Years Ago, Dr. Ida Rolf discovered that as we grow older, our fascia thickens and our body loses its natural flexibility. She was a great innovative pioneer in understanding the physiology of manipulative medicine way before her time. She knew that if we could touch into the fascia and re-hydrate, reorganize and lengthen that tissue, that the body would heal itself. Today our knowledge of fascia has increased multi-fold, and the door is still wide open for so much more learning on how to live more fully in wellness and vitality through touching into the Fascial System.
Touch
Mere mindful touch in itself can be very healing. Massage is well known to increase the endorphin and serotonin chemicals which in turn help reduce pain and regulate mood. Clients have a body experience of this when they finish a session and get up feeling more stress free and relaxed.
Focused work on the fascial system takes this work to an even deeper level. Because the facial system is an all encompassing network of connective tissue that contains the organs, muscles, and bones and holds this all together, it makes the perfect conduction system to transmit healing throughout the whole body at a quick speed. When a Structural Integration Therapist or a Craniosacral Therapist touch into the fascial system, it sends new information rapidly across this vast network of this interconnected web, allowing a new dialogue to release adhesions and their impacts, as well as opening the body to self-correcting measures.
So What Does this Mean to You?
It means that because you are a whole person, that a massage therapist that is experienced with fascial work is going to be able to help create global change within your body. Imagine if you would that underneath your skin is a wetsuit of connective tissue. But it doesn’t stop there, it delves into the deeper wrapping around everything, shaping your form and allowing for communication. When one place gets distorted or out of alignment, it pulls on the very fabric of your physicality out of balance and proper functioning. The good news is that by addressing this fascia from a superficial perspective down into the deeper levels through a series call the “Recipe”, that your alignment could be re-established and with a some good Craniosacral work, your nervous system can balance and help you to feel healthy and optimal again.
Pain Go Away!
When You Think about Massage Again, ask if your therapist knows about Fascial Work.
This type of bodywork has the same benefits as a Swedish Massage and more… the benefits are actually longer lasting.
Just a quick note on the deep feeling and sensing of the work: While the work may be more uncomfortable at times than light effleurage strokes, pain often will resolve itself much quicker and often disappears completely. For more information, check out the Upledger Institute for a therapist near you.
At some point in our lives, most of us have faced some type of medical challenges.
Who hasn’t at one point or another faced an illness or an injury of some sort?
In my practice, I have had clients walk in with a variety of ailments, diseases and physical pain.
I am not a doctor who diagnoses or prescribes, but with the art and science of touch, I have seen some wonderful results for my clients with massage and bodywork that have addressed their issues so that they can relax and breath easier. It’s clear to see that people facing medical challenges are looking for healing and pain relief and my job is to listen and use the many years of experience I have behind me as a licensed massage therapist to help them feel better in their body. My intention is support re-education of the body to help it remember its own healing abilities to self-correct. This can have wondrous benefits! When pain dissolves and the body is functioning with more ease and vitality, in most cases… mental and emotional health also reappears again. It’s difficult to live in joy when one is focused on physical pain. When the body feels better, it’s amazing how different life feels.
Some of the best areas of health that massage therapists can treat are neurological, muscular and respiratory. Especially with Craniosacral Therapy, clients see great improvement with neck and back pain, migraines, headaches, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, frozen shoulder, and pain associated with arthritis. What’s so great about Craniosacral Therapy (CST) is that it is so gentle that even clients who are facing cancer and treatments can enjoy this relaxing touch, as long as their doctors approve. On a deep level of contact, being held and connected with others is very healing in itself. CST as it worked wight the fluid around the brain and spine can promote profound change and balance. With massage and bodywork, you also get restored motion by release of restrictions that have been stopping the flow of your optimal functioning.
Massage may feel like a luxury, but really it is much more than that.
A note about insurance:
In most states, massage therapy is not covered by medical insurance like a doctor’s visit. However, some insurances that are more flexible, may offer certain allowances. Make sure you call your insurance company to see what type of benefits they provide. Massage Therapists can give you a receipt and any information that is required regarding your sessions.
