by SharonHartnett | Dec 9, 2015 | craniosacral, Craniosacral Therapy, Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K, mind body & spirit, stillpoint
Many clients who come in for Craniosacral Therapy ask about SomatoEmotional Release (SER).
They have usually heard from their friends or associates how much better they feel after a few sessions. Yet they are not quite certain what SER is. So in order to educate potential clients, I’d like to take the Upledger’s description to share,
“ SomatoeEmotional Release may be defined as a release from the body tissues of energy that has been stored in the tissues for some time subsequent to an incident resulting in the placement of this energy in those tissues. The energy, which is foreign to the tissues in which it resides, almost invariably has within it an emotional component. When the SomatoEmotional Release technique is effectively carried out, the emotion is re-experienced by the patient/client and, most often, a rather vivid memory of the incident during which the energetic placement occurred comes into conscious awareness.”
The most important intention that comes to my mind as a Craniosacral Therapist who works with SER, is to create a sacred environment that focuses on working with unity of the mind, body and spirit. By holding space for the whole person, whatever shows up during a session can move forward, all taken care of by the client’s own “Inner Physician (IP)”. That inner intelligence that lies within regulates the session and helps the client to release energy that is caught up. The Therapist is connected to the IP and follows its guidance without judgment. This helps to complete unfinished cycles so that the client can feel finished with whatever unconscious material shows up.
SomatoEmotional Release
Clients who have experienced trauma, anxiety and other emotional extremes often feel much better balanced after an SER session. Not only from a feeling perspective, but also physically as well. When the client is able to move through fear along with letting go of dysfunctional tissue patterns, they are often able to move more freely into their future.
SomatoEmotional Release can be an excellent addition to psychotherapy. While students are trained in this type of work at the Upledger Institute , the foundation of the training is on working with the Craniosacral system. I like to think that this training helps manual therapist to be prepared for whatever shows up in the session without trying to control it or working towards fixing things. This is a journey of discovery and self-awareness.
If you are interested in finding out more about SER, please call Sharon Hartnett CST, at (740) 966-5153 for a free 15 minute phone consultation.
www.massageincolumbusohio.com
by SharonHartnett | Nov 29, 2015 | Craniosacral Therapy, Energy Healing, healing, healthy, Healthy Body, Massage, Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K, Structural Integration
Should you come in for a massage when you are experiencing a flu or cold this season?
I love working with my clients. Truly I do. My work and the people I touch bring so much light into my world. But I am always astonished that some of them come into the intimate setting of the massage room with either a full blown cold or flu. I know they need some TLC. But the massage table is not the best place to get it. Especially with COVID still present. It’s important to remember that your massage therapist LMT can get sick. But not only that, everyone she/he touches or who breaths in or comes into contact with a live virus is prone to catch the same thing with enough exposure.
Some of the symptoms to look for are:
Cold:
- stuff or runny nose
- sneezing
- cough
- eyes watering
- fatigue
- headache
- light fever
- congestion
Flu:
- stuffy and/or runny nose
- headache
- weakness
- fatigue
- dry cough
- fever
- congestion
- body aches and pains
Colds tend to be milder. They also seem to be much short lived.
For more information on colds and flu check out: Colds and the Flu
The best thing you can do is to rest, and take good care of yourself and others with plenty of sleep, and/or speaking with your physician. Also- just so you know, sometimes massage can aggravate your illness if too much activation is going on in your body systems. Not to mention, I think I have read that some Chicken noodle soup can really help to!
Don’t be afraid to cancel if you are sick:). Since I wrote this post, I have switched away from massage to Craniosacral Therapy. COVID has had a big impact on many so please be mindful of resting and taking care of yourself, as well as keeping others healthy!
Sharon Hartnett CST-D
703 509-1792
www.craniosacraltherapistcolumbus.com
by SharonHartnett | Nov 28, 2015 | Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K
EDUCATING PEOPLE ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF FASCIA TYPE OF THERAPY
by, Sharon Hartnett LMT, SI, CST 703 509-1792
I have been working with Fascia as a primary type of massage for about 17 years. One of the most difficult things about this incredible type of work is explaining the difference between fascia work and general massage to the public. This is not your typical “Spa” massage, but its therapeutic benefits are longer lasting and generally much more profound in my opinion. Yet most people have only heard or experienced typical muscle massage. I’d like to list a few characteristics of fascial work to help you gain a better understanding of how it can help you:
1. The main objective of fascia work is to help release any restrictions or adhesions in the fascial system. The fascia itself is like a 3 dimensional web that envelopes the body and all the internal contents within. When one thing is pulled out of alignment, it affects the rest of the body. By intending to help the fascia to be free and fluid, the whole body improves in functionality and movement.
