Finding the Best Somatic Therapist to Help Resolve Your Chronic Pain and Discomfort.

by SharonHartnett | Nov 28, 2025 | barbara brennan, concussion, Craniosacral Therapy, Energy Healing, grounding, hakomi, healing, meditation, migraine, Structural Integration, trauma, upledger institute

Click Here To Find Out More about Somatic Therapy

I am a Craniosacral Therapist, working with an integrative somatic approach in Worthington-serving Columbus, Ohio.

What “Somatic” means is that I use my various trainings and experience to help you feel better, and feel more at home inside of your body with ease and peace through using techniques in connection with the body. Often clients end up leaving with a more embodied natural flow of energy as well. It is important to me that you find value and quality when you sign in for a somatic session.

Symptom Relief: Through mindful listening and skill, Sharon’s Holistic Therapy can help you with:

Brain and Spinal Cord Dysfunction
Concussions
TMJ
Chronic Neck and Back Pain
Chronic Fatigue
Fibromyalgia
Learning Disabilities in Children
Tinnitus
Headaches/Migraines,
Foot and Ankle stiffness/Circulation
Grief
Addiction
Autism
Anxiety/PTSD
Increased Mobility
Postural Alignment
Deep Relaxation
Support for Trauma Recovery

The body is super intelligence, and with the right support can move into its own healing direction.

Background as a Craniosacral Therapist

My background started off with energy healing in the 90’s, but then about 27 years ago, I decided to become licensed in massage therapy. Never did that very long, but invested and worked in learning and practicing Structural Integration, and later attended and taught at the Barbara Brennan School. One thing led to the other, and next I studied Hakomi, and Trauma Informed Work at SPI. The work evolved with my clients, so I decided in the early 2000’s to move into Craniosacral Therapy at the Upledger Institute, and Visceral Manipulation at the Barral Institute. Now I am certified at the highest level, “Diplomate”.

One reason I decided to write this particular blog is because when I searched other therapists, I realized there was some confusing marketing out there. I felt compelled to speak up about this because, you-as paying clients-deserve to understand what you are getting when you call and make an appointment. Make sure that you interview by phone and get a real clear idea of credentials. For example, you may search someone and they list at the top, but never took a class in what they are marketing. Also, there is a big difference between a person who takes one class, and someone who is committed to extensive training and practice. When someone markets Craniosacral Therapy as a massage-that isn’t accurate. It’s not massage- it’s a whole other system. Also- ask direct questions to make sure that the therapist are marketing according to their real backgrounds. This is so you can find the best match for you. I want you to receive what you are looking for!

My recommendations to you is:

If someone is advertising or coming up in searches as for example, a visceral manipulation practitioner- ask them about their training and experience. Are they being upfront with you about their training?
If you are looking for an expert Craniosacral Therapist- ask if they are certified, and at which level.
If you want to find a manual therapist who has trained in body centered psychotherapy and/or trained in trauma inflormed work- ask which school they attended.

My hope is that when you do your searches you are getting accurate and beneficial information to assure you that you are in “hands of integrity”.

Best Craniosacral Therapist in the Columbus Area

Sharon Hartnett CST-D

614 653-8111

To learn about my Craniosacral Therapy services, visit my main page here

Situated in Worthington, Ohio, and serving the Columbus, Ohio area.

Fascia: The Hands On Treatment that Changes Everything

by SharonHartnett | Jan 21, 2025 | better posture, craniosacral, Craniosacral Therapy, grounding, healthy, Healthy Body, Structural Integration, upledger institute

Getting Manual Work With Your Fascia supports Overall Health and Wellbeing

About 1-2 years ago, I listened to a podcast about the “Interstitium”. Perhaps you have never heard of it. It is a fairly new term. And we know that sometimes it takes time for a new idea to come take hold. So, I thought I’d give the Interstitium and Fascia work a little boost out here on the web. So here we are.

Let’s begin by defining Fascia and it’s relationship to the Interstitium.

Fascia is a type of tissue that looks like a web inside your body. If you could imagine that underneath your skin there is a living matrix wetsuit superficially. This fascia tissue travels deeper and through almost everything in the human body: around bones, organs and it basically holds us all together. In your mind, if you could continue to see it-and sense into it, you’ understand it as a strong elastic type of material that stretches and connects throughout. Fascia is made up out of elastin, collagen and ground substances.

The interstitium is a relatively new area of study in manual therapy. It’s a vast network of fluid-filled spaces that surround cells and tissues, and it plays a key role in how fluids move through the body. By working with both the fascia and the interstitium, therapists can support the movement of these fluids and encourage more efficient flow, which can help the body recover from injury, decrease inflammation, and promote overall health.

This integrated approach, which addresses both the connective tissue (fascia) and the surrounding fluid networks (interstitium), helps create a more holistic, balanced experience for the body. The combination of fluid dynamics and fascial release is what makes manual therapy working with the fascia and interstitium so powerful and restorative.

How Does a Manual Therapist Work with the fascia and Interstitium?

1. It’s key to work slowly and gently whether the therapist does Craniosacral Therapy, Myfascial Release or Deeper Structural Integration. The connected touch feels like a deep stretch, lengthening and spreading vitality to the surrounding tissues. When the therapist listens, the fascia will always lead to the easiest way to unwind and free of movement and space.

2. It’s also quite common for people to feel more fluidity with fascial work. This is where the instertitium comes in because it allows motion and enhances functioning.

3. Manual Fascial Therapy often releases deep tension patterns. Here is where some of the therapies may vary in approach. With Ida Rolf’s work, generally the touch is more assertive. The other end of the spectrum is gentle, light touch Craniosacral Therapy.