If you live in Central Ohio, and have been looking to develop a healing relationship with a Licensed Massage Therapist and/or Certified Craniosacral Therapist,call:
Sharon Hartnett LMT
(614) 372-6598
*15 minute free phone consultation with any questions you may have.
It takes years to find yourself in chronic back pain.
Many people think back pain comes from pulling a certain muscle or moving wrong. Most likely your structural alignment has been out for a while and your muscle groups are not balanced. Back pain is born through the way that we habitually move our bodies and the consequences of our physical action then take on certain rotations, contractions and dysfunctional patterns. When the back begins to spasm, that is usually the tip of the iceberg that lets you know that you need help in healing prolonged unhealthy postural patterns.
Build a Holistic Plan to relieve back pain for overall health and wellbeing.
I know…I know… that most people want to find a “fix” and feel better immediately when their backs hurt. Who wants to live with back pain?
It is possible to go in for a massage session, a few physical therapy appointments, see a chiropractor or to get a prescription from your medical doctor to ease the pain. These can all be helpful. However, is this what is going to help you live pain free in the future?
When any illness or pain calls you to bed, it is helpful to take the time to inquire into your self-care. Ask yourself, “How am I eating?”, “Am I sleeping well?l”, “Do I get enough exercise?”, and “Am I dong whatever I need to do to feel healthy and vital?” Do you realize the importance of putting your health first?
With our busy lifestyles, there are not many people who can answer yes to all of these. So if you want to feel better, it is important to begin to prioritize your health. And realize- that it took you some time to get into illness and/or pain and it may take a commitment to long-term exploration to re-connect to your wellness.
As a Craniosacral Therapy bodywork and healer, I do get a lot of people who come in for one or two sessions and they do get relief for sure. It’s easy to move into the back fascial tissues and relieve the tension there. The clients are happy for a while. But whatever relief you get there is most likely temporary, even with fascial work when it is only applied locally. From my perspective after 15 years in the business of relieving pain, in order to feel health success, the people who dedicate themselves to a comprehensive health plan are the ones who walk away pain free longterm and able to do the things that excite them. Clients who are proactive and even those who come in after an injury benefit best when they value their own health enough to do whatever it takes to find alignment on all the levels of their wellness. When we change our thoughts and bodies,we change the way we experience life.
So if you are facing chronic back pain, allow that be a signal to you that it would be a smart idea to holistically set your intention to creating a “health plan” to get better overall. Clean up your diet, decrease your stress, find an experience bodywork and commit to some long term goals to improve your sense of wellbeing. If you don’t care about your health, who will?
Life styles are based on the choices we make day in and day out. We are creatures of habit, so start slow and make small decisions that are easy to change. This is not an all or nothing situation unless you are very ill. You’ll be surprised if you pace yourself and find the right support team how much better you will feel!
For a local Upledger Certified Craniosacral Therapist and Structural Integration Practitioner in Columbus, Ohio, contact Sharon Hartnett
Call: (614) 372-6598
Locations in Victorian Village and Johnstown, Ohio
I know that most people don’t even know what fascia is…
That’s why I have been talking about fascia on my blog here and also in Florida www.integrativesoulandbodywork.com. There is so much new information coming out about the importance of fascia and how much the quality of its health determines how we are feeling and living.
If you haven’t ever had a visual of this living tissue, I have found a great youtube clip that I would like to share here:
Fascia may not look like much to you, but this material is what enables you to support your bodies in everything that you do. This continuous fabric of life envelops all the organs, bones, muscles and allows communication and nourishment so that we can exist. This is very exciting that we are now looking closer at and understanding the importance of fascia in our everyday living.
Sharon Hartnett LMT, CST
(740) 966-5153 in Columbus Ohio
Certified Advanced Craniosacral Therapist integrating Structural Integration and CST to help you feel aligned on every level!
