Finding the Best Somatic Therapist for Chronic Pain and Discomfort

I’m a craniosacral therapist working with an integrative somatic approach in Worthington, serving Columbus, Ohio. “Somatic” simply means I work through the body. I draw on decades of training and experience to help you feel better and more at home inside your own body — with ease, with peace, and often with a more natural flow of energy by the time you leave. When you book a somatic session with me, I want you to feel the value and quality of the work.

Symptom Relief: What My Holistic Therapy Can Help With

Through mindful listening and skilled, gentle touch, I work with people dealing with:

• Brain and spinal cord dysfunction
• Concussions
• TMJ
• Chronic neck and back pain
• Chronic fatigue
• Fibromyalgia
• Learning challenges in children
• Tinnitus
• Headaches and migraines
• Foot and ankle stiffness and circulation
• Grief
• Addiction recovery support
• Autism
• Anxiety and PTSD
• Limited mobility and postural alignment
• Injuries that still hurt after an accident
• Trauma recovery
• The simple need for deep relaxation

The body is deeply intelligent. With the right support, it moves in its own healing direction. If you’re wondering what this work actually does, I explain it plainly in What Does Craniosacral Therapy Do?

My Background as a Craniosacral and Somatic Therapist

My path started with energy healing in the 1990s. About 27 years ago I became licensed in massage therapy, though I didn’t practice massage for long — I invested instead in learning and practicing Structural Integration, and later attended and taught at the Barbara Brennan School of Healing. One thing led to another: I studied Hakomi, then trauma-informed work with Sensorimotor Psychotherapy. As the work evolved with my clients, I moved in the early 2000s into Craniosacral Therapy at the Upledger Institute and Visceral Manipulation at the Barral Institute. Today I’m certified at the highest level Upledger offers: Diplomate (CST-D). You can read more about my energy healing work and visceral manipulation on their own pages.

Why I Wrote This

When I searched for other therapists in the Columbus area, I found a lot of confusing marketing. I felt I had to speak up, because you — as a paying client — deserve to know what you’re getting when you call and book. Interview by phone and get a clear picture of credentials. Someone may rank at the top of a search for a modality they’ve never actually trained in. There’s also a big difference between a person who took one weekend class and someone committed to years of training and practice. And when someone markets craniosacral therapy as a kind of massage, that isn’t accurate. It’s not massage; it’s a whole other system.

My Recommendations

• If someone advertises as, say, a visceral manipulation practitioner, ask about their training and experience. Are they being upfront?
• If you want an expert craniosacral therapist, ask whether they’re certified — and at which level.
• If you want a manual therapist trained in body-centered psychotherapy or trauma-informed work, ask which school they attended.

My hope is that when you search, you get accurate, useful information, so you end up in “hands of integrity.”

Ready to feel better? I’m Sharon Hartnett, a Diplomate-Certified Craniosacral Therapist (CST-D) through the Upledger Institute, with about 30 years of experience listening to the body and helping it heal. My office is in Worthington, Ohio, and I serve the greater Columbus area.

If you’re curious whether this gentle work is right for you, I offer a free 15-minute phone consultation. Call or text me at (614) 653-8111.

Learn more about somatic therapy and trauma-informed healing, read answers to common questions about craniosacral therapy, or find out how to choose the best craniosacral therapist for you.