How to Create a Healthy Space for Noise Overwhelm

by SharonHartnett | Sep 27, 2024 | Craniosacral Therapy, healing, meditation, mindfulness, upledger institute

Are you Feeling the Overwhelm of Loud Noises in Social Situations?

Have you heard of the term “neurodivergent”? For people who feel as if they think and feel differently, I think it’s a good topic to explore for self-understanding. The differences of neurodivergent experiences land anywhere from ADHD, to sensory sensitivities, to autism and other mental health conditions. However, the topic I want to speak about today primarily is the overwhelm of loud noises for some people with neurodivergent thinking. I think it’s important to find a way to acclimate and still join into social interactions. Overwhelm can take us away from people and activities we enjoy. So how do we deal with loud noise when we are sensitive to it?

Each of us is unique in how our brain works. How we learn, how we process, and funtion does’t have to fit into a “typical” model. In the past, and even still now, when a person is different, it can be looked down upon or. seen as problematic. But more often, now adays, there is a fresher acceptance and understanding of people who think out of the box with the concept of neurodiversity. More and more, we want to include, embrace and find the strengths inside each individual. The healthier outlook is to celebrate our differences.

In particular, for neurodivergent people who feel awkward in social situations, they may need a little bit of help to know that their differences and vulnerabilities can also be understood as strengths. Researching this topic can bring relief in knowing that there is a new openness to consideration for diversity. I know, for myself, it took a long time as an adult to feel comfortable when there were a lot of people talking at once in a room. For example, I couldn’t think and the inside of my ears would actually start to hurt when I was in a loud crowded restaurant until I left and went outside. I felt like my ADHD has been healed for the most part, or maybe a better word would be integrated. Yet my brain disagreed. It still does when I am in a noisy area with many people speaking all at once. There have been times when I had felt anxious because I felt like I was the only one experiencing this. Now,understanding that how my brain operations is different yet normal has made me feel more comfortable in uncomfortable situations. So in my later years, I have learned to support myself, and others in helping to cope with loud noise. Especially people with ADHD since I know what it is like to be challenged this way and to move through to the other side.

Some of the things that I have found to be helpful with noise overwhelm are:

1. Wearing noise reduction/cancelling head phones in loud spaces. I can still hear what is going on in my enviroment, but the noise is subdued.

2. Meditation: One helpful meditation in specific is ringing a bell and following the sound with mindful focus. It helps the mind to release tension when other noises come into the space.

3. Craniosacral Therapy has helped my nervous system to feel more balanced and in ease. Especially when I can express my feelings in a safe environment from a mind body perspective. This can also help a person to feel more grounded and embodied. This helps my clients as well!

4. Developing the Witness. This is spending time stepping away from yourself in a neutral intention. Stay curious in your experience. Not being judgmental.

5. Realizing that the noise and ovewhelm is temporary. In most instances, one can leave and move into a more quiet place.

6. Don’t avoid sound because this can increase fear and stress. For example with tinnitus, begin to understand that the sound is unimportant so that. you don’t put your constant energy into negative thinking about the buzzing sounds. This isn’t normally an easy fix, by tinnitus can come and go for many people. Empowering the mind can support adaptability and relief.

7. Check in with an audiologist. Sometimes they can help, and sometimes not. But some centers do have helpful tools.

Having your brain operate differently doesn’t make a person bad or unhealthy. Being sensitive is just a different expression of being human. Seek courageous ways to face your challenges, but also find the right balance of self-care. Overwhelm does not have to be your life. Know that you are not alone, and that our differnces are what make us interesting.

Sharon Hartnett CST-D

703 509-1792

www.craniosacraltherapistcolumbus.com

7 Things to Know about Highly Sensitive People

by SharonHartnett | Sep 8, 2024 | barbara brennan, Craniosacral Therapy, Energy Healing, healing, mind body & spirit, mindfulness, Spiritual Healing

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Recognizing the Gifts of Being with Highly Sensitive People

Understanding Sensitive People takes effort. Yet it’s definitely worth your while. About 20% of people are sensitive. Basically, what this means is that we (I am including myself) react more to life’s stimulation. At times, it’s not as easy for us sensitive people to screen out certain stimuli. Things can become overwhelming for us if we aren’t mindful to our comfort zones.

Anyway, in the recent past, I was talking to my Craniosacral Therapist about my sensitivities in group relationships, and she recommended the book, “The Highly Sensitive Person“, by Elaine N. Aron. As I began to take the test in the beginning of the book, I checked off almost every single characteristic of a Highly Sensensive Person (HSP). Wow, this woman understood my life without even meeting me!

