by SharonHartnett | Oct 27, 2015 | Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K
Usually I write about all the Great REASONS why Massage can benefit you.
Lighten Up Therapies: Massage Columbus Ohio 740 966-5153
Massage Therapy
Today, I am going down the other lane to explain that there are some contraindications that are useful to know regarding massage, especially if you have any type of cardiovascular disease. While Massage Therapy is great to add into almost any healing protocol, the AMTA (American Massage Therapy Association) recommends talking with a physician first before any type of treatment with the following conditions:
- Heart Failure
- Recent Heart Surgery
- Thromobosis
- Uncontrolled high blood pressure
- Peripheral artery disease
- Severe atherosclerosis
But don’t be afraid to ask your doctor- because in most cases, massage has been known to be quite helpful after surgery, especially in lowering stress, pain reduction and anxiety.
Other contraindications to be aware of are:
- Fever
- Infections
- Broken bones
- Heavy bruising
- Herniation
- Tumors
- Bleeding disorders
In some cases, I like to recommend Craniosacral Therapy as taught by the Upledger Institute, because of its more gentle approach. These conditions might to better with light touch:
- Osteoporoasis
- Arthritis
- Rheumatism
- New scar tissue
- Arteriosclerosis
- Some autoimmune diseases
- Infectious disease
- Varicose veins
- Diabetes
Remember, there are different types of massage, and if you ask the right questions and have some knowledge about contraindications- you will have the knowledge to find the best work for you. But play it safe and contacted your doctor in advance if you have any concerns.
Sharon Hartnett LMT
740 966-5153
Massage Columbus Ohio
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by SharonHartnett | Oct 22, 2015 | Craniosacral Therapy, Massage, Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K
Nonfatal injuries that occur in the workplace keep many employees away from the job.
Traditional medical approaches such as medication, surgery and physical therapy may not totally support the recovery of a workplace injury. Most Massage Therapists that I have spoken with agree that there can be residual effects for their clients that make it difficult to go back to work if not addressed holistically. Healing touch and presence is where massage can enhance the return process to health.
Massage help for Work Injuries
Massage Therapy is much more than a simple rub. For starters, clients often like to talk during sessions when they feel stressed. Everything in a session is confidential and the client is able to get things off their chest. Anxiety for one is a common side-effect of workplace injury and by feeling safe to feel deeply in the body with care and trust can really help. After work related incidences, clients can feel off kilter. Being gone from work or believing that your job may not be there when you are ready to go back can be frightening. Just having a person to listen in an intimate zone is healthy. While massage therapists do not replace psychotherapy, many learn basic techniques to hold space and to allow for the avenue of expression to open while applying massage techniques. The wisdom of the mind, body and spirit is able to align more easily with this type of approach. Craniosacral Therapy, in particular through the Upledger, is supportive to this process for those who are experienced with SomatoEmotional Release Therapy. Most types of trauma can be helped with mindful massage and bodywork.
Physically, massage relieves tension and creates healthier dialogue within the body. Massage Therapy helps decrease pain transmitters. When clients are in less physical pain, it’s easier to find your way out of depression and lack of sleep. Most adults need between 7-9 hours of rest to function optimally. Without it, employees may feel fatigued, unable to cope with stress, have difficulties making decisions and feel less creative. Quality sleep will help you to get back to work and perform more easily. Feeling better mobility and range of motion from therapeutic touch will brighten your day too!
As a Massage Therapist for about 17 years, I have spoken to many people who have received massage and other types of bodywork. For them, almost every person said they would like to receive more massage therapy, but it isn’t covered by insurance in a lot of instances. This most likely means that people who have gotten hurt, run into the same challenge. The cost is prohibitive to them in their thinking. But I’d like to remind people that massage is not just a luxury. Massage Therapy is one of the greatest ways to relax and unwind. Letting go of your stress patterns is essential to good health. When you find a good parter for you to help you to relax with therapeutic means, life just feels better. So whether you have been injured at work or are experiencing stresses from everyday life, imagine a world where you chose to feel better.
