by SharonHartnett | May 15, 2014 | Craniosacral Therapy, Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K, Structural Integration
Are you one those people who believes Massage is a luxury?
Would you believe that over 38 million people in the United States have received at least one massage therapy session?
Of all these people, my bet is that the majority received some wonderful health benefits. The question is not how much will massage help, but will you commit to giving yourself the physical help you need when you are in pain?
For those of you who know, when you find the right connection with a person who listens to your needs and has the skill to work with your body therapeutically, it’s hard not to walk away feeling less stressed and feeling great. Not only that, many massage therapists have specialities that help in specific situations. In order to stay licensed, each LMT pursues the type of work that interests them to enhance their bag of techniques that work for you. Each modality is geared to specialized issues. For example, Craniosacral Therapy is wonderful for balancing the nervous system. For clients with spine issues, high levels of stress, fibromyalgia, ADHD, this type of work can truly make a life difference. Structural Integration is another modality that layers deeply through the fascia and reorganizes how the body stands and moves in relationship to gravity. This type of work can be very gentle but also very deep and transformational. It depends on your level of comfort. Structural Integration, very similar to the Rolfing method, creates an excellent road to better posture and flexibility. Some people prefer an even lighter touch such as Reiki or other types of energy work like Brennan Healing Science. It’s important to interview therapists and ask them questions so that you find the right practitioner for you!
Massage and Bodywork: Would you rather take a pill or receive an hour long session?
For more information on Massage, please read:
http://www.amtamassage.org/research/Massage-Therapy-Research-Roundup.html?utm_source=%2fresearchroundup&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=redirect
The AMTA keeps you updated as to the current events and benefits of Massage Therapy.
Update: Since the posting of this article, Sharon Hartnett is only doing Craniosacral Therapy, and not massage any longer.
Warmly,
Sharon Hartnett LMT
703 509 1792 or 740 966-5153
Massage Columbus, Ohio
www.craniosacraltherapistcolumbus. com
www.massageincolumbusohio.com
by SharonHartnett | Mar 22, 2014 | Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K, Structural Integration
Don’t let Injuries and postural challenges derail you!
In this day and age, fitness is getting easier.
Find out more about Structural Integration and how it can help you to feel better.
One of the goals of a Structural Integration program is to improve one’s flexibility through fascial stretching, as well and increasing balance and strength. It’s our habits that keep us out of shape and in pain. That can be changed! Opening up and freeing the soft fascial tissues can change your life dramatically.
The ten series plan includes bodywork, education and mindfulness in order to find optimal health. With seniors as a focus, it is important to start small and with light fascial contact to find the magic of life in small movements. If you are feeling tight and stressed, realize that it is never too late to start some type of self- care program to reconnect with your vitality and wellness. After each session, you will receive a few homework exercises to help you continue to enliven your connective tissues, allowing space for better circulation, lymph flow, and natural alignment.
Here in the United States, we have learned to believe that getting older means bending over and surrendering to being more limited in our lives. Our lifestyles have supported this by shaping our bodies into unhealthy patterns through the mechanical supports we use rather than finding away to live from our core. We sit most of the day with chairs holding us up, we move forwards in space most of the time while walking, and we learn to bend from areas away from our natural hinges. With the series, you gain a more thorough understanding of what no longer works from a sensory perspective, but more importantly, how to change your movement to reflect more ease in your life on many different levels.
If you have received a series of massage and bodywork before, you are in for a treat.
Let our hands guide you into a sense of freedom and more youthful vibrant energy.
Structural Integration
Call Sharon Hartnett:
(740) 966-5153
Columbus, Ohio
by SharonHartnett | Mar 15, 2014 | Craniosacral Therapy, Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K, Structural Integration
When muscles are stuck in either over-contracted or over-stretched positions, you’ll often find reduced functioning in that area of the body.
In order to find the best treatment to reduce this type of strain and help nourish overworked muscles, look to supporting healthy fascia through modalities such as: Structural Integration, Craniosacral Therapy or exercises like Yamuna Ball Rolling or Feldenkrais. Through fascial manipulation and mindful movement, it is very possible to restore full body movement. By reopening the adhesions in the tissue, one is able to to restore fluid flow and help the nervous system to enliven, as well as correct the misalignment which helped contribute to that pull.
