The Healing Power of Touch: Craniosacral Therapy Columbus

by SharonHartnett | Aug 2, 2025 | craniosacral, Craniosacral Therapy, healing, mind body & spirit, move effortlessly

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 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

Craniosacral therapy works with the craniosacral system — the membranes and fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Through light touch, this work helps the body shift out of “fight or flight” into a state of rest, healing, and integration. I go into the details in What Does Craniosacral Therapy Do?

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 (the stress hormone)
Enhances parasympathetic activity (the rest-and-digest response)
Improves emotional regulation and lowers anxiety
Increases heart rate variability — a marker of nervous system health

These physiological shifts create space for emotional healing, trauma resolution, and deeper self-connection. For people carrying chronic pain or recovering from an accident or injury, that shift is often where real change begins.

A Safe, Compassionate Space for Healing

At Lighten Up Therapies in Worthington, serving 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 simply 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 whether this gentle work is a good fit for you.

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.

Call or text me at (614) 653-8111 to schedule your free consultation.

Learn more about craniosacral therapy in Columbus, read answers to common questions about craniosacral therapy, or find out how to choose the best craniosacral therapist for you.

Imagine a Better World

by SharonHartnett | Jul 9, 2025 | change, craniosacral, Craniosacral Therapy, mind body & spirit, move effortlessly, upledger institute

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 Brennan Energy Healer/Reiki

(614) 653-8111

Text: To learn about my Craniosacral Therapy services, visit my my Main Page Here. Link

Serving the Greater Columbus Area.

The Ripple Effect of Kindness…..

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.

How To Find Joy by Choosing the Higher Self

by SharonHartnett | Jan 22, 2025 | change, craniosacral, Craniosacral Therapy, Energy Healing, meditation, mind body & spirit, mindfulness, move effortlessly

What is the Higher Self?

One could describe the higher self as the deeper, timeless essence of who you are — a part of you that exists beyond the layers of ego, personality, and conditioned thought. It’s like the true center of your being, always in harmony with the universe and imbued with wisdom, love, and clarity. To understand it, think of it as the still, quiet voice within that knows and sees beyond your ordinary perceptions. This is what Google says anyway. And believe it or not, I agree this is a great description!

In today’s world, there is a lot of suffering and pain. It’s part of he human condition. It passed down along the lineage and through our cultures and religion. We get so distracted with the stories from the past, it’s hard to imagine a life of compassion, great wisdom and greatness. But it’s time to start feeling joy. Right?

In today’s world, many people think it’s up to us alone to deal with our problems. Be accountable. Figure it out. You can do it. Right? While this is all true, along the journey of life, sometimes we do need help from others, and also from that place inside of us that transcends time and space. Inside of us is the whole universe, and when we align with the Higher Self, it will open us up and awaken all the possibilities. If you are looking for clarity, the Higher Self is the best place to inquire.

There is a good book I recommend by Susan Thesanga called, “The Undefended Self“. I read this years ago. And what she says in that book is powerful knowledge even today.

Sometimes, we need to cut through all the patterns of the past and commit to the Higher Path. Even though it’s hard to let go of the past at times, beginning to look inward for these wisdom resources will change everything for you. Begin with mindfulness and prayer. Listen to the responses that life brings back. Open up this communication to the Higher Self, and the “old” will dissolve and thee “new” can begin. Embrace the change and find your Inner Warrior. Be courageous. Be strong. But there is you in making this choice, and there are your allies too. Remember:). Jump into your Best Timeline.

Sharon Hartnett CST-D, Brennan Healer and more!

614 653-8111

www.craniosacraltherapistcolumbus.com

How to Change Your Posture with Somato Emotional Release

by SharonHartnett | Jan 2, 2025 | craniosacral, Craniosacral Therapy, Healthy Body, mind body & spirit, move effortlessly, Structural Integration, upledger institute

Organizing Optimal Posture

Structural Integration, with an emphasis on posture, is based on the principle that the body is organized and held together in a coordinated, balanced manner. Any distortions in that order and/or balance can lead to physical and emotional discomfort. Fascia, the connective tissue that surrounds muscles, bones, and organs, plays a crucial role in this organization. When fascia becomes tight, scarred, or restricted due to poor posture, emotional stress, or injury, it can cause the body to lose its ability to move freely and efficiently.