Honestly, I can’t tell you how alone I have felt (on a certain personality level) for a long time being highly sensitive. Most of the world either masks it or is less sensitized. I have processed things and been in the healing and therapist field for close to 30 years. I have worked on boundaries and so many things. Yet, still-when I walk into a room, I feel the mood of the people, and all the nuances in human relationship. I hardly miss a thing, especially emotionally. This even extends to plants, trees, and watching a bird fly. It’s as if I feel ever flap of the wings. My heart resonates. Yet I also feel very vulnerable.

At the Barbara Brennan School of Healing, we learned to develop what Barbara called “HSP” Higher Sense Perception. Same acronym. This is a fine tuning of seeing, feeling, tasting, sensing etc at a very subtle level. This helps people who work with energy or relationships to become astute and skillful in meeting people in connection, the auric field and other dimensions. This has benefited my clients in that I can deeply sense stress, pain, and dysfunction simply by tuning in. When I do this, I can use my sensitivity skills to help ignite the healing response within.

For me, being aligned with my sensitive nature is tremendously helpful in my work. I can sense things and support where others may not. On a fine level, I gather so much information through listening and melding. I know how to meet the “Other” in a gentle manner with touch which can encourage wonderful openings. At the same time, I often have to take some alone time afterwards to settle and digest life experiences. Being senstive doesn’t necessarily make me an introvert, but I do need to rest and integrate often. Self care is crucial.

Aron, writes in her book that our mind/body experiences are different and unique. Some of our positive traits that she mentions are:

1. We are better at spotting errors and avoiding making errors.

2. Highly conscientious.

3. Able to concentrate deeply on things where we are drawn.

4. Especially good at tasks requiring vigilance, accuracy, speed and detection of minor differences

5. Good at being able to process materials at deeper levels.

6. Deeply affected by other people’s moods, which help us to understand and be more present.

7. Able to learn without being aware we have learned.

There is so much great material in this book. What I like best about it is that I don’t feel so alone in that I feel different than so many others. Also, It helped me to refocus on the gifts of this personality I have lived with. I feel so aware of the interconnection of all of life. I feel it deeply. Sometimes, life hurts as the casing around the heart breaks wide open, but I am also able to have such profound life experiences. I have become emotionally stronger in my vulnerablity and can hold that for others in “Presence”

I am sharing today about being sensitive, and I hope this helps someone else recognize that there are many other of us around. We need to learn to accept ourselve and find the seeds of truth and kindness inside to make this life of sensitivy so worthwhile. We do this through self nourishment and awakening to our authentic selves.

Sharon Hartnett CST-D

703 509-1792

www.craniosacraltherapistcolumbus.com

How to Empower Yourself By Facing Your Own Fear

by SharonHartnett | Aug 31, 2024 | Craniosacral Therapy, fear, healing

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Fear Embraced

The Stimulation of Fear. Prepare to Run! Get ready to fight! What a great friend fear can be to each of us. It often moves us toward safety. Fear is a strong emotion. Human Beings, as animals, have evolved successfully thanks to the biological process within each of us that shifts our bodies into gear when in danger.

In fear, the adrenal glands prompt us to react when faced with an immenent threat. The challenge though is when we can’t fight or flee, the brain freezes.

In Craniosacral Therapy, I often work with people who live in patterns of anxiety, PTSD or panic attacks. At some point in their lives, there was an inability to act against a given threat. So in current times, sometimes the logical mind is taken over by the limbic system. Living in hyperarousal, it’s easy to be overly sensitive or to be easily triggered.

If this sounds like you, take back the reins of your own life force! There is a way through. I find that there are many good therapists out here in the world with great tools to reflect and teach how to calm and bring you back to center.

From a Craniosacral Therapy perspective, we work with the Cranosacral System (CS). Bascially, that focus is on the brain, the spine, and particularly on the cererospinal fluid which surrounds it and flows. We listen and meld with the rhythm of the CS of an individual, supporting and helping to enhance the nourishment of the nervous system as well as helping to release toxins. Most clients find deep relief and peace after they start to trust the process of receiving the benefits of their own healthy self-regulation.

A Craniosacral Therapist works in a body centered manner. In the higher level, they learn to open up dialogue to fear. There are also body centered psycotherapists who work with the body which can be helpful too. Then there are therapists like me, trained in both. All of these work at supporting the limbic system to find balance. We include the body to brain relationship, from bottom up. This acts as a doorway to transform and heal.

I do want to remind you that fear is never the enemy. I often invite my clients instead to allow whatever is happening to move through as long as they are strong enough and in a comfort zone to make room for the movement of emotions. If not, there are techniques and different ways to slow down or minimize at a healthy pace.

Fear is only an emotion. It’s not who you are. It’s just waiting to be processed and to come into completion. When that’s done. you are set free.