Finding Healthy Structure through Balance
This adhesion gives you a good view of deformed fascia. As people get older, lifetime stresses often play a significant factor in how we relate within and to our environments. Accidents, illnesses, repetitive motion, and stress can all take us all off kilter. The resulting tension patterns take us out of effortless motion and tend to create pain over time. Fortunately, for us, the fascia is able to self correct through a practitioner’s or proper exercise of gentle pushes and pulls of this continuous fabric of life. Whether you go to a Fascial Bodyworker, or choose to check into using tools such as the balls, Melt Tube,or instructional movement DVDS, it is easy to improve your health by lengthening and unwinding rotations and twists. As the tissues unfold and lubricate, there is more space for movement and nourishment to organs, muscles, and bones. And- we all want to feel our best, right?
The first thing to do to stabilize and balance the body is to find a therapist who will help bring self awareness to you about your fascial body. Learning mindfulness with the body is pivotal in taking responsibility for one’s health. Many people are not familiar with the web-like fasical system and do not know how important it is in regards to postural balance. Yet once a conscious relationship is awakened, you’ll be surprised how simple it is to gain more flexibility and energy. It’s a shame that this system has not been investigated more thoroughly in the past as it is a life altering element of health and wellness. Getting yourself educated by experienced people and good literature will ultimately help you stay in charge for your own life. Take some time to read about all the new finding regarding the role of fascia in the field of wellness. A good place to start is: http://www.theiasi.net/new-to-structural-integration-
Once you have found the best bodyworker for you, make sure that there is educational dialogue. Each person develops in his/her own unique way. It is valuable to share the type of touch that works best for you even with the most experienced therapist. If you have any previous trauma, whether physical, emotional or whatever… please let us know because the best sessions are where there is respect for boundaries and good listening. Sometimes it is the case that the body will allow one in, but repetitive thought patterns and the emotion energy behind that can bring about strong resistance and responses in other levels of consciousness. The whole of a person must be addressed for deep healing and respect of the process and this holistic model is the key to success. The fascia is a continuous web of connective tissue that is responsible for posture. Whatever history you bring into the session will begin to unravel as the whole body changes, and organically many different experiences unfold.
On a personal note, I like to ask my clients not to work out very hard while going through a ten series. Often muscles building can lead to overuse and weaknesses that may be unconscious or imbalanced. It is beneficial to allow the 10 weeks to be dedicated to feeling the body open and lengthen naturally. Personally, I also like to advise clients to use rollers and balls to work each day to keep the fascia hydrated, layered and softer. By the time the client feels a 10 series from the superficial work to the deeper layers and such, he/she (if they have been mindful of their bodies), will feel a dramatic shift into freer mobility, increased energy and integration.
Fascial work originally was brought to attention by Ida Rolf. Since her time, there are now many wonderful graduated practitioners across the globe from schools such as the Institute for Structural Integration,The Rolf Institute,The Upledger Institute, Tom Meyers School and more. The research that is being done is exciting and coming more into the mainstream of the medical community. In my own Private Practice,I have seen people who have lived with years of pain, release and find themselves feeling freer and happier than in previous years. It is always a pleasure to see my clients walking away with more essence and vitality in their step.
Fascial work is so exciting because it can help so many people to feel more deeply and alive. If you have any questions, please call Sharon Hartnett LMT for a free 15 phone consultation.
(740) 966-5153
Columbus, Ohio
by SharonHartnett | Mar 2, 2014 | Craniosacral Therapy, Massage, Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K, Structural Integration
Chest Pain can be caused by many different circumstances…
If you feel any mechanical restrictions or ongoing pain, make sure that you see a doctor and get your questions answered. However, if everything checks out there, you might find great benefit in finding a Structural Integration or Myofascial Massage Therapist to help you relieve the pain and discomfort.
