614 653-8111 Sharhartnett@aol.com
How do the Mind and Body Connect?

How do the Mind and Body Connect?

The Inseparable Dance of Body and Mind

Craniosacral Therapist Columbus:  Sharon Hartnett CST-D

Long regarded as separate, our physical and mental realms are now understood to be intimately intertwined—so tightly that you can’t fully experience one without acknowledging the other.  In the past, if we felt off or ill, we would go to a doctor and have a look at our physical results.  But there is so much more to health than to only focus on the on the body!

1. Neural Highways: Built-In Bridges Between Thought and Physiology

A 2023 study from Washington University School of Medicine uncovered a structural integration within the brain: movement-control regions are directly linked to networks governing thought, planning, and vital involuntary functions like heart rate and blood pressure. This reveals that the body–mind connection is literally wired into our neural architecture Minnesota Clinic For Health & Wellness+11WashU Medicine+11NSF – National Science Foundation+11.
These findings offer insight into phenomena like “butterflies in the stomach,” anxiety‑driven pacing, and why calming the body—through breathing or meditation—can soothe the mind NSF – National Science Foundation.

2. Interoception: Listening Within

Interoception refers to how our brain monitors internal bodily signals—like heartbeat, breathing, or digestion—and integrates them as part of our self-awareness. Misinterpretations of these signals can contribute to anxiety, depression, or eating disorders Wikipedia+2The New Yorker+2.
Psychologists and trauma informed Craniosacral Therapists (and other somatic practitioners) now see mind and body not as separate, but as synchronized in a continuous “prediction system,” in which the brain and body jointly forecast and react to experiences The New Yorker.

3. Embodied Cognition: Think with Your Body

Emerging research in “embodied cognition” emphasizes that our physical being shapes how we think:

  • Emotions are not just mental experiences—they map onto the body.

  • Memory, decision-making, and even language comprehension are influenced by our sensory-motor systems and environment Wikipedia+1.

  • For example, mimicking facial expressions helps us perceive emotions more accurately—a testament to the body’s role in interpreting the mind Wikipedia.

4. Mindfulness & Its Physical Echoes

Mind–body practices such as meditation, mindfulness-based pain management (MBPM),  somatic therapies like Craniosacral Therapy and things like  mindful exploration through Hakomi & other guided imagery deliver measurable benefits:

  • Meditation reduces depression, improves mood and stress resilience, and helps with attention and recovery from illnesses Nature+2Wikipedia+2Wikipedia.

  • A study from UC San Diego found that just 20 minutes of mindfulness can significantly decrease pain perception, altering both intensity and emotional response New York Post.

  • MBPM, combining mindfulness with compassion, has shown long-term improvements in pain acceptance, mental health, and quality of life for chronic pain sufferers—even nine years after the intervention Wikipedia.

  • Guided imagery, breath work, hypnosis, and related mind–body interventions like Upledger Craniosacral Therapy have been shown to help with chronic pain, nausea, coronary disease, and enhance immune responses via psychoneuroimmunology—highlighting how thoughts can shape physical health Wikipedia.

5. Body Health Reflects Mental Health, and Vice Versa

Recent large-scale evidence indicates that poor physical health—especially metabolic or immune system dysfunction—often signals underlying mental health issues more clearly than brain scans do health.com.
Moreover, chronic mental states like depression can increase the risk of physical ailments such as heart disease or arthritis, mediated through inflammation and stress hormones time.com.

6. Bridging Western Medicine’s Divide

A 2025 exploration by Cambridge researcher Camilla Nord challenges Western medicine’s traditional split between “physical” and “mental” illnesses. She argues no condition exists purely in one realm—every illness involves both biological and psychological elements The Guardian.


Why This Matters

  • Clinical Practice must evolve toward holistic care—treating both body and mind together, not separately. As a Craniosacral Therapist in Columbus for many years, I have seen deep healing with hands on manual work.  Especially when engaging the mind and body and interdependent and melding.

  • Everyday Life benefits too: practices like yoga, embodied learning, meditation, and mindful awareness can enhance wellbeing and resilience.

  • Personal Insight helps us recognize that physical discomfort, emotional stress, or mental fog are not isolated—they’re part of a unified system.

Being in the world of healing for 30 years, I KNOW from experience that we are more than just a physical shell.  The body is something that we live within.  It gives us an opportunity to be human and to have real life experiences.  However, we are also our feelings, our beliefs, and our connections.  We are much more than we ever imagined.  Re-connecting our sense of  mind and body gives us the chance to deepen and feel more whole.