Sharon Hartnett LMT
Serving the Columbus, Ohio area.
740 966-5153
www.massageincolumbusohio.com
For more info on massage:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/massage/art-20045743
by SharonHartnett | Oct 20, 2015 | craniosacral, Craniosacral Therapy, Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K, mind body & spirit, Structural Integration, thought for the day
I am not going to get into the physiology of Craniosacral, but rather focus on the experience.
When one thinks about life, there are absolutes and there are relative positions.
Absolutes are either all or nothing. It’s not easy for us to live in absolutes. From childhood, we are taught to identify different things with language. Each thing we name has shades of interpretation. It gives us a way to communicate verbally. It helps our cognitive thinking to grow and expand. Yet our spoken language can be so limiting. Have you ever wanted to write something about an eloquent moment or something that felt rich and sensory, but there just was no way to explain it to another?
When we become aware of our observation while it is watching, we can start to unravel everything that we have learned. Forms and shapes lose the meaning we have placed upon them, and we get to see with fresh eyes. Even deeper than that, we can uncover our true essence as we let go of our stories or attachment to what the outer physical world means to us. Our relative thinking disappears and we unearth a truer joy that it the best word I can find to describe out true selves. Where everything is One, that is the only Absolute. And even this explanation is encased in words.
I have found that as a Craniosacral Therapist that I dance with my clients in the quiet experiences of contact between the nervous systems and all the interconnection dialogue that takes place in a moment, and then in another. The endless thinking patterns can come to a stop and there is a feeling of being present and more fully alive. This doesn’t mean that our histories stop showing up, but we are aware of the “now” and can let those pass by without abuse, suffering or pain more and more as we become attuned to this type of living. The energy that has been trapped and kept in chaos comes into order. SomatoEmotional Release , in particular, is a process that allows our stories to pass through the moment as it clears to completion. More advanced practitioners are well versed in holding space and techniques for this to occur as the mind, body and spirit come together for integration.
Often with Craniosacral, I find that sensitive people are drawn to it. This is because they are experts at tracking their sensations and expression of self. Most of my clients who initially respond to Craniosacral Therapy will feel a lot on the table and walk away feeling great with new understanding. However, I also have clients who prefer deeper myofascial therapy work. I love the fascia, so I am happy to oblige with some Structural Integration or whatever they need. However, as they begin to feel more deeply into their body’s, they too begin to bring awareness to the subtle and find the benefits to such work. In most cases, it is helpful to work deeply at times, and range to the gentle sweet touch of Craniosacral too.
Life is about learning about our relative perspectives, but ultimately to be free, we must let go of the mind to feel and sense deeply as well. So whichever type of touch brings you to a greater awareness, jump into the dance. Feel it all. Wake up to your: touch, sounds, waves, melodies, sights and tastes. Find your fullness and feel the emptiness. Life is for the living and it’s all here.
Craniosacral Columbus
I have found that Craniosacral is a very enlivening type of therapy that revitalizes and evokes the deeper happenings of the soul.
FAQ Page
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.
by SharonHartnett | Oct 7, 2015 | Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K
Massage Therapy with Meditation can be very healing.
While I enjoy helping my clients through a quiet session, I have also found that teaching basic mindful meditation can bring new awareness, especially with history that finds it way filtering into the moment.
Mindfulness helps clients to bring their attention to a certain focal point. This can mean following the breath, noticing sensations, paying notice to images, colors, smells or any information that shows up. Usually there is a connection to something from the past that shows up (kind of like “monkey brain” thinking). For clients who are feeling pain or stuck thinking, they can go straight to that place, and just be with whatever is happening while being supported and held through caring touch. Also, clients who have gone through difficult traumas can change shift their perspectives to their “stories” this way with a holistic approach that can change the brain connection dynamics. Another direction is to find resources found internally that can offer a new anchoring into something that is not painful. Thinking in new ways can shift and change on deeper levels. In a Yale Study I read somewhere recently, it said that mindful practice can stop our thinking from going into a default pattern. It opens us up the mind which I have also found with clients, helping them to walk away feeling more connected to their true essence and joy.
