3 Big Benefits of Receiving Structural Integration Therapy

by SharonHartnett | Jan 24, 2025 | better posture, Craniosacral Therapy, Energy Healing, Healthy Body, Massage, mindfulness, move effortlessly, Structural Integration

How Structural Integration Chose Me.

The miracles of fascia work.

Structural Integration really helped me when I was in my 30’s after having children. My body was so out of alignment, especially after carrying children on my hip and bending over so much. The smartest thing I did was to find a local Rolfer. After 10 sessions, I felt so much longer and spacious, I decided to study it with another local teacher, John Latz for 18 months.

When I lived in the Washington DC area, and Florida, I had a wonderful private practice where I did mostly Structural Integration for many years. Eventually though, as I began to get older, I decided to move more into the Craniosacral Therapy because it’s easier on the body. What I liked about this transition is that both consider the fascia and have similar benefit, but the technques are different. Also, neither are truly considered massage, but instead manual therapy with their own unique perspective to healing.

For about the last 15 years, I have lived in the Columbus, Ohio area, and my primary focus is the Upledger Craniosacral Sessions. However, I still take into account the perspective of structural integration and stacking the body in alignment with the efforlessness of gravity consideration. Also, by addressing imbalances in posture, through the series, even with a gentle approach, it helps to reduce strain on muscles, joints, ligaments and lends to comfort in daily living. By working with the fasica, both in SI work and Craniosacral Therapy, we can help release restrictions, and unzip the body into new possibilities.

Three benefits I see often are:

1. More energy

2. Better Balance

3. Improved Circulation and Motion

I believe that fascia is an incredible system that is still being uncovered and understood. However, therapist have known this for a long time. We have witnessed the strength and power of change with the fascia over and over again.

As I stated, I no longer do primarily Structural Integration, but I do “integrate” it into my Craniosacral Work. It’s much more gentle, and more inclusive with its attention on the Craniosacral System and the rhthym. I do sort of a combination with the fascial awareness. It’s all about letting go of stress can creating a better environment for healing.

If you would like to find out more about how I work, I do offer a free 15 phone consultation.

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.

Is A Head Massage Different Than Craniosacral Therapy?

by SharonHartnett | Dec 19, 2024 | concussion, Craniosacral Therapy, Massage, migraine

Head Massage Feels Great!

Imagine warm hands offering head massage after a stressful day. It feels wonderful creating better circulation and helping the soft tissues relax.

Even better though, when your head hurts, or you are suffering post concussion symptoms, Craniosacral Therapy is the better bet. In a Craniosacral Therapy session, you are going to have a Craniosacral Therapist listen to all the internal motions and work with the restrictions going on in your head, as well as your body at a much deeper level.

That’s right, an experienced Certified Craniosacral Therapist can listen and follow the patterns throughout the whole system by placing our hands in one place and listening intently. The amazing thing is the body shows us through the Craniosacral System where there is dysfunction and how to help achieve integration.

This is primarily done by noticing and working with the sutures and allowing our hands to follow the patterns and rhythm into releasing from superficially to the deeper issues. This can be exceptionally helpful for people with migraines, headaches, and who have hit their head.

The gentle biomechanical light pressure we use, gives small nudges to create deeper flow throughout the brain. It’s almost like an unwinding of disconnected communication patterns inside the head. Allowing more space and dialogue. Beyond this, it affects the whole body and nervous system through all the interconnections. When the brain is feeling healthy, the body does as well.

Head Massage can feel great. Especially if someone focuses on their massage this way and becomes an expert. Comparatively, a Certified Craniosacral Therapy learns about the cranium, the mouthwork, the different parts of the brain and nervous system and more. Helping to create better motion in the brain, and throughout the whole body by working with the craniosacral system can alleveiate so many challenging symptoms. Truly, it helps the whole body to heal itself.

Certified through the Upledger Institute

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.

