614 653-8111 Sharhartnett@aol.com
More than Relief: How Craniosacral Therapy Helps You Come Home to Yourself

More than Relief: How Craniosacral Therapy Helps You Come Home to Yourself

Somatic Therapy Columbus Ohio

  

A Somatic Approach to Healing Trauma, Pain, and Disconnection | Columbus, OH

By Sharon Hartnett, LMT, CST-D, Hakomi and SPI support

I never did expect that I would become a craniosacral therapist. Like many people, I started with a desire to help others feel better—but I hadn’t yet discovered the kind of work that would change me, and also support others from the inside out.

In the early days, I briefly began with massage therapy. It taught me the importance of touch, but something felt missing.  It didn’t move me in a way that felt meaningful.  So I moved into structural integration, a bold and powerful way to realign the body.  I learned to look and feel the fascia and understand the interconnection within. The results were visible—but the work was very assertive, and over time, it wore on my own body. I needed something more sustainable, more nourishing.  Bodyworkers need to listen to their own bodies with care, so they can do the same for others.

What I found was Craniosacral Therapy. Or maybe, it found me.

The Gentle Work That Goes Deep

When I first encountered CST in 2003, I was skeptical, as I practiced mostly Barbara Brennan’s work and  deep fascial work in an embodied somatic way. I didn’t understand all the brain and spinal anatomy along with the Craniosacral System. I really hadn’t heard about it much until I received it myself from a local Craniosacral Therapist in McLean, Virginia names Suzanne.  She was something else, and I felt very nourished and my internal environment began to shift in a new way.  So I wondered-could something this gentle really create meaningful change?

As I trained, practiced, and received sessions myself, I saw just how powerful CST was—especially when paired with somatic awareness. It supported not just the body, but the whole person. I watched people soften, unwind, and remember who they were beneath my hands as we worked with the pain, the anxiety, the disconnection.

This work changed me too. It taught me the power of the feminine in healing—how to listen rather than fix, to support rather than push, to witness rather than direct. I’ve come to trust that real healing happens when we make space for what’s already inside someone to emerge. Rather, it’s the balancing between the empty listening and the emerging movement that creates powerful change.  It’s the blend.

What People Feel After a Session

After a session, people often say: “I didn’t know I could feel this relaxed.”

That deep nervous system settling is more than just a nice feeling. It’s a gateway. In that stillness, the body begins to unwind old trauma. Emotions surface and release. Thoughts become clearer. Pain softens.

But it’s not always instant. Believe it or not- some people feel so unfamiliar with peace and deep relaxation that it takes a few days—or a few sessions—for the benefits to truly land. That’s understandable with the stressful lives we live in.  Also, healing isn’t linear, and it’s never one-size-fits-all. It’s a relationship—between your body, your story, and the presence of someone who knows how to listen.  Everyone shifts and changes at their own unique pace.  Usually, it takes about 5 sessions to truly feel the work making a big impact.

Healing Is Personal: Stories from the Table

One woman came to me after surviving abuse. For the first 10 sessions, I didn’t  touch her. Instead, I sat a few feet away—listening, witnessing, letting her body begin to feel safe again. Slowly, over time, her system began to tremble, release, and open. We weren’t just releasing trauma; we were helping her relationship to her own body to heal.  It was beautiful and full of grace.  Eventually we were able to do minimal hands on Craniosacral Therapy.

Another client came in after a serious concussion symptoms which she had been dealing with for two years. Her thinking was foggy, her balance off, and she was highly sensitive to light. After ten sessions, her clarity returned. A few months later, she enrolled in yoga teacher training—and today, she’s a craniosacral therapist herself.  An amazing therapist honestly.

There was also a woman in hospice care, diagnosed with terminal cancer. I saw her weekly for six months, using only the lightest touch. The doctors had given her 6 months to live—but months later, she was still alive, and eventually the doctors told her children that the cancer had gone. I don’t claim to know what happened. But I do know that something in her body responded to being met with gentleness and of course her own “inner wisdom”.  Something in her chose to live due to all the help around her.

These stories aren’t about miracles thought They’re about what happens when someone finally feels safe, seen, and supported—on every level.  There are so many possibilities in outcomes.

Why Somatic Presence Matters

Craniosacral Therapy works deeply with the nervous system, fascia, and energetic body. When combined with somatic therapy—like the Hakomi method, Upledger dialogue, and trauma-informed techniques—it becomes even more powerful.

In my sessions, I guide people to sense what’s happening inside: not just the symptoms, but the felt sense beneath them. I ask gentle questions. I reflect what I see. I stay in curiosity, allowing each person’s own inner wisdom to lead the way.

This is not about fixing. It’s about remembering and reconnecting.  It’s a powerful self-discovery process.

But… Does It Really Work?

People sometimes ask, “Can such a light touch actually do anything?”

