by SharonHartnett | Oct 22, 2015 | Craniosacral Therapy, Massage, Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K
Nonfatal injuries that occur in the workplace keep many employees away from the job.
Traditional medical approaches such as medication, surgery and physical therapy may not totally support the recovery of a workplace injury. Most Massage Therapists that I have spoken with agree that there can be residual effects for their clients that make it difficult to go back to work if not addressed holistically. Healing touch and presence is where massage can enhance the return process to health.
Massage help for Work Injuries
Massage Therapy is much more than a simple rub. For starters, clients often like to talk during sessions when they feel stressed. Everything in a session is confidential and the client is able to get things off their chest. Anxiety for one is a common side-effect of workplace injury and by feeling safe to feel deeply in the body with care and trust can really help. After work related incidences, clients can feel off kilter. Being gone from work or believing that your job may not be there when you are ready to go back can be frightening. Just having a person to listen in an intimate zone is healthy. While massage therapists do not replace psychotherapy, many learn basic techniques to hold space and to allow for the avenue of expression to open while applying massage techniques. The wisdom of the mind, body and spirit is able to align more easily with this type of approach. Craniosacral Therapy, in particular through the Upledger, is supportive to this process for those who are experienced with SomatoEmotional Release Therapy. Most types of trauma can be helped with mindful massage and bodywork.
Physically, massage relieves tension and creates healthier dialogue within the body. Massage Therapy helps decrease pain transmitters. When clients are in less physical pain, it’s easier to find your way out of depression and lack of sleep. Most adults need between 7-9 hours of rest to function optimally. Without it, employees may feel fatigued, unable to cope with stress, have difficulties making decisions and feel less creative. Quality sleep will help you to get back to work and perform more easily. Feeling better mobility and range of motion from therapeutic touch will brighten your day too!
As a Massage Therapist for about 17 years, I have spoken to many people who have received massage and other types of bodywork. For them, almost every person said they would like to receive more massage therapy, but it isn’t covered by insurance in a lot of instances. This most likely means that people who have gotten hurt, run into the same challenge. The cost is prohibitive to them in their thinking. But I’d like to remind people that massage is not just a luxury. Massage Therapy is one of the greatest ways to relax and unwind. Letting go of your stress patterns is essential to good health. When you find a good parter for you to help you to relax with therapeutic means, life just feels better. So whether you have been injured at work or are experiencing stresses from everyday life, imagine a world where you chose to feel better.
Sharon Hartnett LMT
Serving the Columbus, Ohio area.
(614) 653-8111
www.massageincolumbusohio.com
For more info on massage:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/massage/art-20045743
by SharonHartnett | Oct 20, 2015 | craniosacral, Craniosacral Therapy, Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K, mind body & spirit, Structural Integration, thought for the day
I am not going to get into the physiology of Craniosacral, but rather focus on the experience.
When one thinks about life, there are absolutes and there are relative positions.
Absolutes are either all or nothing. It’s not easy for us to live in absolutes. From childhood, we are taught to identify different things with language. Each thing we name has shades of interpretation. It gives us a way to communicate verbally. It helps our cognitive thinking to grow and expand. Yet our spoken language can be so limiting. Have you ever wanted to write something about an eloquent moment or something that felt rich and sensory, but there just was no way to explain it to another?
When we become aware of our observation while it is watching, we can start to unravel everything that we have learned. Forms and shapes lose the meaning we have placed upon them, and we get to see with fresh eyes. Even deeper than that, we can uncover our true essence as we let go of our stories or attachment to what the outer physical world means to us. Our relative thinking disappears and we unearth a truer joy that it the best word I can find to describe out true selves. Where everything is One, that is the only Absolute. And even this explanation is encased in words.
I have found that as a Craniosacral Therapist that I dance with my clients in the quiet experiences of contact between the nervous systems and all the interconnection dialogue that takes place in a moment, and then in another. The endless thinking patterns can come to a stop and there is a feeling of being present and more fully alive. This doesn’t mean that our histories stop showing up, but we are aware of the “now” and can let those pass by without abuse, suffering or pain more and more as we become attuned to this type of living. The energy that has been trapped and kept in chaos comes into order. SomatoEmotional Release , in particular, is a process that allows our stories to pass through the moment as it clears to completion. More advanced practitioners are well versed in holding space and techniques for this to occur as the mind, body and spirit come together for integration.
Often with Craniosacral, I find that sensitive people are drawn to it. This is because they are experts at tracking their sensations and expression of self. Most of my clients who initially respond to Craniosacral Therapy will feel a lot on the table and walk away feeling great with new understanding. However, I also have clients who prefer deeper myofascial therapy work. I love the fascia, so I am happy to oblige with some Structural Integration or whatever they need. However, as they begin to feel more deeply into their body’s, they too begin to bring awareness to the subtle and find the benefits to such work. In most cases, it is helpful to work deeply at times, and range to the gentle sweet touch of Craniosacral too.