In a nutshell: The body and mind are not two separate entities but parts of a holistic ecosystem. From neural wiring to emotional awareness, from physical sensations to mental health—each influences and shapes the other. Embracing this connection can guide us toward deeper healing, greater self-awareness, and more compassionate care—for ourselves and others.

Let me know if you’d like suggestions for practical exercises or healthy routines that honor this synergy!

Further reading
The mind/body revolution: how the division between 'mental' and 'physical' illness fails us all

The Guardian

Jan 26, 2025
Poor Body Health May Indicate Poor Mental Health-Experts Discuss Mind-Body Connection

health.com

May 11, 2023
Craniosacral Therapist Columbus: Thank You For Allowing Me to Be Part of Your Healing Journey

Craniosacral Therapist Columbus: Thank You For Allowing Me to Be Part of Your Healing Journey

Gratitude for Craniosacral Therapy

‘Craniosacral Therapist Sharon Hartnett in Columbus, Ohio

This is a short post of gratitude. 

I want to say thank you to all the people who have come to see me with trust and a need to heal. Healing is not for the faint of heart. It takes gumption and courage to face life sometimes. Especially when we are challenged.

I have been working with people of all walks of earth for about 30 years.  I have met a diversity of different clients from around the world, who look different, think differently and who present with one longing, and that is to know oneself and to truly heal.  My intention is to hold that for you and to nourish that intention with gentle and skillful support.

Yes, I do healing work.  But I am not the healer.  You are.  You are the person who can take charge of your ship and steer any direction you choose.  I am the oar that will help you move forward, especially when you are in dark waters.  Whether that is past trauma, stress, fear or a need to walk through the Unknown with another.

We are the empowered ones.  However, sometimes it does really help to get support. We need to sort through, to release and find our deeper resources.  That’s where I come in.  I want to help you find yourself and your true essence of “being here in fullness”.

At the same time, this brings a lot of meaning in my life.  I am priviledged and humble to be in the midst of this journey with you.  I learn and grow too.  My container expands and strengthen through every encounter. We all teach and learn from each other.  For me- love is the strongeest teacher of all.

Right now, I believe we all need to be here for each other.  None of us is meant to do it alone. The fighting and bickering needs to stop. Let’s stop pretending that we have to be self sufficient. Instead, let’s connect.

Right now is a good time to reach out to family, to friends, to include ourselves in community.  It a needed time to give thanks for what IS here now in ourselves and in each other.

I AM

May Peace be with you my friends.  

Sharon Hartnett CST-D

614 653-8111

www.craniosacraltherapistcolumbus.com

 

The Healing Power of Touch: Craniosacral Therapy Columbus

The Healing Power of Touch: Craniosacral Therapy Columbus

The healing power of touch: Columbus, Ohio

The Healing Power of Touch: How Craniosacral Therapy Supports Whole-Person Wellbeing in Columbus, Ohio


The Healing Power of Touch

The world today feels divided and stressful for many people. Yet something as simple as gentle, intentional touch can open the door to deep healing. Craniosacral Therapy (CST) is a hands-on approach that goes beyond physical pain relief—it supports emotional balance, nervous system regulation, and a sense of being truly seen and known.


Why Touch Matters

Touch is one of the first senses we develop. It’s essential for healthy development, calming the body, and fostering human connection. When offered with presence and compassion, touch communicates safety. It helps unwind stored trauma, soften chronic tension, and restore a person’s sense of wholeness.

Many of my clients describe a deep sense of relief when they feel gently met—without pressure, fixing, or judgment. Just being held in a field of care allows something deep within them to relax.


How Craniosacral Therapy Works

CST works with the craniosacral system—the membranes and fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Through light touch, this therapy helps the body shift out of “fight or flight” into a state of rest, healing, and integration.

People often describe feeling:

  • More grounded and calm

  • Reconnected to themselves

  • Lighter, clearer, and more emotionally centered


What the Research Shows

Growing evidence supports the healing benefits of compassionate, therapeutic touch:

  • Reduces cortisol (stress hormone)

  • Enhances parasympathetic activity (rest and digest response)

  • Improves emotional regulation and lowers anxiety

  • Increases heart rate variability—a marker of nervous system health

These physiological shifts help create space for emotional healing, trauma resolution, and deeper self-connection.


