by SharonHartnett | Nov 21, 2015 | craniosacral, Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K
What is the Nervous System in Human Beings?
The nervous system is a complex and intricate network that is set up to help facilitate informational dialogue and exchange within you and throughout all the relationships around you. The Nervous System consists of basically two parts: The Central Nervous System and the Peripheral Nervous System. You can think of these two different systems as a computer that relays information from one place to the other. In the Case of the Central Nervous System, we are focusing on the two structures: the brain and the spinal cord (long bundle of nerves). The brain is the control center and the spine transmits information to and from the rest of the body. The Peripheral side of things include the nerves or ganglia found outside of the Central Nervous System.
Craniosacral Therapy supports the health of the Nervous System
As you can see by the above picture, the CNS and PNS are extensive. In Craniosacral Therapy, we use this knowledge to help clients to optimize their health benefits by keeping the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and soft tissue flow smooth and balanced. By working with the Craniosacral System, we can subtly listen to how the tissues around the brain, along the spine and throughout the body are responding. By working with symmetry, rate, amplitude and quality of the rhythm, we can help release restrictions and adhesions from around the nerves. It’s important to allow for nervous system functioning to keep organs, muscles and intelligence of life operating in ease.
From my perspective, with Craniosacral Therapy, the primary focus is keeping the Nervous System healthy, and by doing this- we are also encouraging everything in the body to relate more efficiently and with proper functioning. When we feel good with our internal links, our external links and relationships feel better too.
Sharon Hartnett LMT, CST, SI
Advanced Certified Craniosacral Therapist
740 966-5153
Columbus, Ohio
(Most people have a basic understanding of the brain, but for a good resource to find out more about the Peripheral Nervous System, check out:
Peripheral Nervous System Disorders
Through the Mayo Clinic link)
by SharonHartnett | Nov 19, 2015 | craniosacral, Craniosacral Therapy, Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K, stillpoint
The Benefits of a Stillpoint
As taught by the Upledger Institute, the Craniosacral System is a semi-closed hydraulic system that is held within the membrane of the Dura, which contains the brain and the spinal cord. The functioning aspect of this system that contributes to human life is the circulation and reabsorption of the Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF).
When a Craniosacral Therapist is working with clients, we are listening to the continuous rise and fall of this fluid rhythm by its subtly felt expansion and contraction throughout the whole body. We pay attention to the ways the bones and membrane dance with the CSF through symmetry, quality, amplitude and rate. The intention is to use our listening and help the body to self-balance through gentle melding by touch.
When Craniosacral Therapists use the term, “Stillpoint” what we are expressing is the gradual stopping of the system through a gentle manual technique. In particular, one way that is often used is the CV4 by using cupped hands to bring the occiput and surrounding tissues into a therapeutic stop. The Craniosacral Therapist induces the Stillpoint by creating a barrier at the end of either the flexion or extension movement. As the fluid quiets down, pressure is built back up, and when the tissues are released, a gentle cleansing flow can move through the body, releasing restrictions and adhesions. This is very healthy for the Central Nervous System. Stillpoint can be applied anywhere on the body for positive therapeutic results.
For clients who have experienced Stillpoint, many have stated that they felt much less stressed, and some have had the experience of feeling a re-organizing type of sensation in their bodies. Headaches can disappear, aches and pain go away . Stillpoint is a wonderful technique that can have profound life effects. The Upledger Institute sells Stillpoint Inducers that can be used everyday from about 30 seconds to 10 minutes to create more freedom and flexibility in the body. Yet the experienced hands of a Craniosacral Therapist can take you to la la land.
If you would like to learn more about Craniosacral Therapy in the Columbus, Ohio area, call Sharon Hartnett CST-D
703 509-1792
www.craniosacralatherapistcolumbus.com
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.
Sharon Hartnett LMT, CST, SI, Brennan Healer
703 509-1792
www.massageincolumbusohio.com
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….
740 966-5153
by SharonHartnett | Aug 30, 2015 | craniosacral, Craniosacral Therapy, Massage, Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K, mind body & spirit, Structural Integration
By learning to breathing well, people can learn how to calm themselves and feel more energized.
Many people who often feel stressed or anxious are prone to holding their breath. When this becomes an unconscious pattern, the movement around the ribcage can become dehydrated and stuck. This is unhealthy because it can impair physiological functioning of the body. The good news is that this can change!
By bringing mindfulness to your breathing throughout the day, you might find yourself surprised as to how often you stop breathing. At the same time, by just bringing your awareness to the breath and how the chest moves, you can improve things by learning about yourself and how you are internally organized. So mindfulness is a great beginning to understand the relationship between breathing and stress.
If you want to further let go of any restrictions around the upper chest and diaphragm, then getting some good therapeutic myofascial therapy can do wonders. The web of fascia that surrounds your body and envelopes all the individual organs, muscles, bones and other parts of your body can be restored back to health. Specifically, the areas that need to be released in order to enhanced breathing health are the neck, thoracic diaphragm, intercostal back muscles, abdomen and chest. Lengthening and opening up these areas can help you to live with more ease.
Breath easier with Massage
Often when I work with my clients, I like to introduce them to a breathing meditation during the session. This has shown to be quite helpful in helping clients to relax, especially while working to let go of the adhesions or tight holding. Starting with helping broad areas to soften and release, and then, releasing ribs and bones-clients are amazed at how much more space they discover to breath. In addition, by working with SomatoEmotional Release techniques, clients will feel things like fear letting go as the parasympathetic system starts to bring more calm after the initial wave.
Get in touch with your body sense to heal. Your body knows what it needs and will show the way to any massage therapist who knows how to listen well.
Sharon Hartnett CST, LMT, SI, BHSP
740 966-5153
Columbus, Ohio
www.massageincolumbusohio.com
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