2. The actual touch can feel very different. Usually with general massage such as Swedish, the therapist uses oils and gently glides over the skin and underlying tissues. With deeper work, lubrication is still used even with the pressure. With fascial therapy, the therapist connects into the connective tissue layers and stretches the “material” until it forms a healthier consistency. The therapist waits for this, listens to the body and moves to the next restricted area. Also, while fascial work can be very comfortable, some clients who have limited mobility and flexibility who want quicker results may ask for a more assertive session. Like deep tissue, this can stir up a painful response. It’s up to the therapist and client to always dialogue about what feels like it is helping or not. Teamwork creates the best results.
3. Due to the relationship of fascia to the musculoskeletal system, fascia type of work can help improve posture more easily. When the fascia is lengthened, it gives more space to muscles, bones, organs and throughout the body. Fascia type of work brings the body back into its natural alignment. Taking stress and strain off the body helps people to walk and move easier.
4. Myofascial therapy can really help to give more optimal health to scar areas. When an injury happens to the body and scar tissue is randomly put down, it lock up certain areas of the body, which in turn affects everything. By working with scar tissue, the therapist can help bring more order to the dysfunctional patterns in the body.
5. Athletes or even anyone who moves in certain habitual patterns can definitely benefit from fascia work. When we use our bodies over and over in a particular way, imbalances can occur between front/back, side/side, top/bottom- basically all over. Working with the whole body through myofascial therapy, therapists can help the body to normalize.
I love my work. Touching into the intelligence of the body through the fascial has turned around the health of so many of my clients. Recently, I had a “Senior” in who had a deep sore that looked black that wouldn’t heal. The next week, it was pink and purple. I couldn’t believe how much improvement he had. My thought was that because we opened up the tissues there, his body could self correct and heal better. It had been like that for a while and then this huge change. Most massage therapist practitioners get into this work because they like helping people. What could be more rewarding?
If you are interested in receiving fascia type of work, contact Sharon at (740) 966-5153 for a free 15 phone consultation.
Warmly,
Sharon Hartnett LMT
Structural Integration Therapist
Certified Advanced Craniosacral Therapist
Columbus, Ohio
www.massageincolumbusohio.com
www.craniosacraltherapistcolumbus.com
by SharonHartnett | Nov 19, 2015 | craniosacral, Craniosacral Therapy, Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K, stillpoint
The Benefits of a Stillpoint
As taught by the Upledger Institute, the Craniosacral System is a semi-closed hydraulic system that is held within the membrane of the Dura, which contains the brain and the spinal cord. The functioning aspect of this system that contributes to human life is the circulation and reabsorption of the Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF).
When a Craniosacral Therapist is working with clients, we are listening to the continuous rise and fall of this fluid rhythm by its subtly felt expansion and contraction throughout the whole body. We pay attention to the ways the bones and membrane dance with the CSF through symmetry, quality, amplitude and rate. The intention is to use our listening and help the body to self-balance through gentle melding by touch.
When Craniosacral Therapists use the term, “Stillpoint” what we are expressing is the gradual stopping of the system through a gentle manual technique. In particular, one way that is often used is the CV4 by using cupped hands to bring the occiput and surrounding tissues into a therapeutic stop. The Craniosacral Therapist induces the Stillpoint by creating a barrier at the end of either the flexion or extension movement. As the fluid quiets down, pressure is built back up, and when the tissues are released, a gentle cleansing flow can move through the body, releasing restrictions and adhesions. This is very healthy for the Central Nervous System. Stillpoint can be applied anywhere on the body for positive therapeutic results.
For clients who have experienced Stillpoint, many have stated that they felt much less stressed, and some have had the experience of feeling a re-organizing type of sensation in their bodies. Headaches can disappear, aches and pain go away . Stillpoint is a wonderful technique that can have profound life effects. The Upledger Institute sells Stillpoint Inducers that can be used everyday from about 30 seconds to 10 minutes to create more freedom and flexibility in the body. Yet the experienced hands of a Craniosacral Therapist can take you to la la land.
If you would like to learn more about Craniosacral Therapy in the Columbus, Ohio area, call Sharon Hartnett CST-D
614 653-8111. Cell: 703 509-1792
www.craniosacralatherapistcolumbus.com
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