All people have their needs. Life will always show and teach us in the moment. But consider- what would it be like to have an open listener guide your through mindful bodywork and massage?
I like to work with the Craniosacal System and SomatoEmotioanal Release techniques especially. But I also work with Hakomi and Brennan Healing Science not as a psychotherapist, but as a coach to facilitate mind body and spirit connection.
If you want to WAKE UP to your true potential, start by breaking away from all the negativity that you can unlearn. It’s that simple.
Meditation is simple is only a commitment is made to open up!
Namaste
Sharon Hartnett LMT, CST, SI, BHSP
sharon hartnett
(740) 966-5153
Serving the Columbus Ohio Area
by SharonHartnett | Oct 5, 2015 | Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K, thought for the day
Choose Love Now
In this world that we live in, there is a mixture of a lot of gray.
Nothing is quite as it seems.
Underneath the soot of the dark shadow, shines a light.
Yet the darkness hides the sweet silence of creation.
It is in the sacred human heart that a flame burns.
Its sparks flicker different colors. But they all come from the warmth of the rhythmic beat.
Dance in it. Let it free your wings.
Shift the balance of earth in surrender.
Choose love now.
Sharon Hartnett LMT
www.massageincolumbusohio.com
by SharonHartnett | Oct 3, 2015 | Craniosacral Therapy, Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K, thought for the day
Practicing Loving Kindness
When I think about the unhappiness in the world, one of the first themes that comes to me is “want”. Wanting something is a natural thing as a human being, “I’d like a cup of coffee” or “I’d like you to hug me”. Being physical beings, we like to be reconnected to that which appears to be outside of ourselves. Yet “want” also implies that the something outside of ourselves is separate. When we believe that we are in “need”, we are creating the belief of separation. Now that can be wonderful as long as life is joyful and fulfilling. However, what happens when we “want” something and don’t get it? How far will we go to have our desires met? And how necessary is it for our self-care for us to have the outside object?
When we make the choice to be thankful, we are saying to God or the Universe- I am here and I have everything I need. There is no suffering in this. By acknowledging what is present, we can let go of our pasts and our projections into the future. Life is easier. By giving thanks to life, it’s easier to feel peace and love.
Now I am not saying that it is wrong to “want” something, but if it is distressing you, or you find yourself “demanding”, a good question might be, “Am I loving my life?” If not, maybe the best direction is to appreciate what is in front of me, and start from there.
Giving Thanks is an act of kindness for yourself, for others, and for all that exists.
An exercise that might be helpful is to recognize what you do give thanks for and to say it softly each night before you go to sleep. Then notice how your dreams take shape, and how your life turns around.
Thank you God for all that I have received, and all that I can give, and all that I AM!
Sharon Hartnett LMT
Spiritual Brennan Healer
SomatoEmotional Release Therapist
740 966-5153
Johnstown, Ohio
Upper Arlington, Ohio
by SharonHartnett | Sep 18, 2015 | Aromatherapy, craniosacral, Craniosacral Therapy, Massage, Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K
In this day and age, almost every town has a person who is a Healer.
But what is a Healer?
Traditionally, we have gone to physicians, and nurses to help us to heal in recent times. However, in the last 30 years or so, there has been a resurgence of more natural types of healing. Dr. Weil is the first professional person that I can think of who opened the door to integrative therapies into the mainstream. Deepak Chopra also comes to mind as leader in bringing the mind, body and spirit connection to the media with famous people like Oprah Winfrey. Dr. Barbara Brennan intrigued us with her book “Hands of Light” as it sold thousands of books connecting the Human Energy field with health and the disease process. With a focus now on practices like: yoga, meditation, energy healing, nutrition, stress relief techniques and hands on type of massage and bodywork, people are moving into a more open area of healing after not finding what they need from the old western paradigm.