Sharon Hartnett CST-D

703 509-1792

www.craniosacraltherapistcolumbus.com

Introducing You to Craniosacral Therapy

by SharonHartnett | Aug 29, 2024 | craniosacral, Craniosacral Therapy, healing, Healthy Body, upledger institute

Anyone with an open mind can enjoy the benefits of Craniosacral Therapy.

At the very core of Craniosacral Therapy, there is an Inner Wisdom Within each individual. This is where the faith comes in with this manual therapy.Trusting that the body has its own intelligence. A craniosacral therapist listens, follows, and melds with the Craniosacral System to help mirror, nourish and acknowledge the power that is held in each of us.

The Brain and the Spine are part of the information highway of the nervous system withing each of us.When a therapist blends and supports the Inner Wisdom though blending with the fluids, magical things happen. They really do. Not in an abstract way only, although that can certainly be the case. But also in a very science based methology. Craniosacral Therapy restores and benefits by enhancing the quality of the rhythm of the cerebrospinal fluid.

Cranioacral Therapy is gentle yet powerful work. It enhances wellbeing and brings strength to the whole body by enlivening the tissues and waking up new awareness within the body’s communication network. New messages are born. New information changes.

The thing is, a person must be open minded. They need to think outside the box of traditional medicine. Imagine, a 1:1 relationship where full attention is on your deepest body intelligence. What amazing things could your body do when it is acknowledged and empowered? It’s enough that it works as it does miracoulously every day. But boosting its efficiency, and optimizing its health frees one to deeper wells of inner resources.

If you want to find out more about Craniosacral Therapy, check out the Upledger Institute. Dr. John Upledger has gifted the world with this beautiful and powerful manual therapy. Learn more about how it can help you.

May the fluid flow peacefully Within You!

Sharon Hartnett CST-D

703 509-1792

www.craniosacraltherapistcolumbus.com

Moving Into the Light: How to Lift the Shadows

by SharonHartnett | Aug 27, 2024 | change, Craniosacral Therapy, healing, mind body & spirit, Spiritual Healing, thought for the day

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Your Sacred Light Opportunity

We are all mixtures of light and dark. Sometimes others will try and fool you. They present themselves as holy, as illuminated and high and mighty. That’s ego.

The Truth is that we are all made from the same Source, the Creator. The story of origin lives and dies everywhere all the time. We are all ordinary in our sameness. We are all extraordinary light creations in our unique experiences. We are all small. We are all great. Every soul possibility that lives with me, lives within you. That is the substance of God. It is the love of God that sustains us whether we remember or don’t.

I used to wonder when I was younger, why am I alive? What is my purpose here? How did I get here? By my 30’s, I felt such a deep dark hole near my heart. I missed something in this lifetime, and yet I didn’t know what it was. By now, in this stage of my life, I know it was the Light within. But I have to decide to take the path of truth and love many times over to wake up. We are all interconnected. We all do better when we unite.

Anyway, for me, this hole has been my teacher. The spirit which lives within me has chosen to be a spiritual seeker. I move toward the “whole “open heartedly. I am an opener of doors. Yet I also know that to constantly seek can present its own stuck dilemma loop. Therefore, I aslo love to choose gratitude as well. I tend to rejoice more in the moment.

Personally, I am a Pisces, so I am overly sensitive, creative and very emotional. This thing called life has been so easy in some ways, but internally not so much. I live inner struggles all the time by trying to understand how to fit into humanity and its polarities, and to feel, and understand how limiting my beliefs and others can be.

I recognize that in our own way, each of us suffers. We all feel pain. Nobody wins the prize for who has it worst. However, what we decide to do with all that we have been given-that’s what matters. That’s what give meaning to our lifes. That’s where we get to join into the school of human evolution.

We have two choices in life really. A “Yes” or a “No” to what life has to offer us. Being human, we identify as being individuals. These are the rules we live by. I am me. You are you. We are taught from and early age, our names, and some type of social order to which we belong. Our tribe so to speak. Yet, at some point, do we want to step out? What does he take to move away from the familiar?

Each tribe has its own resonance. It’s own ways of doing things. We belong until we don’t anymore. It is inherent in all of us that we will have opportunities to grow. Awareness is moving in and out as waves of new consciousness , intending to wake us up to something bigger than our individual selves. Alas though, we can resist change too.

These tiny brains that we are given soak up everything which is being mirrored to us. Our identify is formed by all the outer influences and how we dance with them based on our soul configuration and personality. Because we each live different lives we each end up experiencing, accepting and also confronting expriences which are Light Opportunities for us to grow and shift into the Greater Whole.

The 3 Main Core Challenges:

1. Choose Love or Move Away From It

2. Take Responsiblity for our Choices and Actions or Deny Life as It IS. Also included here is to Blame in order to avoid oneself.