It’s a fair question—especially in a culture that prizes doing, pushing, and proving. But the body doesn’t need to be forced to heal. It needs to be listened to.  It’s inner wisdom needs to be ignited to do the powerful work it is capable of doing.

There’s science to back CST, yes—but more importantly, there’s your own experience. I always say: try 4 to 6 sessions. See how you feel. The proof is in your body, not in statistics.

An Invitation to Come Home to Yourself

Whether you’re carrying trauma, living with chronic pain, struggling to sleep, or just feeling off—there is hope. And you don’t have to go through it alone.

In my Columbus, Ohio Craniosacral practice, I offer craniosacral therapy informed by decades of somatic training and real-life experience. I’ve worked with women, men, teens, and children. Sensitive people. Stressed-out people. People trying to heal from what they’ve never been able to name.

If you’re ready to feel more like yourself again—more relaxed, more present, more whole—I invite you to come in. Not for a fix. But for a beginning.

Because healing isn’t about becoming someone new.
It’s about remembering who you are.

Warmly, Sharon Hartnett CST-D

Upledger Trained and Certified and serving the Columbus, Ohio area.

614 653-8111

www.craniosacraltherapistcolumbus.com

How to Love Your Body No matter How it Looks

Love Your Body, Mind and Spirit

Here are some tips for Shifting your Mindset about your body.  It takes time to Learn to Love Your Body.

  • Every morning before you get out of bed, bring mindfulness to your body and sense into it.  Forget any preconceived ideas that you have believed. Living in these bodies are pretty miraculous. The good news is that we have plenty of fresh new starts. 
  • When you get out of bed, feel into the Ok-ishness of your body.  This is the beginning of practicing self-acceptance.  Any perfection thoughts need to be put on the shelf!
  • Be mindful about how you speak about your body. You can change the patterning of your thinking.  Drive in a new lane.  The Love Your Body Lane. Eventually your belief system changes when you drop the old thoughts.
  • Every person deserves to feel love.  And we are all different and unique in how we are configured.  Realize that norms are group beliefs. It really says nothing about you.  The more you move inward, you self-realized your essence.  Imagine what it would be like if we all could appreciate the different skins in which we live.
  • Question your thoughts.  Byron Kate,has great free worksheet for this in the website The Work 
  • Receiving bodywork can bring a whole new awareness to you body.In our society, so much emphasis is placed on what is going on inside of our heads.  However, we are whole people, body, mind and spirit. For example, Craniosacral Therapy is great for helping you to embody.
  • Meditation is a great way to open your mind about your body.  It gives you a sense of understanding through neutral listening and understanding.  It also opens up the path to compassion.
  • Exercise.  Find movement that is comfortable and fun. Even basic walking can make you feel better.
  • Choose foods that are healthy.  Maybe start a garden for herbs or fruits and vegetables.  We feel good when we partake in the organic processes which sustanin us.

When you are alone, take off the clothes and get comfortable in your skin.  Turn off your computers/phones/ and TVs.  Relax and Breathe.  Know Yourself!

Our culture makes it hard sometimes for people to accept and love your body.  Yet, we have many choice points to make up our own minds about how we related internally.  You are the Captain of Your Own Ship.  Sail the seas of Self-Love.  Learn to be Ok with who you are- body, feelings, thoughts and all.   

It’s not always each, but choosing change is a great intention.

With gratitude-

Sharon Hartnett CST-D

703 509-1792

www.craniosacraltherapistcolumbus.com

 

Find Somato Therapist Near Me

Find Somato Therapist Near Me

Somato Centered Therapy on the Table

The Concept of Somato centered bodywork, was incorporated into the therapeutic process of Craniosacral Therapy many years ago at the Upledger Institute.

SomatoEmotional Release (SER) is a theraeputic process that employs and expands the principles of  Craniosacral Therapy through dialogue.

This particular type of somato communication can be done in silence, or when a person begins to process, verbal cues or responses may be offered for self-discovery work.  Mostly this is practiced when the Craniosacral Rythm is moving the client through a profound change.  However, it is not the job of a Craniosacral Therapist to counsel.  Instead, we are trained to support a person who in on the table, and who is being challenged or needs help moving through cellular memory developmental or trauma experiences.  We have been trained to be very gentle and to offer some techniques that take the client inward to help them find their own deep well of Inner Resources.

Each Craniosacral Therapist has their own unique skillset to help in dialogue work.  Personally, I have studied Hakomi for two years, 8 years at the Barbara Brennan School Of healing, and also studied at SPI to help my clients who have gone through trauma.

This body centered work is powerful and gentle with an organic and mindful approach to healing.  It feels very integrative to our clients, as well as self-empowering.

If you want to “find a craniosacral therapist near me”,  I offer free 10 minute phone calls to support your discovery process in finding the best CST for you!