Online and in conversations, I have heard some people raise doubt to the proof of success for these integrative practices. And that makes sense to me. If a person is only open to thinking a certain way, it is very difficult to receive benefits from something as subjective as being held, or cared for with compassion and feeling. Yet tests and studies have been made which have shown wonderful positive changes after treatments such as Craniosacral Therapy and Structural Integration. Incredible miracles have occurred when people come together in mindfulness and bring their awareness to things like “peace” and “harmony”. Yet these still have not always easy to prove as an ideal healing methods. Healing is a personal journey that will be taken by your sense of individual self. A greater sense of expansion will call you home if you listen.
If you are on your healing path, eventually you will realize that the “Healer” you are looking for is within yourself. There is an intelligence that lies within that is deeper than anyone else’s practice that can truly help. On the same note, we are not meant to do anything alone. And whichever healing path you decide to take, there is a dance. Listen to your deepest longing and reach out. Allow that connection to heal from the external to within. And that experience will now always exist inside of you. It can not be taken away unless you offer it into the land of forgetfulness. Often when the healer leaves, the client may not feel as empowered enough to maintain what has been received. However, after more sessions and positive mirroring, the client begins to resource within for what is needed more easily. So to be clear, the Healing and Healer lies within each of us, but facilitation and relationship are key to humans health and wellbeing.
Whether you decide to see a Medical Doctor, PT, Chiropractor, Acupuncturist or Massage Therapist, make your decisions by listening to your inner “Truth Voice”. It will lead you to the right person who will facilitate your health and wellness goals in that moment. Stay while it works, question when it stops, and be in the moment with whatever is showing up. The Universe will show you what you need even when your habitual thinking gets into the way.
If you are looking for that great person to make it all better, just look into the mirror and look. Nobody else is going to do it for you, but there are lots of wonderful caring people who will help you on your way with the tools they have in their pocket and hearts.
Sharon Hartnett LMT
Columbus, Ohio
Craniosacral Therapist and a lot of other things….
740 966-5153
by SharonHartnett | Sep 9, 2015 | Craniosacral Therapy, Energy Healing, Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K, mind body & spirit, thought for the day
What is like to be raw and vulnerable and to be held in kindness while feeling something real like that?
It is interesting when one begins the journey of self-discovery.
I remember even as a little girl wondering about why didn’t I feel connected any longer to other people. Being an identical twin, it seemed only natural that we would all feel and see and think similar things. Not—:) But I do remember at one point getting interested in ESP. Yet nobody seemed to talk about such things in the mainstream at the time. So I became like many others, loosing touch with my deeper sense of connection.
Then when I hit my early 30’s, I began to wonder again those basic questions that I think touch many people: Who AM I? Why am I here? What is my purpose? Again, I did not find many others who spoke about such things. Was it because I was a Pisces, a sensitive and creative woman?
But then I picked up a book, called Hands of Light, written by Dr. Barbara Brennan and felt a whoosh of ah ha. There are other people in the world who are aware of energy and connection in its more subtle forms. I really wanted to go to school right then and there, but I had young children, so I waited. At some point, it did all come together, and the stars aligned so that I might go. That school for me was a place for me so sacred and profound. I faced my deepest fears, touched into places I never imagined in my mind and heart. At the same time, I found it very difficult. I wanted my teachers to fit into my “picture of God” pure, peaceful, compassionate and wise. And they did carry some of these aspects, but they were humans just like me. With their own flaws and unconscious conditioning. So I struggled, I fought, and I cried. At this wonderful school of healing, there was still so much conflict and pain for me. Things left unhealed in them, and things left unhealed in me. But I wouldn’t have changed a thing as they were my guides to the next level of awakening. They laid the foundation for me to be in better relationship. They gave me the space and time to feel raw and dark, love and hate, and peace at such a level I had never known before. I was attached, but I had to leave. I departed with some incredible new friends spread across the globe and such mentors to help me on my way. One who held me close and saved me from myself more than once. Eventually I would teach and I still supervise students. I love the work that I learned there.
