Set Your Fear Free: Sensory Massage in Ohio

by SharonHartnett | Jun 20, 2013 | Energy Healing, Massage, Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K

Massage can help release anxiety and tension.

Release the fear…release the tension.

Fear Free

Often our fears are based on our thinking. It is usually when a thought enters our mind that the flow of fear can either blossom into full body felt fruition and pass or escalate into a full blown anxiety. My understanding of anxiety from my own experience has been that before I knew how to work with it, it felt like a frozen aspect of Self that was suddenly activated. My physiology, on a cellular level, would be triggered and a movement so quick took over the moment. Control mechanisms then began to roll, and the patterns of anxiety never played out in a safe way until I finally took charge of my thinking and feeling into my senses.

Is fear ever helpful? Actually, fear can be a very healthy thing. It helps us to stay alive . I know that if I think of jumping off a high cliff that my fear of hurt or death stops me. In this way, our fear actually is our ally. It helps us to survive and stay alert with the “fight or flight” response when encountering a threat. However, when we are faced with either internal stress or an outside occurrence that stops us from doing the things that make us happy, help can be found in releasing anxiety and tension. One of the ways to do this to work with the mind body & spirit connection.

Often when a Massage Therapist works with a client for a long period of time, a trusting bond is established. At Lighten Up Therapies, I know that I provide whatever comfort I can offer to make sure that my client feels safe and trusts me and the environment in which we are working. If I know that a client has encountered certain traumas in their past, I take care to understand their boundaries and what signals to look for if they start to experience symptoms outside their box of safety. A client may go into shallow breathing, increased heartbeat, pupils can dilate if an old cellular memory is reactivated. Knowing how to look for these cues is helpful.

Depending on the level of fear, it is important for the massage therapist to be prepared to support our clients. While we are not psychotherapists, professionals do have the option to understand trauma release and to create a sacred and safe place for organic movement to occur and play out. Some of the ways that can be helpful is to help our clients:

1. Feel deeply into the sensory body. Often fear comes from the primal part of the brain. During a massage, the massage therapist can help encourage the client to sense what is happening in the body within a safe range. Once a client start to move outside of that level of soft feeling, it is important to bring them out of the situation.

2. Allow the feeling to emerge and feel into the fear. Gentle coaching can help the client to allow the physiological process to come through into completion.

2. Challenge perception of reality. Often trauma will not be resolved through talk therapy only. However, integrated with the above, challenging belief systems and opening to other possibilities can be helpful.

When we live in fear, our world get so much more limited. We can feel tense and restrict our lives by choosing fear over love and pleasure. By exploring the mind body & spirit connection, our lives can open up into a new reality. We can find freedom in our thinking, feelings and in our spirit.

Healing is a process where we open up to joy. Massage therapy with a therapist trained in Hakomi, Sensorimotor psychology or/and spiritual healing can help you to expand your horizons.

Live Free. Live Joyfully!

Warmly,

Sharon Hartnett LMT

(614) 372-6598

For more information about Lighten Up Therapies:

http://www.massageincolumbusohio.com/energy-therapy/

Do Your Ancestors Play a Role in Your Adult Life?

by SharonHartnett | Jun 9, 2013 | Energy Healing, Massage, Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K

An interesting article came out recently describing how our ancestors emotional lives determine how we play out certain personality experiences in our lives by the way our DNA is affected, even as adults.

In the past, science was not able to prove this but the newer neuroscience is able to now look at this phenomena of “epigenetic changes” more closely. So basically, if your grandfather was an ax murderer or you had a great great great grandmother who was a runaway slave, that cellular memory information can still be activated to alter how you would behave.

I am not sure how many people have heard of Bert Hellinger, but this new discovery reminds me of something that he already knew and has been teaching for a long time. Bert Hellinger has taken the family constellation approach to a new level through his work of self-discovery and healing the “family conscience”. When I have gone to his workshops, I have witnessed that when things are left unresolved within the lineage, that someone down the line picks up the thread as part of the family karma. It’s an interesting ideas to witness this the way that he presents it. He asks a “client” to choose different people to represent the issue that is causing conflict. Then without many words, he follows the energy of the movement of the soul. What this looks like is that representatives for each ancestor shift around, almost like unwinding an old paradigm. It feels and looks like the soul of the family member guides and directs toward a more positive outcome. It is quite beautiful to behold. As an observer, one can see incredible movements towards resolution when the time and conditions are able to facilitate change.

