people. They re-discover how to function more clearly in life again. A series of sessions can the symptoms disappear resolve and disappear.
How Brain Work Works
I have been doing massage therapy and bodywork for about 20 years, but the Brain Work that I have learned at the Upledger Institute has given me the tools I need to support my clients Inner Wisdom. During a session with a client who has experienced a concussion, I am often led to dialogue with different parts of the brain, while keeping a holistic picture approach. This can be done quietly biomechanically, but at other times, the client will speak and share his/her experience from this internal environment. The intelligence of the body leads him/her back to health and wellbeing like nothing I have seen before.
What I love about being a Craniosacral Therapist is that the work is so gentle, and it listens to the wisdom of the body to direct the session. All of the facilitation leads you back to the Inner Guidance inside of you leading the session toward your health. The results have been profound as the work releases unhealthy restrictions, and promotes more fluid flow and motion. I am the facilitator who uses learned techniques to treat, but the body and the essence of the person is what heals.
Self Care
If you have hit your head, or someone in your family has, please go see a physician and get yourself diagnosed and treated. It’s important that you focus on self-care. I will say, I have had personal experiences with concussion too. The worst trauma I felt was after I fell off my horse and hit my head. I rested for a month and could hardly do anything. No television. No computer. No reading. Just quiet rest. However, once I could travel, I went straight to the Upledger Institute and put myself in the hands of Craniosacral Therapy. I also found a local therapist here in Columbus too who helped me. I recovered. Ever since, I have made Concussion work my primary focus in my work serving clients.
Free Telephone Consultation If you have been diagnosed with a medical condition or are having questions after talking to your physician, please call me. I offer a free 10 minute phone consultation. Whether you come here, or need assistance to find a therapist near you, I am glad to help. My phone number is 703 509-1792. I enjoy working with people who are ready to turn the tide back to health and wellbeing.