Next I moved into my Hakomi training. It was gentle approach from a psychotherapy perspective in mindfulness. The work itself, like the Brennan Science was amazing. Yet even within this quiet and easy container, I felt rage and anger. And wouldn’t you know it, a person from my Brennan Graduate class showed up who I didn’t feel comfortable with, who kept triggering me into my darkness. I loved the work, but I was always challenged. And in all this time, I found some of the instructors to be kind and understanding, and others judging me for feeling so unedited. Was there any place that I could be “real”?
Bert Hellinger’s work caught my eye. I studied there for a while. Learned about family order and lineage healing. Profound and touching our lives on a soul level.
Afterwards, I went into the school SPI for Trauma Training. I expected the founder of the school to be teaching as was advertised. That is why I signed up. But she took ill. A new teacher arrived and I felt so disappointed. Oh- my raw stuff again. But I learned new tools, I processed my “stuff” and away I went with another “tic” under my belt.
If that wasn’t enough, I decided to delve into the Upledger Institute’s work and found myself finally happy with a basic curriculum that focused on the physiological. It took me some type to develop my work, but I loved trusting the “Inner Physician” within my clients and just enjoyed riding the waves. Well, then as I advanced, I started getting more involved in the SER (SomatoEmotional Release) part of the curriculum. Well, you guessed it… in the group my deep feelings seeped right out again. Only this time, the holding was more dear. Not quite enough though. While I looked for someone on the outside to help me, I continued to have a small piece that kept on suffering.
Next stop on the journey, I decided to visit the Byron Katie School for 9 days. Now this was a shift. No bullshit and no Ego teaching here. Each person was taught how to ask 4 basic questions to then turn around in order to find our own answers. Any feelings I felt were mine. Nobody else to blame as all there was were the questions and my mind. What a relief. Taking responsibility for how I felt and created. With each of these teaching, I stepped out of my box and expanded and grew.
Last stop was on a farm in Northern Ohio. I studied with Jackie Stevenson with her horses to learn about equine self-discovery. This was my final destination to truly find inner peace. She held a position of such quiet unconditional love. She took no glory from the healing and growth there. She put the onus on each of us to have our own experience. There was no judgement from any of the participants that I could see. All egos left at the door. So good to be free to cry to say whatever was on my mind, and to stop hiding all that I judged within me. The horses were magical and everything was perfect there for the first time in my life.
Now I have a farm. I work with my horses and other animals. I have also worked with www.integrativeintentions.com in their dolphin program. I have taken everything that I have learned from all these great places and applied them to my life. I now can say, that I let life and every moment teach me. I have let go of wanting other people to give me what I longed for because I know that it is already here. I have felt raw and I have felt deep. But now those feelings feel so much softer and easier. Not saying that I no longer have my distortions or masks. But my tool box is full. My heart is full. And my brain understands things with much more clarity. I can live real as me now.
With all of this said and done, it is freeing being more real and authentic. There are prices to pay for coming out of your shell. People might rebel or leave you, but you will find yourself. I believe that is why we are here. To remember that God is right here inside and that we are the creative aspects of love embodied. It doesn’t mean ignoring your rawness, but it does mean allowing things to be as they are and to progress and they need in their own time. So be with the moment. Explore your relationships and grace will help you to uncover your greatness and essence. The journey is a wave. Ride it. Be it. And know that while this earthy world is temporary, that love is not. Something deeper is calling us all home. That something is real.