4. You may gain greater awareness of your body. Touch is a great way to mirror back the sensations in your body. You may feel a greater sense of connection to the many internal influences that optimize your body’s health and wellness.

5. The effects of fascial work is profound. You may walk away feeling so calm and peaceful. Often people feel more balanced inside but also in how their body stacks up. This can mean better grounding and use of movement. When the fascia is better organized, it is more efficient in everything it does. With muscles but also in promoting organ health too with mobility and motility.

6. Both the fascia and the interstitium are connected to emotions. For example, when a person experiences a physical or emotional trauma, that may hold in the tissues and contract to protect. While this is super efficient short-term it’s important to find balance and length again so misalignments don’t compensate permanently.

7. If you want to feel more at home in your body, fascia and interstitum work can help you reach your goals. It’s always best to optimize what you have.

A little bit about Sharon Hartnett (author):

I studied Massage in the 1990’s. Later studying Ida Rolf’s work at the Institute for Structural Integration. Later in the early 2000’s I got turned on to Craniosacral Therapy. Truly I love both of these approaches to keep the fascial body healthy. One (SI) is definately a stronger approach. However, the Craniosacral Therapy is so gentle that body is more apt to work more effectively. It doesn’t fight any of the technique. More recently, I have studied Visceral Manipulation at the Barral Institute for about the last 10 years. This looks at the organs and the tissues connecting and surrounding. Mobilizing the tissues can actually help the organs to functure better. So all this work is vital to keep peope healthy. Getting unstuck nourishes the body and cleans up what no longer needs to be held. I love this work!

Sharon Hartnett CST-D

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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What is Something New You Learned about Yourself Lately?

by SharonHartnett | Dec 27, 2024 | change, craniosacral, Craniosacral Therapy, grounding, healing, healthy, mind body & spirit, trauma, upledger institute

Awakening Yourself

To Awaken to yourself is the most powerful thing you can do. Feeling confident about your life, and the choices you make shape everything. Unburdening yourself from limitations is freeing.

Often people who come in for Craniosacral Therapy can feel stressed, a bit lost, anxious, or in pain. Something feels off, and the person may not understand why they feel the way they do. Maybe there are pieces under the level of consciousness- stored in the cellular memory. Working through the mind body connection can be quite powerful.

Craniosacral can help ground you more firmly into your life.

Working with a Craniosacral Therapist can shift everything. Some of the ways this can happen in a session are:

1. Presence: The holding of neutral space creates trust and safety.

2. Respecting boundaries helps define you and your comfort level.

3. Craniosacral Therapy taps into the Craniosacral System which nourishes and keeps the Nervous System Healthier and in balance.

4. Certified Techniques and Skill level can release and help integrate old wounding and trauma. This makes space for potential awakening to knowing oneself more deeply. it can bring more meaning to life.

5. An Experienced Craniosacral Therapist supports the Awakening Process by training with open dialogue which is centered on Self-Discovery. Ask about SomatoEmotional Release Work.

Craniosacral Therapy takes an Osteopathic approach to manual therapy. It focuses on trusting your body to find the internal discovery and healing processes within.

If you feel you have tried so many things but nothing helps, giving Craniosacral Therapy a change may help shift you into a Light Awakening. It’s so gentle, yet profound.

One of the best things that you can learn about yourself is Self-Empowerment through curiosity, and sensing into your own body and sense of Self.

What have you learned about yourself and what can help you move forward as you continue to open up?

Sharon Hartnett CST-D

SomatoEmotional Release Therapy Certified through Upledger

614 653-8111

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

Columbus, Ohio Area.

How to Love Your Body No matter How it Looks

by | Aug 27, 2024 | better posture, craniosacral, Craniosacral Therapy, Energy Healing, hakomi, Healthy Body, meditation, mind body & spirit, mindfulness, Spiritual Healing

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Love Your Body, Mind and Spirit

Here are some tips for Shifting your Mindset about your body. It takes time to Learn to Love Your Body.

Every morning before you get out of bed, bring mindfulness to your body and sense into it. Forget any preconceived ideas that you have believed. Living in these bodies are pretty miraculous. The good news is that we have plenty of fresh new starts.
When you get out of bed, feel into the Ok-ishness of your body. This is the beginning of practicing self-acceptance. Any perfection thoughts need to be put on the shelf!
Be mindful about how you speak about your body. You can change the patterning of your thinking. Drive in a new lane. The Love Your Body Lane. Eventually your belief system changes when you drop the old thoughts.
Every person deserves to feel love. And we are all different and unique in how we are configured. Realize that norms are group beliefs. It really says nothing about you. The more you move inward, you self-realized your essence. Imagine what it would be like if we all could appreciate the different skins in which we live.
Question your thoughts. Byron Kate,has great free worksheet for this in the website The Work
Receiving bodywork can bring a whole new awareness to you body.In our society, so much emphasis is placed on what is going on inside of our heads. However, we are whole people, body, mind and spirit. For example, Craniosacral Therapy is great for helping you to embody.
Meditation is a great way to open your mind about your body. It gives you a sense of understanding through neutral listening and understanding. It also opens up the path to compassion.
Exercise. Find movement that is comfortable and fun. Even basic walking can make you feel better.
Choose foods that are healthy. Maybe start a garden for herbs or fruits and vegetables. We feel good when we partake in the organic processes which sustanin us.

When you are alone, take off the clothes and get comfortable in your skin. Turn off your computers/phones/ and TVs. Relax and Breathe. Know Yourself!

Our culture makes it hard sometimes for people to accept and love your body. Yet, we have many choice points to make up our own minds about how we related internally. You are the Captain of Your Own Ship. Sail the seas of Self-Love. Learn to be Ok with who you are- body, feelings, thoughts and all.

It’s not always each, but choosing change is a great intention.

With gratitude-

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.