Releasing Family Trauma

From a Barbara Brennan Perspective, I have learned and have also used in healing sessions, clearing and re-energizing the cords between family members. Often people who have passed on come into a healing session and offer support. The veil between the two worlds is only what we imagine it to be when we think of separation. Ultimately though, on the level of relationship, I have experience that if the souls are still connected in an unhealthy way, people can not act as their true Self until freed.

When you find yourself out of balance, ill, or off-track in your life, I find that it is always important to stay in the present as much as possible. However, when certain patterns emerge that take you away from your equilibrium, consider releasing family traumas and negative behaviors from a spiritual level to find deeper piece. Sometimes what is necessary is to accept our place in the scheme of things and to allow support from the past by accepting their blessings and healing the relationships that feel distorted. This can be done through massage, emotional energy release, and of course, I have used some of Bert Hellinger’s work to help people find resolution.

I think that ultimately our lives are completely our own responsibility. Yet, sometimes in order for us to feel empowered and heartfully creative, it is necessary to make peace from our core with the family.

Warmly,

Sharon Hartnett LMT

703 509-1792

For more information on the article that sparked my interest, go to: Epigenetic Changes

www.craniosacraltherapistcolumbus.com

Tellington TTouch Massage for You and Your Dogs

by SharonHartnett | Jun 6, 2013 | animal therapy, Craniosacral Therapy, Energy Healing, Massage, Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K

TTouch® Massage and Bodywork for your Dogs, Cats and Birds

Last night I just arrived home from my first training class in Tellington TTouch®. It was a wonderful experience and I am very grateful for the learning that I found there. Being a Massage Therapist and Bodyworker for human beings, I had decided to expand into working with animals because I have continually realized in a deeper way the integral role animals play in our daily lives. With the mutual evolving relationship we have with dogs, cats and other caring pets, these beautiful creatures have integrated themselves into so many homes and hearts that many have become a valued member of many families. The birth of puppies or a new colt can awakening the joy of life in a manner like no other, except with our own children. On a daily basis, we learn so much from our pets because they tend to hold such a strong loyalty and love for us when we care for them well. Personally, I find that when I don’t listen to the wisdom voice in my own head, my dog Tanner often reminds me in a very sensory and kind way how to live in a more centered and grounded heart connection. And when our pets begin their dying process, they teach us about grace and the places where we grieve inside and find it difficult to let go and move forward. What we learn from pets touches many of the qualities that we may or may not find in our relationship with other humans. What I mean by this is that when the world may seem harsh or difficult at times, our dogs often wag their tails and stay present with us in the moment with unconditional love and acceptance. They help us to remain grounded, strong, and clear with more compassion and intelligence. They are wonderful teachers in that they do not judge us or criticize us, but rather listen and be with us from a place separate than the thinking mind. It is easier to be in the presence of empty space and care than thinking that “puts down” or “is in conflict”. In the past few years, I have found myself wandering to a dog, or a horse, wanting to place my hands in a certain place, to help be in service or to reciprocate the great learning we have to offer each other. I have studied with the Upledger Institute to work with Dolphins in a healing and reciprocal approach. A few months ago, I found myself exploring working at a Big Cat Sanctuary the benefits of Craniosacral Therapy in an environment where lions, tigers and bears are being rescued. I have traveled to Africa and one of my biggest joys in life was doing Safari. All this has been changing the focus of my practice, and I have found some clients asking me to work energetically or to do aromatherapy with their pets. Our pets run into behavior or health issues often based on their environment and unhealthy situations they encounter. When they are afraid, they often react more than respond from their natural organic sense of life. Tellington TTouch® has now given me an opportunity to view the interconnection between us and our animal friends in a more profound and expansive view. My hope is to support the unwinding of tension and fear between pets and their human friends.