Sharon Hartnett LMT
Columbus, Ohio
740 966-5153
www.massageincolumbusohio.com
by SharonHartnett | Sep 5, 2015 | Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K
Understanding why people experience Chronic Headaches may be difficult.
So let’s rather concentrate our energy on finding a way to help relieve the pain. What actually works?
Generally speaking, when a person experiences headaches approximately 15 days a month or more, it is considered a chronic situation. The two kinds of headaches that shout out the loudest are: tension and migraine.
Chronic Headache relief
Tension headaches are usually diffused around and encompass the whole head. This includes the scalp, neck and are thought to be activated by stress.
Migraine headaches can be identified by a pounding pain in the head, along with feelings of nausea, light sensitivity and dizziness. Often they are felt on one side of the head. Genetics and the living environment are thought to be linked to the start of the throbbing. Diet, chemicals, hormones and such can all contribute to the onset of pain.
Massage Therapy can be helpful in reducing headache pain, simply because it is relaxing, balances the nervous and circulatory systems, and reduces stress. The best thing you can do it to create a healthy lifestyle that nourishes you and brings you into equilibrium. Therapeutic touch can be part of that positive decision making process!
How can Craniosacral Therapy Help?
Craniosacral Therapy in particular is a great modality of light touch massage that helps clients reconnect to better internal dialogue. Thereby, its’ benefits are found by allowing better circulation, nervous system communication, lymphatic flow, and energy transmission. CST is great for young babies, and all other ages.
Release Tension
When an experience Craniosacral Therapists works for you, he/she listens to what want to happen in your body to complete cycles of health and wellness. Especially in regards to headaches, one pays attention to the thoracic inlet to make sure that area is open and flowing superior of the heart, but below the neck. When the cranial motion is optimized by working with sutures and balancing the cerebrospinal flow, the fluids and nerves have a clearer path to move back down into the body for increased functionality.
If you haven’t heard about Craniosacral Therapy, please go to the Upledger site to find out more.
If you would like a free 15 minute phone consult, call Sharon Hartnett.
FAQ Page
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.
by SharonHartnett | Aug 30, 2015 | craniosacral, Craniosacral Therapy, Massage, Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K, mind body & spirit, Structural Integration
By learning to breathing well, people can learn how to calm themselves and feel more energized.
Many people who often feel stressed or anxious are prone to holding their breath. When this becomes an unconscious pattern, the movement around the ribcage can become dehydrated and stuck. This is unhealthy because it can impair physiological functioning of the body. The good news is that this can change!
By bringing mindfulness to your breathing throughout the day, you might find yourself surprised as to how often you stop breathing. At the same time, by just bringing your awareness to the breath and how the chest moves, you can improve things by learning about yourself and how you are internally organized. So mindfulness is a great beginning to understand the relationship between breathing and stress.
If you want to further let go of any restrictions around the upper chest and diaphragm, then getting some good therapeutic myofascial therapy can do wonders. The web of fascia that surrounds your body and envelopes all the individual organs, muscles, bones and other parts of your body can be restored back to health. Specifically, the areas that need to be released in order to enhanced breathing health are the neck, thoracic diaphragm, intercostal back muscles, abdomen and chest. Lengthening and opening up these areas can help you to live with more ease.
Breath easier with Massage
Often when I work with my clients, I like to introduce them to a breathing meditation during the session. This has shown to be quite helpful in helping clients to relax, especially while working to let go of the adhesions or tight holding. Starting with helping broad areas to soften and release, and then, releasing ribs and bones-clients are amazed at how much more space they discover to breath. In addition, by working with SomatoEmotional Release techniques, clients will feel things like fear letting go as the parasympathetic system starts to bring more calm after the initial wave.
Get in touch with your body sense to heal. Your body knows what it needs and will show the way to any massage therapist who knows how to listen well.
Sharon Hartnett CST, LMT, SI, BHSP
740 966-5153
Columbus, Ohio
www.massageincolumbusohio.com
