Raindrop Therapy is a powerful essential oil technique that was developed by D. Gary Young in the 1970s. It combines several holistic modalities to bring balance and alignment to the body with the application of two mixed blended oils and seven single essential oils. The key to Raindrop Therapy’s many benefits is based on the use of aromatherapy, the Vita Flex Technique, and a light enfleurage type of feather massage. By bringing together these elements of the session in a harmonious and energetic combination, the client often feels a deeper connection to core, lengthening along the spine and a stronger energetic alignment.
The Raindrop Technique found its name by the naming of the light raindrop sensations that the client feels as the essential oils are dropped from about 6 inches above. It’s very comforting and those who are aware of the energetic component may even feel the vibration as the drops spill into the human energy field. People often feel a deep sense of relaxation, more joy and inner peace. Not only do client feel better emotionally, but some of the oils are known to hold anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. As the oils are gently massage near the spine, the body immediately benefits as toxins are released, the immune system begins to strengthen and balance, and the person lets go of old stresses and pains.
These particular oils offer a blend that integrates the body’s energies and can help align the spine and muscles of the back, help ease cramping and muscle soreness/pain, and are designed to bring physical, mental, and emotional balance to the body.
For more information on essential oils, a great resource is the Young Living Oil Website or “The Complete book of Essential.
At Lighten Up Therapies, we enjoy using the high grade therapeutic Young Living Oils for the Raindrop Therapy.
What is so great about Structural Integration (SI)?
You touch into one aspect of the fascia and you are relating to the whole body~ Sharon Hartnett
Structural Integration work is focused on working with the fascia. When a therapist touches into the fascia, she is not only working locally, but on the whole continuous membranous three dimension envelope that covers and transverses through the human body from head to toe.
Ida Rolf’s Structural Integration is a holistic approach to massage and bodywork. All the blood vessels and nerves move through this connective tissue that is composed of mostly collagen and elastin. What this means is that both the circulatory and nervous system are greatly affected by fascial work not only because of the tissues at hands, but also because with just the most gentlest of touch, the whole web is affected on many levels. When there is an injury, compensation, twist or rotation, the body’s fascial system will migrate in the direction of ease and show the therapist what needs to happen to release unhealthy tensions. By following the motion of the whole web under our fingers, the whole body can decompress, unravel, soften, rehydrate and discharge stagnant fluids. At other times, while still listening to the body’s pull, the therapist can move through restrictions until the tissues surrender and allow deeper access. Eventually, with patience and a healthy respect for touch and trusting the body’s intelligence, both the therapist and the client can gain access to the core.
For the client, Structural Integration brings about long-term changes, especially when the client learns to listen to her own body and make new changes. SI helps to reduce chronic pain, increases sports performances, and supports better functioning through changing the the body’s form. The Whole picture approach to Structural Integration is what optimizes the body’s resilience and ability to restore itself and to become reinvigorated.
The Continuous Fascial Web…
Reach with new length and ease~
Structural Integration has been around the Columbus, area for a few years. Now, Sharon Hartnett LMT is bringing her style of the work locally. If you are interested, please call 703 509-1792 for a free 15 minute consultation.
One of my loves in massage is aligning the body to relate easier in relationship to gravity. I am a big fan of Ida Rolf’s work because she has placed a light on the horizon for massage therapists to help their client’s find better posture. The quote below sums her insight of structure very clearly:
“Some individuals may perceive their losing fight with gravity as a sharp pain in their back, others as the unflattering contour of their body, others as constant fatigue, yet others as an unrelentingly threatening environment. Those over forty may call it old age. And yet all these signals may be pointing to a single problem so prominent in their own structure, as well as others, that it has been ignored: they are off balance, they are at war with gravity.”
–Ida P. Rolf, Ph.D.
hot stone massage after a structural integration session feels good…
Structural Integration is such a beautiful modality of massage therapy. It offers opportunities than can’t be found in a basic Swedish massage. It works with lengthening the fascia and restoring structural integrity for more longterm results.
At the same time, while I love the Structural Integration work, it does entail some deep feeling of letting go and touching into resistance. So I like to offer an addition 15 minute massage with hot stones at the end of a massage session to give the body time to integrate and receive what has happened during the session. If you are a person who enjoys hot stone massage, you may request the additional time for $20.00 extra.
Craniosacral Therapy (CST) is a light touch approach in bodywork that invites profound change and improvement into your life. It releases deep tensions from around the brain and spine to relieve pain and dysfunction while improving whole body health and performance. A seasoned Craniosacral Therapist begins by gently listening to different areas of the body in order to monitor the craniosacral fluid’s rhythm that is flowing around the Central Nervous System. It is possible to get a sense of where the flow is strong, weak or out of balance. As the Craniosacral Therapist follows the listening, she can move toward the source of the dysfunction and help to rebalance the problem areas. A Craniosacral Therapist is also trained to gather information within the fascia, a connective tissues that wraps around the body and interconnects as a web throughout the body. By using both hands to re-educate the memory of tissues, the body starts to remember a more healthy and relaxed state of being.
Great for relieving neck and back pain.
What are the benefits of Craniosacral Therapy?