3. Choosing to live authentically or to pretend to be what others want and tell you to be.

For us humans, it’s not so easy to love all the time. Conflict is inherent in indivualism at this point of our evolution. Some times we are just plain mean spirited. Often we can see ourselves and others trying to hurt each other. Underneath all of us are woundings that have never been fully met nor understood. So we repeatedly act out our lower selves. We are living in an illusion of our own making. Our social media imposes fake reality all the time. With AI emerging, even more so in the future. Still, we can choose love and light at moment. It’s available.

Often, it seems so hard to take responsibility for our hurtful and cruel choices. At a young age, most of of learn to slip the blame somewhere else. It gives us an instanteous relief. However, in our youth and until we learn, we don’t realize that the lies we tell ourselves hurts our health, wellbeing and our soul self. Pointing a finger creates nasty karma when we don’t sense and feel into the consequences of our own negative actions. Choice point moments are to accept Yourself as you are. You are Light.

One of the most painful things is to live by the standards of others. Although we train for this starting at a young age. We all do. Eventually though, as we mature, we are intended to break out and find God in our own individuality. I truly believe that is why we are all here. We have these Light Opportunities to transform and transcend beyond what we ever imageined we are capable of. Change can be found in the smallest acts or grandiose. However evolution enters into your life, you get to choose to hold onto a past that is over. Or- you can choose to be in your truth and express the true authentic you. No matter what the cost. There is profound beauty in being yourself.

This world is a low dark place on many spots. At the same time, the Brightest, Most Beautiful Compassionate Light is EVERYWHERE. Sometimes it will be more apparent. Sometimes we have to listen through our senses intently to catch sight. The best place to begin to look is Within. Learn to Trust Yourself and to be kind.

In conclusion, God is not “Out There”. God is in everything. That includes you too. Perhaps people have labeled you as “bad”, “not worthy”, or “not wanted.” But that was them. Live in your own lane, and follow your heart. Your reason will align with compassion, kindness and generosity to Self and others that way.

I’ll give you a little hint. What I have discovered is that the path is going to continue your whole life. We are not all awakened all at once. No matter what color skin, which religion, or type of job we take. We come here to journey in these skins together. So take the opporunities one at a time. Learn from your mistakes and glory in the gifts of nature. Everything is here for your taking and understanding. And when it’s enough, you’ll remember that you are embodied, whole and complete. The seeking stops.

Sharon Hartnett CST-D

703 509-1792

www.craniosacraltherapistcolumbus.com

A Brand New Way of Thinking about Your Health

by SharonHartnett | Aug 20, 2024 | craniosacral, Craniosacral Therapy, healing, meditation, mind body & spirit, mindfulness

Proactive Health

Life Style is a Choice. But it’s not always an easy choice. Most people are working so many hours that they feel stressed. They don’t spend enough time outside, having fun, or exercising because they are tired. In relationship to food, much of our maketing is aimed at pushing us to make unhealthy choices. For example, we hear eat vegetables and lean meat, but the grocery stores are filled with sodas and processed food with who knows what is inside. We hear it’s important to make friends for healthy relationships. What if you are an introverted person? Or facing mental and emotional challenges and there are no resources available? Our choices may seem to have limited answers.

As a Craniosacral Therapist and Healer for about 30 years, I have worked with many people. I listen. Often people blame themselves for ending up not feeling well. I have noticed this with women in particular. But honestly the society we live in contributes to making the choosing confusing. So many mixed up messages.

I believe it’s important to first acknowledge where you are right now in your health journey. Accept yourself as you are with some compassion by going to your heart. Next, take some time to consider the changes you want to make. Being with your own Truth is a Powerful Beginning. Self Awareness helps us to make proactive choices in our own best interests.

The next and most important key in my opinion is to get to know yourself. We are complex human beings. We have conscious thoughts and we also have patterns steeped in shadow. It’s important to take the time to get a sense of your own sense of power and core abilitites. That’s where you can start to make internal changes which are long-lasting.

Set your intention for proactive and positive health. Once this is clear. take action:

1. Set up health goals

2. Meditate to awaken self awareness

3. Choose someone to help you find deeper clarity and a health sense of Self.

4. Become friendly with your own body.

5. Find healthy activities which you enjoy, and do them! Start small but stop make excuses.

6. Prioritize your health because nobody else can do it better than you!

7. Reach in to find your deeper resources, and then reach out to connect with others in your own comfort zone.

It’s best to be proactive about your health. Also, it’s never too late. Ultimately only you can make the choices to return you back to your center and healthy embodiment.

Breathe and be the best you can be. That is enough!

Sharon Hartnett CST-D

703 509-1792

www.craniosacraltherapistcolumbus.com

6797 N. High #333 Worthington, Ohio 43085