A Safe, Compassionate Space for Healing

At Lighten Up Therapies in Columbus, Ohio, I hold a space that is gentle, trauma-informed, and grounded in decades of training and experience. Craniosacral Therapy is more than a technique—it’s a way to return to your own inner wisdom and natural rhythm.

Whether you’re dealing with stress, trauma, chronic pain, or a desire to reconnect with yourself, this work offers a pathway toward balance and resilience.


Ready to Experience the Power of Gentle Touch?

If you’re curious about how craniosacral therapy can support your healing, I invite you to reach out for a free 15-minute phone consultation. Ask questions, learn more, and see if this gentle work is a good fit for you.

👉 Schedule your free consultation or call now to connect.


Located in Columbus, Ohio—serving clients across Central Ohio.

www.craniosacraltherapistcolumbus.com

Imagine a Better World

Imagine a Better World

Creating a Better World Starts Within

It’s easy to look at the world and wish it were different. Kinder. More peaceful. More connected.

But what if creating that world doesn’t start out there?

What if it starts right here – within you?

Every time you choose to listen with compassion instead of reacting in anger, you create a small shift. When you speak with honesty and kindness, you create trust. When you soften your judgments and open your heart, you create space for healing.

These choices may seem small. But together, they become a ripple.

Your relationships change. Your community feels it. The world feels it.

We often forget how much power we hold to create change. Not by controlling others, but by becoming the person we wish everyone else would be.

Imagine the world you long for. Feel it in your body. Live it in your daily choices.

Because creating a better world starts within you… and then expands outward, touching everything you’re connected to.

You are that powerful.

As a Craniosacral Therapist and Healer for close to 30 years, I see the need that is here right now.  Especially for women.  To find this sense of power.  To feel it in the bones,  To move with the body.  Let this mindful work help you to discover your deepest truth.

Sharon Hartnett CST-D through the Upledger Institute and Barbara Breenan Energy Healer/Reiki

614 653-8111

Serving the Greater Columbus Area.

The Ripple Effect of Kindness…..

Still Hurting After an Accident? Craniosacral Therapy May Help You Recover

Still Hurting After an Accident? Craniosacral Therapy May Help You Recover

Craniosacral therapist using light touch to help a woman recover from injury-related headaches and tension"

Find Help with a Craniosacral Therapist after head trauma. Written by Sharon Hartnett CST-D Columbus, Ohio

If you’ve been in a car accident, taken a hard fall, or suffered a head injury, you might still be feeling the effects—long after the moment has passed.

Every year, thousands of people in the U.S. experience accidents that leave invisible marks. Car crashes. Ladder falls. Horseback riding injuries. Some walk away feeling lucky—until the symptoms start creeping in.

Lingering headaches. Jaw tension. Brain fog. Dizziness. Chronic neck and back pain. For many, these symptoms don’t show up right away—and when they do, conventional medicine may not offer full relief.

That’s where Craniosacral Therapy (CST) comes in.


? Accidents Are More Common Than You Think

  • Over 6 million car accidents happen in the U.S. every year. Even minor fender benders can cause whiplash or head injuries.

  • 500,000+ people are injured annually in ladder falls.

  • Horseback riding leads to 100,000+ injuries a year—many involving the head, neck, or spine.

While emergency care addresses broken bones and life-threatening trauma, many people are left with unresolved tension or dysfunction that lingers long after the body appears “healed.”


? Traditional Medicine Offers Essential—But Sometimes Incomplete—Relief

After an accident, most people turn to:

  • Pain relievers (NSAIDs, muscle relaxants)

  • Physical therapy

  • Rest or immobilization

  • Imaging and diagnostics (MRIs, CT scans)

These treatments are critical. But for people experiencing post-concussion symptoms, chronic headaches, or nervous system overload, the path to recovery can feel frustratingly slow—or stalled.

Migraines, tension headaches, jaw pain (like TMJ), and hypersensitivity can persist long after scans show “nothing wrong.”


? Craniosacral Therapy: A Gentle Support for Deeper Healing

Craniosacral Therapy works with your body’s natural rhythm to release tension stored in the central nervous system. Using a light, therapeutic touch—no more than the weight of a nickel—a trained CST practitioner listens to subtle patterns in the body and helps unwind areas of restriction or shock.