Sharon Hartnett CST-D. Trauma Informed Work

703 509-1792

www.craniosacraltherapistcolumbus.com

6797 N. High St. #333 Worthington, Ohio 43085

Wake Up Your Mindful Authentic Sense of Self.

Wake Up Your Mindful Authentic Sense of Self.

Increase Your Authentic Self-Awareness…

Kind of an odd Meme Picture Below about Being Yourself  by being Authentic.  However, it sort of touched me today. How many times do we take on roles or present ourselves differently in order to keep attachments? When is this healthy, and when is it not?

After practicing Hakomi for so long with my clients, I have entered into the jive of staying “mindful” on a daily basis. It’s the best way I know to live in my passion and to understand my deepest dynamic Self.

What “mindfulness” means to me is bringing awareness to my personal experience. Observing the happening of the moment this way helps me to be more clear, and more aligned with the True Self.  It also helps me to navigate my response to life more easily.

This is so important because mindfulness gives us an enhanced toolbox so that we can interact with life in a more authentic way. We stop getting so wrapped up in what others think about us. Rather we make ourselves at home inside our own Self, changing and growing in more expansiveness and confidence.

If you find yourself entangled in a lot of dramas. If you feel lost sometimes. The key to finding your authentic self is through mindful exploration.  You can do this yourself easily by just practicing creating space for yourself.  You deserve this understanding and love.  You deserve to feel anchored into the Center of your Being. Get Crazy. Have fun. Live your thread with wild abandonment!

Sharon Hartnett CST-D
Craniosacral Therapist & Visceral Manipulation 
703 509-1792
www.craniosacraltherapistcolumbus.com

6797 N. High St. #333 Worthington, Ohio 43085

 

 

 

 

How to Make Good Friends

How to Make Good Friends

Friends are Key to Your Health

Wanting Connection is a great beginning to considering how to make good friends.  After all,  it’s important to find interesting people with whom you can share your life and hopefully find mutual nourishment.

In order to do this, we must admit to ourselves that we have real “needs”. It’s not so simple for many of us to be this vulnerable  to realize this and move forward to make new choices and build a healthy social network. Yet there are so many benefits and much value in maintaining and maturing healthy relationships.

Sometimes, we think that others are socially connected, and that it’s easy.  But friendship isn’t always as it appears to be.  Nor is it easy to maintain quality connection unless we put effort and mindfulness into our social lives.

To make new and deeper friendships:

1.  Get to know yourself first and what turns you spark on.  It’s not necessary that your friends are just like you, but being present with yourself and vital- supports joyful connections.

2.  Learn to listen to others and see what you have in common or if you share similar interests.

3.  Prioritize and nurture your friendships, and let your friends know that you care.  This means reaching out, doing kind things, be available when they need you.  It’s important to have healthy boundaries here, but it’s also heart warming to extend yourself.

4.  Put yourself out there even when you feel awkward or vulnerable.  You are most likely not the only one who feels uncomfortable.  Develop some courage, and you’ll feel better as you learn and grow socially.  In any case,  someone needs to make the first move.  You’ll feel good once you master “initiative”.

5.  Join clubs or sports that help you feel healthy.  If you do things that you enjoy, most likely the healthier and happier you are, it will be easier to connect.

I am writing about friendship today, because as a Craniosacral Therapist, I listen to my clients quite well.  One pattern that I regularly notice is that sometimes people feel very alone and are not sure what to do about it.  What I have realized is that everyone I have ever met likes to be acknowledged, heard, loved and nurtured. I would really like to see that we all lean more deeply into the web of life and love.

Sharon Hartnett CST-D

703 509-1792

www.craniosacraltherapistcolumbus.com

6797 N. High St. #333 Worthington, Ohio 43085

 

Be Yourself

Be Yourself

 

Normal is Overrated.

We live in a world where “normal” is overrated. So much of what we learn is how to fit in with the thinking of others. Especially when we are younger, our parents, teachers and friends ask us to memorize, to repeat, to make habits that are part of the current paradigm. Somewhere in all of this though, is you- wanting to find your own way of Being. It’s a tricky tightrope act learning to walk in both worlds between the authentic you and what is expected. Ultimately though, as we mature and grow up, for those of us who weren’t given much opportunity to be heard, acknowledged or hear praise, we must learn how to discard the package we have been sold. How to do this? 1. Be curious always 2. Step outside your box and see things from a view that comes from within you. 3. bring your awareness to your own sense of self before relating to others 4. allow yourself to receive and regulate “what’s out there” at your own pace and in whatever quantity is easiest for you. 5. practice connecting with your whole self and don’t let anything get in the way! Good luck unlearning all the bullshit, and finding the real you.

Sharon Hartnett CST-D
703 509-1792
www.craniosacraltherapistcolumbus.com