How to Relieve Tension Headaches?

by SharonHartnett | Aug 20, 2024 | concussion, craniosacral, Craniosacral Therapy, Massage, meditation, mind body & spirit, mindfulness, upledger institute

The Steady Ache of Tension Headaches

Find Relief:

Stay Hydrated: Dehydration can cause tension headaches.
Get Rest: Headaches can worsen without enough sleep.
Meditate: It focuses and clears your mind.
Scalp Massage helps to loosen the soft tissues on the head.
Ice Your Tension Areas
Cognitive Therapy can help you to Sort things out.
Craniosacral Therapy-deep support for motion in the cranium. This supports better motion and fluidity in the head.

If you are feeling that tightening pressure around your head, change what you are doing. Tension headaches are usually patterns. The good thing is that tension headache patterns can be broken.

As a Craniosacral Therapist, there have been times when I have worked with a person for 5 minutes and a 7 year old headache finally disappeared. This isn’t always the case, but motion and nourishment can and often shift you right out of pain.

Quite often, clients who come in once a month after initial sessions end up feeling pain free. It’s all about the fluids, the softness and giving the head and neck the ability to stay connected to the body.

If you’d like to find out more about how Craniosacral Therapy can work for you, contact:

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.

Happy Feet Make for a Happy Person

by SharonHartnett | Apr 9, 2017 | Massage

As a Massage Therapist, I see plenty of feet.

As people age, the feet seem to get more and more neglected for many people. Except the women who treat themselves to pedicures often:) Yet think about how important our feet are. They move us about everywhere we go. If we have happy feet, it’s a lot easier to be happy people!

Feet

Foot care helps us to keep them healthy, and prevent pain and other foot issues.

Foot Care:

Beginning with hygiene, start by keeping your feet clean and dry. Towel them off well after a shower or bath, to prevent fungal infections. Also, by using a textured cloth, you can help promote good circulation and more efficient skin cell replacement.

Every now and then, after you finish with your cleansing routine, check your toe nails and skin, especially if you have diabetes. The feet can signal problems that can be seen by easy observation.

Soaks with a good scrub can be very comforting and refreshing to the feet. This can help to exfoliate.

Trim nails carefully. Ingrown toenails can be very uncomfortable and lead to infection.

Choose well sized footwear. I have seen women come into my office whose feet are shaped like high heel shoes and in very odd shapes. Honestly. This is horrible for the feet as well as the posture.

Don’t share shoes or go barefoot in public places, especially shower. Dirty.

Stretch each foot with rollers, on steps, or 1/2 cylinders to help in the arches. When we walk, we are meant to have flexible feet.

Wiggle your toes and exercise your feet. I have noticed many seniors who have lost most of their awareness of their ankles and feet and can hardly move them.

Foot massage feels great. It can improve how you feel dramatically.

Don’t wait to long to see a physician if you have foot pain. It’s always better to be as proactive as possible when it comes to health.

Good Travels,

Sharon Hartnett LMT, CST-D, SI, BHSP

740 966-5153

www.massageincolumbusohio.com

Communicating the Value of CST

by SharonHartnett | Mar 16, 2017 | Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K, craniosacral, Craniosacral Therapy, Massage, stillpoint

Communicating the Value of CST

People who come in for a Craniosacral Therapy Session are often looking for corrections to their bodies such as with balance, healthy motion and dialogue. What they often leave with is a sense pain relief, more freedom in movement, and a sense of better grounding.

What makes a session helpful to clients is that they feel like their concerns are heard and that their therapist can speak the same language verbally, but also with their presence and hands.

In my experience, for the best results, the therapist is listening from moment to moment as to what the body is saying. As a client, I can really feel the difference when I am touched as to the quality of connection. So when I work, and teach other therapists, I offer this teaching as one of the most important guide posts to providing a valuable session.

Once this criteria is met, techniques come into play that can help the body to self-correct in the most gentle way. With Craniosacral Therapy, the touch is so light, that it feels like a whisper on the skin that nourishes and promotes efficiency and wellness. This is why it is such a wonderful therapy for ages from infancy to working with seniors. Almost all people can receive this type of work easily.