CST may help:

  • Reduce headaches and migraines

  • Ease neck and jaw tension after whiplash

  • Support post-concussion recovery

  • Calm the fight-or-flight response

  • Improve sleep, mood, and focus

Unlike forceful manipulations or invasive treatments, CST creates a safe space where your nervous system can reset and self-correct—especially helpful when trauma is still “held” in the tissues.


? What the Research Says

A growing body of studies supports CST’s role in pain and trauma recovery:

  • One clinical trial showed reduced pain and frequency of migraines after CST compared to traditional massage.

  • Case studies report improvements in post-concussion symptoms, including dizziness, fogginess, and neck pain.

  • CST has been shown to help with cervicogenic headaches, which are often related to trauma in the neck area.

While more large-scale research is needed, evidence suggests CST can be an effective complementary therapy to traditional medical care—especially when symptoms persist beyond the acute phase.


? You Don’t Have to Do It Alone

Healing takes time. Especially after trauma.

It’s normal to feel frustrated when you’re not getting answers—or when others say “you should be fine by now.”

Craniosacral Therapy offers another way.   With a Craniosacral Therapist who meets your body where it is, listens deeply, and supports you gently back into balance.


? Ready to Explore a Different Path?

If you’re still hurting after an accident, you’re not alone—and you’re not broken. Your body may just need the right kind of support to fully let go of what it’s been holding.

Reach out today to learn how Craniosacral Therapy can help you reconnect, recover, and reclaim your sense of well-being.

Sharon Hartnett CST-D

614 653-8111

For more answers to questions, go to Craniosacral Therapist Columbus Ohio

 


What Should I Expect in a Craniosacral Therapy Session?

What Should I Expect in a Craniosacral Therapy Session?

Craniosacral Therapist Columbus vs. head massage

What Should I Expect in a Craniosacral Therapy Session?

Craniosacral Therapy in Columbus, Ohio

If you’re curious about craniosacral therapy in Columbus, Ohio, you have come to the right place.  Many people are looking for natural and organic ways to feel better in their bodies—and craniosacral therapy (CST) offers a deeply relaxing and effective option.  Some of the things that you can expect to have in a professional space:

A Neutral and Compassionate Space

This creates a safe therapeutic relationship with your Craniosacral Therapist—one that is compassionate, neutral, and professional.

Especially when fear is being held or recycled in the body, having a calm and peaceful therapeutic space and presence can help the nervous system settle. This sense of safety supports the mind in letting go and allows the body to begin healing more deeply.

A Gentle Yet Deep Experience

Craniosacral therapy uses very light touch to release tension in the nervous system. The body responds well because the approach is so gentle—it doesn’t resist the change, it welcomes it. This allows the healing to ripple through all systems in the body: muscular, skeletal, digestive, and emotional.

Many clients report feeling calm, centered, and more connected after just one session.

What Happens in a Session?

Sessions are typically 60–90 minutes, depending on the therapist. You’ll lie fully clothed on a comfortable treatment table. The practitioner uses gentle hand placements to encourage the release of restrictions and integration in the tissues, and to hold a space for embodied healing.

Because the body holds cellular memory, it’s not uncommon for emotions, images, or old thoughts to arise during or after a session. This is part of the body’s natural healing process.  You can check into Somatoemotional Release to find out more.

Choosing the Right Craniosacral Therapist Matters

Not all craniosacral therapy is the same. Every practitioner brings a different level of training, experience, and personal approach to the table. Some may weave craniosacral work into other bodywork modalities, while others have made it the core of their practice through years of advanced study.

Before booking a session, take time to learn about a therapist’s background. Ask about their certifications, where they trained, and how long they’ve been practicing. For example, practitioners certified through the Upledger Institute have completed extensive hands-on education rooted in the foundational principles of this gentle, powerful work.

Because this is such subtle and deeply transformative therapy, finding the right match can make all the difference. Sometimes that means traveling a bit farther to work with someone whose approach truly resonates with your needs.

Your healing journey is personal—choose a therapist who brings presence, skill, and heart to the table.

Feel Better in Your Body

Clients often seek craniosacral therapy for chronic pain, stress, trauma, or simply a desire to feel more at ease. Over time, CST helps you feel more grounded, resilient, and balanced.


Looking for Craniosacral Therapy in Columbus, Ohio?
Reach out to a certified practitioner in your area to experience the value of feeling better in your body—gently and naturally.

If you are local to Columbus, Ohio, call:

Sharon Hartnett CST-D

614 653-8111

FAQ