Healing Is an Inside Job — It Expands Over Time, Usually Through Slow Change
Don’t Rush Healing. It Won’t Work. Healing Takes Time.
Do you expect immediate healing results? Welcome to the club. I’ve seen so many people come into my office expecting a lot from the first session. Often they’ve tried many healing modalities and nothing worked. Understandably, they’re disappointed, and they’ve learned to give up quickly.
The thing is, healing does work. The body has its own ability to self-correct, and it often comes back to equilibrium. The best time to begin a healing process is the moment something goes awry — act right away. That can mean rest, seeing a physician, seeing a craniosacral therapist, eating well. Whatever is needed to balance the body and move it closer to health and wellbeing.
The longer a person waits, the more the mind-body-spirit starts putting band-aids on the experience. Compensations begin. The intricate webbing of life, and the fascia along with every other internal system, reorganizes in a more sporadic, challenging way. That’s how chronic pain takes root.
With craniosacral therapy, the work is subtle. Some people don’t feel much in the first session. One reason is that pain or past experience keeps the mind from feeling deeply into an old habit or injury. It takes time for a relationship to develop and for healing to unfold — often many sessions. I explain what’s actually happening in those quiet sessions in What Does Craniosacral Therapy Do?
The gentleness, and being listened to through the body, may be a new experience. People may need to open to being held and supported. That sounds like it should be easy, but for many it isn’t. So many people live with anxiety; they don’t feel centered, safe, or secure with new sensations and feelings. What most of us need is to slow down, be heard, and have our bodies supported compassionately and with skill. That is the doorway into discovering our own healing abilities. I write more about that doorway in The Healing Power of Touch.
I like to remind people: it often took years, or a severe accident, to arrive at chronic or acute pain. It takes time to heal, too. Be patient with yourself. Breathe through it. Be kind to you, and be patient with the healing work you choose. It takes time to shift gears and wind down into healing mode.
I recommend at least four sessions just to see how your process shows itself. And remember, it doesn’t have to be painful, aggressive work that changes you. Sometimes it’s the opposite of anything you’ve experienced before.
As a craniosacral therapist, somatic healer, and energy healer for more than 30 years, I can honestly say there is an easier path. It isn’t always easy to navigate until you surrender into your own intention to heal. Your commitment is needed. You have to let the greater good direct your process. Like I said, it’s an inside job — but it isn’t meant to be done alone.
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 craniosacral therapy in Columbus, read answers to common questions about craniosacral therapy, or find out how to choose the best craniosacral therapist for you.