What is Tellington TTouch®?

: Massage and Bodywork for Animals

From my perspective Tellington TTouch® is a form of bodywork, animal dialogue and heart connection that helps influence a dog’s behavior, and brings a sense of calm where there once was anxiety or fear. It allows people to alleviate tensions and pain in the body as well as bring focus to jobs that need to be done. Once the cellular movement is shifted through TTouch® and care, more functionality and a sense of wellbeing can often be seen.

I am still a novice at this particular work as it takes 4-6 classes before one may go out and do TTouch as a business. However, I have worked with some pets and am happy to bring them into my already existing practice at the farm. I have done this before the training, and am happy to provide an extra 15 minutes at no cost to develop to work with you and your animal friends.

Some of the things I will be setting up on our property is a labyrinth to promote structure, bandage wrapping to calm the nerves, and basic TTouch® strokes. I am glad to share what I have learned so that we can better the lives of us and are pets. When One relationship changes in this way, I believe it affects the whole. We can start with ourselves and let that make the difference.

Working with our pets can reveal the way that we view life with more clarity. It can help us to release old patterns that no longer serve us and to reconnect with our heart space more openly. It is in waking up to our own essence and wellness that we find truth and openness in our mind, body & spirit connection.

For a session, please call Sharon Hartnett LMT at: (740) 966-5153®

http://www.massageincolumbusohio.com/equineanimal-therapy/

For more information, watch:

http://youtu.be/84tW1XjuKnkp://youtu.be/84tW1XjuKnk

Stop Working So Hard and Get a Massage

by SharonHartnett | May 21, 2013 | Craniosacral Therapy, Energy Healing, Massage, Structural Integration

Do you admire the American Work Ethic?

For the most part, people work hard in so many parts of their lives. It makes sense as our work supports us, gives us a sense of accomplishment, and allows things to get done.

The Opposite of Work is Doing Nothing. How do most people perceive “doing” nothing?

Do you know how to relax and receive the wonders of life? Is it difficult to empty your thoughts and sense into the wholeness of your life? When you try to relax, do your thoughts tell you that you are lazy, you need to get moving, or are being self-centered by doing nothing.

In life, good health means being able to integrate opposites into balance. If you work alot, then rest a lot. If you aren’t active, then pick up an activity that brings you joy. But for those who have overactive thinking and doing, it is helpful to learn how to slow down and take a break. Allow the nervous system to relax and balance the whole entire body. Massage, Craniosacral Therapy, Structural Integration and Energy Therapy can all be helpful in discovering new ways to break old patterns of “overdoing”. A Licensed Massage Therapist can help you to unwind, settle down, feel more deeply, and find more balanced footing. When you learn to relax, the whole world becomes your oyster. You are able to receive the fruits of your labor, it’s easier to see all the support and love that is coming your way, your cells get to take in the nourishment they need in order to stay healthy.

Massage is touch that listens and does… it integrates and provides rejuvenation.

What if you stopped thinking of receiving with any judgement? Wouldn’t it be nice to take in what your mind, body & spirit call for? At Lighten Up Therapies, we offer a variety of different treatments with a focus of Craniosacral Therapy in order to help you feel optimal in your daily living. Craniosacral Therapy is a light touch of bodywork that focuses on the brain and the spine through palpation of the Cerebral Spinal Fluid. By monitoring the cranial bones and other areas of the body, and with a gentle holding, Craniosacral Therapy can reduce stress and help you to find your center again. Craniosacral Therapy is easy to add in with Deep Tissue Massage or Energy Therapy.

Stop Working So Hard. Life is a precious gift and no regrets are necessary when it comes to your health and wellbeing.