First and foremost, Craniosacral Therapy balances the nervous system. For people who hyped up and have a difficult time relaxing, they will generally notice a deep letting go of tension and stress. On the other side of the coin, people who are tired and find themselves with low energy often feel more vital and sharp. By bringing the body back into balance, it resets itself to operate more efficiently. Because the Central Nervous System is engaged with the rest of the body, CST is helpful in other areas as well. some of the conditions that CST address are:
ADD/ADHS
Scoliosis
Central Nervous System Disorders
Infant and Childhood Disorders
Chronic Neck and Back Pain
Migraine and Headaches
Stress and Tension Related Disosrders
Chronic Fatigue
TMJ
PTSD
Orthopedic Problems
Learning Disabilities
Fibromyalgia
Coordination Challenges
Balances out Emotional Feelings
Autism
Sharon Hartnett is a certified Craniosacral Therapist through the Upledger Institute. She has a practice in both in Worthington, Ohio, and Worthington, Ohio. For a free 15 minute phone consultation, do give her a call at: 703 509-1792
A Craniosacral Perspective towards working with Children~
One thing that I read from Dr. Valeria Hunt, Ph.D’s, foreword, to “Cell Talk” by Dr. John Upledger, D.O., has stuck in my mind because of its wisdom and love for children. As she and Dr. John often enjoyed mutual conversations about consciousness and awareness, they similarly challenged old paradigms, and opened up conversations into the vastness of all probabilities. One can see how they appreciated enjoyed working with children as she describes her thoughts as such, “I would love to see John’s concepts of inner awareness developed and taught to children before their consciousness has become concretized by material problems. The complete healthy human being will be in a conversation with the hidden information of his consciousness placed there primarily by the experiences in this life and other lifehoods with only “tendency matrices” for the genes.” In my opinion this is a fabulously intelligent way to work with children because the earlier they are released from negative thinking and experiencing harmful patterns, the matrix of life that appears before them will be exponentially more navigable, unfettered and living in the emptiness of Now. Presence and listening allows the dualistic story to unfold. When this energy is released from the energy system of the child, new pathways emerge, leaving behind the imbalances and disturbances that could have stimulated dysfunction or disease. Dr. John Upledger brought his teachings of open dialoguing and imagination to a science based Craniosacral therapy that is able to break down the barriers of limited thinking by standing freely in the Universe of All Things.
Pediatric Massage
As a Certified Advanced Craniosacral Therapist, I have found a deliciousness in the melding of Science and Making oneself open to the Unknown. While I mostly begin early sessions with the basic Protocol formulated by Dr. John, I have discovered that it is indeed possible to use the Craniosacral Rhythm and its intelligence to investigate and explore the consciousness Within. With children, there is a simple curiosity that accompanies a Craniosacral Session that opens doors to health and expansion and absolutely discards the disease process. Children are like open rosebuds, waiting for life to nurture them and direct them in the material world. They are often not as attached to the way things turn out as much as they are to what is naturally occurring within the moment. This can easily be palpated in the tissues. The slightest of touch and intention can quickly release a minor blip or a chaotic pattern. While listening to a child’s system, a seasoned Craniosacral Therapist can ask the rhythm to turn “off” is something significant is occurring, or to stay on when things are moving along nicely. Because the Craniosacral system is so interlaced with the functioning of the nervous system, it is easy to understand that this from of dialogue can create positive longlasting changes that will promote health and wellbeing.
So how does this work? I’ll give some examples of case studies where I have worked with children. Once I was working with a child whose mother had been left as a child. She did not have an inner resource for mothering. After quite a bit of hand-on craniosacral therapy work with the baby, the child was making better eye contact, engaging more with sound, relating better in an overall sense. Meanwhile, the mother had some sessions too which brought her more inward and better grounded in places where she did not engage in her youth. Both the mother and baby could approach their relationship in a more trusting and sensitive way. Another child that I held recently was born to a mother who was addicted to drugs. As I held the baby, I could feel the places along her spine where there was restriction. I gentle used my intention to lengthen the dural tube between the occiput and sacrum and she cooed and smiled as restrictions were released. I could easily feel a deeper and stronger connection along her spine. With more movement and connection, that little girl will no longer need to organize her tissues around adhesions or shortening in the segments that were not in their full operation mode. I have also worked with older children with disabilities. I have seen them do better in school after the temporal bones sutures were released and the falx tentorium was freed up.
Children are at their best when their bodies are awakening to the interconnections within. Freeing up the structure and listening to the fluidity and supporting that movement through dialogues and listening can bring tremendous relief to children with challenges, illnesses, and stress. Dr. John Upledger brought the gift of an open mind and an intent to dance with joy in the body’s Craniosacral system. It is with pleasure that I take this model of healing and employ it in my day to day work with clients. Following the intelligence of your body’s systems and being in service to the movement towards health is my honor.
For more information on Pediatric Craniosacral Therapy, please call:
Peppermint in its Essential oil form has many medicinal properties along with its great flavor. When used during an aromatherapy Craniosacral Session, the peppermint oil can be both energizing and soothing. It is an excellent digestive, acts as an anti-inflammatory, aids in respiration and circulation. When applied with a base oil, at first the sensation may be close to that of the candy, with a crisp awakening touch. However, as the oils are absorbed, circulation increases and a general sense of overall warmth takes its place. This makes peppermint a good oil to use for headaches, toothaches, fatigue and bad breath. It’s also a wonderful scent that brings about a lively alertness to life.
Benefits of Peppermint
When going in for a Craniosacral Therapy Session, ask for a few drops of Peppermint to freshen up your mood and day!