A trained Craniosacral Therapist will check the motion of how the cerebrospinal fluid is moving through the Craniosacral System (CSS). What he or she will feel are the flexion and extension phases that are constantly providing information to the therapist about any restrictions or dysfunctional patterns in the system itself, or with fascia and other parts of the body.

Once the pattern expressions are presented, the therapist listens, follows, and encourages gentle changes to help with symmetry, amplitude, rate and quality. This can have a great impact on how the CSS functions. When the Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) can flow freely, it allows the nerves to function more optimally. Without getting into too much detail, the clients often feel more balanced, at peace, and more centered after a session.

I have been a Massage Therapist and Bodyworker for about 20 years. In the last 10 years, I have refocused much of my work into the field of Craniosacral Therapy, SomatoeEmotional Therapy, Brain Work and Visceral Manipulation because the effects are profound and yet the touch so tender and precise.

I have learned so much at the Upledger Institute because I value their contribution to the wellbeing of so many people across the globe. One man, Dr. John Upledger, explored into an unknown frontier and brought this science based medical work to hands on practitioners to bring health and joy back into individual lives. I have seen dramatic changes for people with chronic pain and energy issues, to people recovering well from TBI’s and concussions, back and and neck pain relief, fibromyalgia relief just to name a few conditions.

I don’t think that anyone can quite explain what a session is like. Yes, I could say that you come in fully clothed and you are touched this way or that. But hardly anyone expects how great they feel by the end of the session. This work goes beyond a gentle one hour treatment. Its reaches go deep into the cells along with the mind connection there. It simply is bliss. And the changes continue to happen for days, and often times longer.

As with most types of massage and bodywork, each client is unique. And each will have a different experience. One person may feel huge shifts the first time, and others- well it may take them some time to really relax. But most often they do, and people often discover new sources of tranquility, energy and a sense of Self.

So that is my take on Craniosacral Therapy at this point in my practice. I love the work. I love practicing it, and I love receiving it. It has helped me on so many levels: physically, emotionally, in my heart and with spirit. And I have been blessed to help others with it.

If you would like to learn more, or have some questions about Craniosacral Therapy, I do offer a free 15 telephone consult. I love to share this work, and hopefully I have educated and imparted an idea of how it can help you. I haven’t found one person yet who hasn’t found some benefit in CST.

Sharon Hartnett Craniosacral Therapist Columbus

614 653-8111

Serving the Columbus, Ohio Area

For information, go to my main page.

SomatoEmotional Release CST

by SharonHartnett | Aug 25, 2016 | craniosacral, Craniosacral Therapy, Massage, mind body & spirit

SomatoEmotional Release (SER) is just what it means…

Somato means relating to the human body.

Emotional is characterized by intense feelings.

Release is freedom!

What is different about SomatoEmotional Release Work with Craniosacral Therapy that other therapies?

With Craniosacral Therapy, the therapist focuses on the myofascial tissues, but primarily on the Craniosacral Rhythm as a guide to help release restrictions in the body that maintain stress patterns. As we listen intently to the quality, symmetry, rate and amplitude of the rhythm, we ask the Inner Physician within to lead the way to self healing and self discovery. This often leads us into disorganized energy and tissues, and possibly into a layer of emotions. An experienced Craniosacral Therapist will then gently encourage its expression to release the body into more freedom and mobility. Many other types of possible therapy might be either massage or psychotherapy. SER in particular, while it is not psychotherapy, allows for the mind, body and spirit to reconnect and bring more balance and awareness on many levels.

Craniosacral Therapy Columbus

Craniosacral Therapy is a very gentle type of therapy that focuses on connection with the central nervous system. Often people who are feeling overactive internally will feel quiet and calm. Others who feel lethargic pick up energy as they come closer to equilibrium. SER, with it full spectrum experiencing, gives space for the unfolding of blocked patterns into expression and presence.

If you feel like your emotions are stopping you from relaxing and enjoying your life, or that the tension in your body is causing pain, SomatoEmotional Release work may be just the right thing for you.

Sharon Hartnett Craniosacral Therapist Columbus

614 653-8111

Serving the Columbus, Ohio Area

For information, go to my main page.