For a free 15 minute phone consultation, call Sharon Hartnett LMT…

Call: 740 966-5153

Allow Yourself to Relax

What to Expect During a Massage

by SharonHartnett | May 15, 2013 | Energy Healing, Massage, Structural Integration

FAQ Time about Massage at Lighten Up Therapies

1. How does the session begin?

The first thing that happens is that I will ask you to fill out a health history form. This allows me to get to know you and assess your health. I ask you to answer the questions carefully and honestly, especially regarding current health issues or medications. This is a good time to also explain how you are feeling and any painful or uncomfortable feelings you may be experiencing. Don’t hesitate to ask about anything you may feel unsure of or any concerns about your treatment. Letting me know up front what your concerns are will allow me to spend more time in problem areas. Depending on your treatment of Craniosacral Therapy, Energy Healing, Structural Integration or other modalities, you will then be given some space to undress according to your comfort level. I will leave the room and knock to make sure it is fine to come in before entering. It is important that you are able to relax to receive the benefits of this work, so please feel at ease to ask for whatever makes you comfortable.

Professional Massage FAQ

2. What does the client do during the session?

Some clients like to relax and zone out. That is absolutely welcomed at Lighten Up Therapies. Sometimes that is just what the doctor ordered. For the most part though, most clients who come to Lighten Up Therapies are more interested in therapeutic improvement. They are often uncomfortable, in pain, stressed or facing some time of dysfunctional pattern. My object is to listen to you on many levels and follow the wisdom of what is being presented during the session. If you have the need to move positions, quiet down, or speak… please feel free to do so. Our time together is a constant dialogue whether done in quiet or in expression.

Each client is approached in a unique way. There are clients who ask for very deep work, but their bodies say something else. Other clients tend to only want gentle massage touch but can never get deep into the core issues. My hope is that we can dialogue openly to come to a positive melding where the work gives you the optimal benefits during your session. Your boundaries and expectations may change. At the same time respect and integrity are always in the forefront of the massage and bodywork.

3. What is not included during the massage?

It would seem very clear to most, but not to everyone. At Lighten Up Therapies, we offer therapeutic massage, bodywork, energy work to provide health and wellness. Any implications of a sexual conduct is not invited or permitted. Clients do sometimes have intimacy or sexual issues that may be discussed in regards to trauma or in need of healing. However, we have a strict legal boundary against any sexual activity.

4. How does the massage, bodywork and energy healing feel?

For the Craniosacral Therapy Sessions, clients feel a very light touch but often touch into profound deeper change initiated by the balancing of the nervous system. Depending on the person, some people might feel this during the first session, but most often the case is the more work clients receive, the more the body becomes more awake and sensitive to the benefits. As the person relaxes and the body opens, often the work can go into deeper layers. I always ask my clients to let me know what is comfortable for them. With the Structural Integration, as the superficials layers let go, it is helpful to go deeper. Often people are surprise that they feel pain in areas that they never though about. In this case, I ask clients to use the words, “lighten up, slow down or stop.” This is only for clients who prefer to go into the deeper core fascial work. Energy Healing Sessions may be done long distance, off the body, sitting or on the table. Energy is always apart of the session because it is was keeps us alive. We need to be processing energy to live. However I am working, clients usually feel many energy shifts.

5. Is Massage always Recommended?

Sometimes people have medical conditions that are contra-indicated. So please let us know when you call if you have any medical issues. If you do, please talk to your physician first.

6. What if I am uncomfortable with my Body

I have been doing healing and Massage Therapy for over 15 years. I have seen so many conditions that it does not phase me. I have volunteered in Hospice and worked with people right after surgery. Client with weight concerns have often visited feeling very much at ease after the massage. Body image is really about our thinking process and the intention at Lighten Up Therapies is to free the mind of whatever is causing pain by providing a safe and nurturing massage environment.

7. How do clients feel when they finish?

Everyone has a different experience because they are individuals. However, most people who work with me feel more energized, longer and freer structurally, decreased pain symptoms, relaxed and more balanced. The work at Lighten Up Therapies is meant to restore you back to your natural comfort.

Payment is received at the end of the session.

If you have any more questions about Massage, please feel free to write Sharon at SMSHartnett@gmail.com

Warmly,

Sharon Hartnett LMT

740 966-5153

www.massageincolumbusohio.com