Wellness through Craniosacral Therapy is our goal.
Often clients are faced with challenges that take them off track for some reason. It could be unrelenting chronic or acute physical pain, feelings of anxiety, anger and rage that have no place to be expressed, or a sense of disconnect from the rest of life. Whatever your problem is, if you are having a hard time resolving it alone, you have come to the right place to start your journey to Wellness. We work holistically within our practice, and with other therapists and doctors as a team. We are here to help you move toward your goals of health.
How does Craniosacral Therapy Work for You?
Craniosacral Therapy is a system that requires an experienced practitioner to listen to the healing intelligence of your body, and energy field to support your health. By bringing our technical and palpation skills to your session, your body can begin to self-correct and release old dysfunctional patterns. This is accomplished by gently following your body tissues and moving along with your natural CS rhythms to enliven and hydrate the tissues and nervous system. As new information is introduced, a dialoguing process activates more efficient body functionality overall. When the mind of the body gets re-educated, the brain changes too.
At the end of a session, clients often get up off the table feeling relaxing changes working throughout their bodies and thinking. When people talk about the mind, body & spirit connection, it means that by sensing change on any of the physical, emotional, or other aspects of life, one spectrum can support healing onto the other. As bodyworkers, often our intention is to awaken your sense of Source through skilled touch. As indicated by the title of this blog, “Wellness is a connection of paths: knowledge and action.” One system connecting with another opens the possibilities to shift into a more whole way of living.
Wellness
At Lighten Up Therapies we offer an array of different modalities to help you on your journey to Wholeness. Our hope is to help you awaken to your Source. It is in the richness of the inner experience that healing can be activated.
For more questions on Craniosacral Therapy in Columbus, Ohio, please call Sharon Hartnett LMT at:
-When I tell people I specialize in Craniosacral Therapy, they often ask me to describe what it is. While Craniosacral Therapy has been around for a while, it is just now coming more into the forefront as being known as an effective integrative health approach. So in order to bring even more clarity to this field of healing, I want to present this short blog entry. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me, Sharon Hartnett, LMT, for a free 15 minute phone consultation
703 509-1792
Craniosacral Therapy is a light touch type of bodywork that enhances the functioning of the whole body by working primarily with the Cerebrospinal fluid around the nervous system. This is done with palpation from the feet all the way to the head. The name “Craniosacral Therapy” can be misleading because while the main focus is on listening at the cranium and the sacral area, this gentle manual therapy may be approached from anywhere on the body. During a session, a client remains fully clothed and lies down on the table for about an hour. The therapist will follow listening stations and help the body find its own healing course. Craniosacral Therapy’s relaxing and balancing effects may be felt physically, emotionally and spiritually throughout the session and afterwards.
Craniosacral Flow
A Craniosacral Therapist is a listener of the craniosacral rhythm much like a Counselor may listen to the words of a client. As the session progresses, the client often calms down and lets go of stresses and pain. The therapist is guided by the body’s own intelligence to follow any dysfunctional patterns and to help the system to self-correct. The quality, symmetry and strength of the craniosacral movements are strong indicators if there are restrictions or weakness in a certain area. As certain patterns are tenderly touched, unwinding and lengthening may occur allowing healthier interaction between the nervous system and the tissues. Often people who come to a Craniosacral Therapist for a series of sessions after finding no relief elsewhere end up feeling more vitality and release of deep pain patterns.
For a quick Youtube layout of the work, check out one of my earlier teacher’s explanation of the work:
Craniosacral Therapy has been helpful with relieving traumas from the body on many different levels. Once these traumatic experiences are processed in a healthy environment, the person usually feels freed up to live more fully from a clear more positive intentional place.
Sharon Hartnett CST-Diplomate specializes in helping people with anxiety & related issues, concussions, and chronic pain.
Craniosacral Therapy can help you to find center. With any questions, call Sharon Hartnett LMT at 703 509-1792