The first question I would ask as a Massage Therapist regarding thoracic pain is whether you have been in any car accidents. Automobile accidents have become one of the leading reasons why clients come in for help due to thoracic restrictions. When a person crashes, upon the impact, the human body encounters extraordinary pressure. The energy force that moves through is absorbed mainly into the soft tissues around the sternum, clavicles and ribs. The seatbelt area in particular is a place that may feel painful since it holds the body back while the rest of the body jets forward. For clients who have been in an accident, this information allows us to have an idea of how the body was impacted during the crash and give us a direction on how to treat. Other probable causes for structural thoracic pain to be considered might be falling, birth traumas, being physically hit, or any type of trauma that has exerted force through this part of the body. When you come in for intake, it is important for you to relate your history so that we have a thorough understanding of any traumas to the body.
During a session, once you get on the table, we move to a more sensory type of experience. Over the years, a Fascial Massage Therapist learns to feel the subtle layers of connective tissue and how it is organized. We palpate for adhesions, disturbances, lack of motion, and all imbalances. We observe the breathing and notice where it is stuck and where it moves freely.The body gives us all the clues we need to help create more space and flexibility. In particular with the upper thoracic pain, I like to ask my clients to bring mindfulness to their breathing during this type of work. It is amazing how much information people will learn about themselves when they quiet down and be curious about their own basic functioning. What clients with upper chest pain often notice is that there is little moving there at all. Most of the breathing is in the belly and stops before it moves superiorly. It’s important to explore this to help open up the upper chest. Mindful breathing and releasing the breath and any sound is a constructive way to bring ease and flow back into the thoracic area.
Once these patterns of restriction can been observed, it’s time to free up the affected structures. Personally, I begin by using general superficial movements to allow the fascia to get a basic stretch.My intention is pay attention to the diaphragm and thoracic inlet to release them for better breathing and to improve general overall efficient functioning in the area.As I do this, generally smaller and tighter restrictions will also reveal themselves. When I find the smaller spaces that are fixed, we spend more time exploring breathing and my movements into the tissue until we get the tissues to spread and/or unwind. When the layers begin to differentiate and flow over each other more freely, we have achieved success. This ongoing process goes on around the whole thoracic area (including the ribcage) until the breath starts to expand more equally from the front of the upper body to the back.
With the general work said and done, it is next important to check out the joint restrictions. I usually begin by exploring the clavicle and how it relates to the sternum. Some work around the shoulders with gentle manipulations will help allow confined articulations to clear through deep seated patterns.Touching into the sternomanubrial joint with compression and decompression with help repair tension imbalances. Using opposing movements facially from the back to front to engage the tissues will bring about more vitality and rehydration. The idea is to begin to get the body moving on these different layers of fascia to that everything within begins to re-engage with itself and the other. This is what creates health and wellness.
When our bodies face trauma, often the body self-corrects as much as it knows how. However, when a heavy energy force enters the body, often there are residual imbalances that may ended up keeping you stuck out of alignment. Soft tissues, mostly the fascia, are key to work if you want to release habitual distorted structural patterns in the body. You don’t have to live in pain. It is possible to begin to feel better.
Relieve the Pain
If you have more questions about feeling healthier in your body, call Sharon Hartnett for a free 15 minute phone consultation.
Sharon Hartnett LMT, SI, CST
Columbus, Ohio
(740) 966-5153
www.massageincolumbusohio.com
by SharonHartnett | Feb 28, 2014 | Craniosacral Therapy, Massage, Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K, Structural Integration
Want to let go of the pain in your body?
Years Ago, Dr. Ida Rolf discovered that as we grow older, our fascia thickens and our body loses its natural flexibility. She was a great innovative pioneer in understanding the physiology of manipulative medicine way before her time. She knew that if we could touch into the fascia and re-hydrate, reorganize and lengthen that tissue, that the body would heal itself. Today our knowledge of fascia has increased multi-fold, and the door is still wide open for so much more learning on how to live more fully in wellness and vitality through touching into the Fascial System.
Touch
Mere mindful touch in itself can be very healing. Massage is well known to increase the endorphin and serotonin chemicals which in turn help reduce pain and regulate mood. Clients have a body experience of this when they finish a session and get up feeling more stress free and relaxed.
Focused work on the fascial system takes this work to an even deeper level. Because the facial system is an all encompassing network of connective tissue that contains the organs, muscles, and bones and holds this all together, it makes the perfect conduction system to transmit healing throughout the whole body at a quick speed. When a Structural Integration Therapist or a Craniosacral Therapist touch into the fascial system, it sends new information rapidly across this vast network of this interconnected web, allowing a new dialogue to release adhesions and their impacts, as well as opening the body to self-correcting measures.