Creating a healthier and more fluid Posture can be better facilitated by recognising the emotional aspect of Structure. At the core of Somato Emotional Release hands-on manual work, we consider holding the intention of using of physical touch to help a person to heal emotionally as well as physically. For many of us who have worked with clients for years, we recognize that the body stores emotional memories. The body often reflects our history and our choices. However, this can change with gentle and nourishing skillful touch.

Fortunately, some people are proactive and come in for help with their posture ahead of the game. These cases are often easier in terms of release and integration. Often though, discomfort or pain may be the leading reason someone seeks out help. Obviously, it’s always best to stay in front of the curve when possible. It’s the whole idea of treating simplity over complexity.

The Best situation for a client is when the therapist is Certified through their schooling. It ensures that they reach the top level of understanding of the anatomy, skills particular to a certain manual therapy, but also that they have learned how to support the emotional process. Because quite often people do have emotional releases when their posture is changing on a fascial level.

Emotions for some people can be a very vulnerable thing to express. Perhaps in their childhood or current relationships, there is judgment or lack of understanding. So it’s very helpful to find someone with specific training in dialoguing. Bodyworkers are not counselors, but they can and certainly do help their clients process, and find their own healing responses when trained.

Some things to look for in a Somato Emotional Release Therapist are:

A trusting and Safe Space
Neutrality
Certification ie. Upledger
Body Centered Emotional Training
An Understanding of Posture
An Ability to Listen and Work with Fascia
The Ability to Meld with the Tissues
Experience

If you are seeking out a Somato Emotional Release therapist to help free up and balance your posture, first call for an interview. It’s important to feel a bond of trust first and foremost. Then,as this type of manual therapy can help treat misalignment of the posture as well as letting go of stress and emotional baggage, ask questions upfront so that you can feel comfortable with your choice.

Processing unresolved emotional trauma can truly change how you feel in your body!

Sharon Hartnett CST-D

614 653-8111

To find out more about Craniosacral Therapy, check out my main page.

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Remembering Your Life Purpose: Craniosacral Therapy

by SharonHartnett | Nov 23, 2024 | change, Craniosacral Therapy, grounding, healing, healthy, meditation, mind body & spirit, mindfulness, move effortlessly

Find Your Life Purpose

Looking for a way to find a meaningful purpose in your life? Before you can set your intention and organize, you have to figure out your passion! Here are three things to consider which can help you deepen into clarity:

1. Ask yourself what brought you joy when your were little? Not necessarily your best talents, but instead-the things that brought a smile to your face. On a soul level, right from the start we know what lights us up. Until maybe someone perhaps tried to steer you off course based on their point of view. Take some time to meditate and remember who You are. You were born with an internal roadmap for self-discovery and purpose. Now you need to discard anything that stops you from knowing your true Self.

2. Craniosacral Therapy can help. Often in life, we get distracted with all the other paths put before us. We are told many stories, and pulled in so many directions. Sometimes, we forget what matters most to us. Reconnect to Yourself.

If you want to get grounded and feel more embodied, one helpful option is receiving Craniosacral Therapy. Many clients who come into my practice are stressed. Often I see people who are neurodivergent thinkers. Some are feeling lost, living with constant anxiety, and feeling stuck in learned limited belief systems which can rev up the nervous system. In vulnerable times, another “listening” support system can facilitate change and healing.

Craniosacral Therapy is very helpful in bringing health and balance to the mind, body and spirit connection. For people feeling anxious and overwhelmed, they usually end up feeling much calmer after a session. For those who are stuck or noticing “ftozen blocks, this work can help mobilize and bring more flow into life.

Craniosacral Therapy is a safe and nurturing manual therapy. In the higher levels of training, we are trained to support trauma release and integration of detrimental cellular memory. We create sacred space for your body to inform us what is needed in the moment to move onward with more harmony and clarity. Knowing yourself naturally awakens your purpose and calling.

3. Gather resources and take action. How you decide to live in your passion is up to you. It doesn’t have to look like anyone else. Your uniqueness and special creativity is meant for you to fly. It’s all about getting aligned with your energy to build the life that brings meaning and purpose to your soul. Life is too short to live any other way.

Through life, we go through many different transitions. Being mildful and in healthy relationships brings ease as we move from one experience into another..Especially when your relationship to yourself is strong, clear and unfolding in a way that awakens your true longing.

You came here to share your gifts with great purpose!

Sharon Hartnett

614 653-8111

To find out more about Craniosacral Therapy, check out my main page.