Life is about learning about our relative perspectives, but ultimately to be free, we must let go of the mind to feel and sense deeply as well. So whichever type of touch brings you to a greater awareness, jump into the dance. Feel it all. Wake up to your: touch, sounds, waves, melodies, sights and tastes. Find your fullness and feel the emptiness. Life is for the living and it’s all here.
Craniosacral Columbus
I have found that Craniosacral is a very enlivening type of therapy that revitalizes and evokes the deeper happenings of the soul.
FAQ Page
Sharon Hartnett CST-D
Worthington, Ohio|Serving the Columbus Area
614 653-8111
To find out more about Craniosacral Therapy, check out my main page.
by SharonHartnett | Sep 18, 2015 | Aromatherapy, craniosacral, Craniosacral Therapy, Massage, Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K
In this day and age, almost every town has a person who is a Healer.
But what is a Healer?
Traditionally, we have gone to physicians, and nurses to help us to heal in recent times. However, in the last 30 years or so, there has been a resurgence of more natural types of healing. Dr. Weil is the first professional person that I can think of who opened the door to integrative therapies into the mainstream. Deepak Chopra also comes to mind as leader in bringing the mind, body and spirit connection to the media with famous people like Oprah Winfrey. Dr. Barbara Brennan intrigued us with her book “Hands of Light” as it sold thousands of books connecting the Human Energy field with health and the disease process. With a focus now on practices like: yoga, meditation, energy healing, nutrition, stress relief techniques and hands on type of massage and bodywork, people are moving into a more open area of healing after not finding what they need from the old western paradigm.
Online and in conversations, I have heard some people raise doubt to the proof of success for these integrative practices. And that makes sense to me. If a person is only open to thinking a certain way, it is very difficult to receive benefits from something as subjective as being held, or cared for with compassion and feeling. Yet tests and studies have been made which have shown wonderful positive changes after treatments such as Craniosacral Therapy and Structural Integration. Incredible miracles have occurred when people come together in mindfulness and bring their awareness to things like “peace” and “harmony”. Yet these still have not always easy to prove as an ideal healing methods. Healing is a personal journey that will be taken by your sense of individual self. A greater sense of expansion will call you home if you listen.
If you are on your healing path, eventually you will realize that the “Healer” you are looking for is within yourself. There is an intelligence that lies within that is deeper than anyone else’s practice that can truly help. On the same note, we are not meant to do anything alone. And whichever healing path you decide to take, there is a dance. Listen to your deepest longing and reach out. Allow that connection to heal from the external to within. And that experience will now always exist inside of you. It can not be taken away unless you offer it into the land of forgetfulness. Often when the healer leaves, the client may not feel as empowered enough to maintain what has been received. However, after more sessions and positive mirroring, the client begins to resource within for what is needed more easily. So to be clear, the Healing and Healer lies within each of us, but facilitation and relationship are key to humans health and wellbeing.
Whether you decide to see a Medical Doctor, PT, Chiropractor, Acupuncturist or Massage Therapist, make your decisions by listening to your inner “Truth Voice”. It will lead you to the right person who will facilitate your health and wellness goals in that moment. Stay while it works, question when it stops, and be in the moment with whatever is showing up. The Universe will show you what you need even when your habitual thinking gets into the way.
If you are looking for that great person to make it all better, just look into the mirror and look. Nobody else is going to do it for you, but there are lots of wonderful caring people who will help you on your way with the tools they have in their pocket and hearts.
Sharon Hartnett LMT
Columbus, Ohio
Craniosacral Therapist and a lot of other things….
(614) 653-8111
by SharonHartnett | Aug 1, 2015 | Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K, craniosacral, Craniosacral Therapy, Massage, 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
(614) 653-8111
Columbus, Ohio
www.massageincolumbusohio.com
by SharonHartnett | Jun 10, 2015 | Craniosacral Therapy, Massage, Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K
There are a number of different kinds of headaches that affect millions of people.
If you are one of those people who often gets headaches, your days may becoming difficult to face. It’s probably time to start researching your symptoms and take some positive actions to resolve your pain!
Headache Relief
Common symptoms of headaches you may experience are:
Muscle Aches
Pain
Difficulty resting and sleeping
Paleness
Difficulties Concentrating
Nausea
Blurred Vision
What could you do to help be proactive against headaches?
- Apply Warm and Cold Compresses.
- Check your diet and notice if there are any trigger foods.
- Take a warm shower.