So What Does this Mean to You?
It means that because you are a whole person, that a massage therapist that is experienced with fascial work is going to be able to help create global change within your body. Imagine if you would that underneath your skin is a wetsuit of connective tissue. But it doesn’t stop there, it delves into the deeper wrapping around everything, shaping your form and allowing for communication. When one place gets distorted or out of alignment, it pulls on the very fabric of your physicality out of balance and proper functioning. The good news is that by addressing this fascia from a superficial perspective down into the deeper levels through a series call the “Recipe”, that your alignment could be re-established and with a some good Craniosacral work, your nervous system can balance and help you to feel healthy and optimal again.
Pain Go Away!
When You Think about Massage Again, ask if your therapist knows about Fascial Work.
This type of bodywork has the same benefits as a Swedish Massage and more… the benefits are actually longer lasting.
Just a quick note on the deep feeling and sensing of the work: While the work may be more uncomfortable at times than light effleurage strokes, pain often will resolve itself much quicker and often disappears completely. For more information, check out the Upledger Institute for a therapist near you.
Sharon Hartnett LMT, CST, SI
(614) 372-6598
by SharonHartnett | Feb 12, 2014 | Craniosacral Therapy, Massage, Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K, mind body & spirit, Structural Integration
It takes years to find yourself in chronic back pain.
Many people think back pain comes from pulling a certain muscle or moving wrong. Most likely your structural alignment has been out for a while and your muscle groups are not balanced. Back pain is born through the way that we habitually move our bodies and the consequences of our physical action then take on certain rotations, contractions and dysfunctional patterns. When the back begins to spasm, that is usually the tip of the iceberg that lets you know that you need help in healing prolonged unhealthy postural patterns.
Build a Holistic Plan to relieve back pain for overall health and wellbeing.
I know…I know… that most people want to find a “fix” and feel better immediately when their backs hurt. Who wants to live with back pain?
It is possible to go in for a massage session, a few physical therapy appointments, see a chiropractor or to get a prescription from your medical doctor to ease the pain. These can all be helpful. However, is this what is going to help you live pain free in the future?
When any illness or pain calls you to bed, it is helpful to take the time to inquire into your self-care. Ask yourself, “How am I eating?”, “Am I sleeping well?l”, “Do I get enough exercise?”, and “Am I dong whatever I need to do to feel healthy and vital?” Do you realize the importance of putting your health first?
With our busy lifestyles, there are not many people who can answer yes to all of these. So if you want to feel better, it is important to begin to prioritize your health. And realize- that it took you some time to get into illness and/or pain and it may take a commitment to long-term exploration to re-connect to your wellness.
As a Craniosacral Therapy bodywork and healer, I do get a lot of people who come in for one or two sessions and they do get relief for sure. It’s easy to move into the back fascial tissues and relieve the tension there. The clients are happy for a while. But whatever relief you get there is most likely temporary, even with fascial work when it is only applied locally. From my perspective after 15 years in the business of relieving pain, in order to feel health success, the people who dedicate themselves to a comprehensive health plan are the ones who walk away pain free longterm and able to do the things that excite them. Clients who are proactive and even those who come in after an injury benefit best when they value their own health enough to do whatever it takes to find alignment on all the levels of their wellness. When we change our thoughts and bodies,we change the way we experience life.
So if you are facing chronic back pain, allow that be a signal to you that it would be a smart idea to holistically set your intention to creating a “health plan” to get better overall. Clean up your diet, decrease your stress, find an experience bodywork and commit to some long term goals to improve your sense of wellbeing. If you don’t care about your health, who will?
Life styles are based on the choices we make day in and day out. We are creatures of habit, so start slow and make small decisions that are easy to change. This is not an all or nothing situation unless you are very ill. You’ll be surprised if you pace yourself and find the right support team how much better you will feel!
For a local Upledger Certified Craniosacral Therapist and Structural Integration Practitioner in Columbus, Ohio, contact Sharon Hartnett
Call: (614) 372-6598
Locations in Victorian Village and Johnstown, Ohio
www.massageincolumbusohio.com