- Meditate
- Stretch
- Rest your eyes periodically throughout the day
- Apply some essential peppermint oil on a cotton ball and inhale
- See your physician
A Professional Can Help You Too!
Craniosacral Therapy is deeply relaxing and it is very helpful in relieving fascial stress patterns that may contribute to headaches. The work actively engages the nervous system and helps tension to melt around the head in a way that brings about peacefulness and rejuvenation.
Often, for people experiencing profound pain, the tissues are taut and closely wrapped up adhering on both superficial and deep levels in the body. Certain structures within the head and body may be jammed up. Working with a seasoned Professional Craniosacral Therapist will most likely be very beneficial in releasing these patterns and allowing more freedom and movement in the body.
FAQ Page
Sharon Hartnett CST-D
Worthington, Ohio|Serving the Columbus Area
614 653-8111
To find out more about Craniosacral Therapy, check out my main page.
by SharonHartnett | Jun 10, 2015 | Craniosacral Therapy, Massage, Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K, mind body & spirit, Structural Integration, thought for the day
Carpal Tunnel Treatment in Columbus: A Holistic Approach
When clients come to me in Columbus looking for carpal tunnel treatment, most have already been told the same thing: the problem is a pinched nerve in the wrist that causes pain, tingling and numbness. That is true on one level. The median nerve runs through a narrow passage in the wrist, and when it is compressed, the hand lets you know. But in my years of hands-on work, I have found that the wrist is rarely the whole story. Shoulder and neck posture, tight fascia along the arm, and a ribcage that has lost its ease are often the main contributors. A holistic approach is usually needed if the problem does not go away on its own.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Common Symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Pain in the wrist, palm or fingers, sometimes traveling up the arm
- Tingling or “pins and needles,” especially in the thumb, index and middle fingers
- Numbness that wakes you at night or shows up when you drive or hold a phone
- Weakness or dropping things
- Stiffness and swelling in the hand or wrist
Why the Wrist Is Only Part of the Story
The median nerve does not begin at the wrist. It starts in the neck, passes under the collarbone, through the shoulder, and down the arm before it ever reaches the carpal tunnel. Anywhere along that path, tight muscles or restricted fascia can irritate it. Hours at a keyboard, a rounded shoulder posture, an old injury, or simply holding tension in the neck can all add up. Repetitive movements are a big contributor, but so is the way the whole upper body is organized around those movements.
This is why rubbing the wrist or wearing a brace sometimes helps only a little. If the restriction is higher up, the nerve stays under pressure.
How I Work With Carpal Tunnel Symptoms
In my Worthington office, I look at the whole chain: the neck, the shoulder girdle and scapula, the ribcage, the upper arm, the forearm and finally the wrist and hand. Using Craniosacral Therapy and structural integration, I work gently with the fascia to help the tissue soften and the nerve find more room. Nothing is forced. The work is slow and listening, and many people are surprised at how much their wrist changes when their neck and shoulder let go.
Clients who stay with the work for a few sessions often notice a reduction in tingling and night-time numbness, and more ease in daily tasks. Results vary from person to person, and I will always tell you honestly what I am finding.
What You Can Do Right Away
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a gradual process. The smartest thing you can do is face it straight on when symptoms first appear. Rest the hand, stop or change the activities that aggravate it, and pay attention to how you sit and hold your shoulders. Mild cases sometimes resolve on their own in a couple of weeks. Working with a physical therapist and a licensed bodyworker can support that process and help the nervous system settle. If you also carry tension in your neck, my post on neck pain relief is a good place to start.
Please see your doctor if you have constant numbness, muscle wasting at the base of the thumb, or symptoms that are getting worse quickly. Bodywork is a complement to medical care, not a replacement for it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can craniosacral therapy help carpal tunnel syndrome?
It can help many people, especially when neck, shoulder or fascial tension is adding to the pressure on the nerve. It is gentle, non-invasive, and works well alongside physical therapy or medical care.
How many sessions does carpal tunnel treatment take?
Many clients feel a change within the first two or three sessions. Longer-standing cases usually take more. We will talk about what you are noticing after each visit and adjust from there.
Is this a treatment for carpal tunnel surgery recovery?
Gentle bodywork can be a good support after surgery once your surgeon clears you for it, helping the scar tissue and surrounding fascia move freely again.
Carpal tunnel syndrome can take you out of work. Listen to your body when you notice the early signs. Being proactive is always easier than being reactive. If you would like to talk about carpal tunnel treatment in Columbus, call or text me for a free 15-minute phone consultation.
Sharon Hartnett CST-D
Worthington, Ohio | Serving the Columbus Area
(614) 653-8111
craniosacraltherapistcolumbus.com
