How Does Craniosacral Therapy Work?

by SharonHartnett | Jun 3, 2025 | Craniosacral Therapy, healing

What is Craniosacral Therapy Columbus Ohio?

How Does Craniosacral Therapy Work: A Gentle Approach to Deep Healing

By Sharon Hartnett, CST-D | Craniosacral Therapist in Worthington & Columbus, Ohio

If you’re dealing with chronic pain, anxiety, headaches, or tension that won’t go away, you may want to consider Craniosacral Therapy (CST). This gentle but powerful bodywork helps your body release deep patterns of stress by working directly with the central nervous system.

What Is Craniosacral Therapy?

Craniosacral Therapy is a hands-on technique that uses light touch—often no more than the weight of a nickel. It works with the craniosacral system, which includes the membranes, bones, and cerebrospinal fluid surrounding your brain and spinal cord.

The goal is to support your body’s ability to self-correct by relieving restrictions around the brain, spinal cord, and fascia (the body’s connective tissue).

How Does Craniosacral Therapy Work in the Body?

A skilled CST therapist gently assesses the rhythm and movement of the craniosacral system, using techniques to encourage balance and release. Areas of focus often include:

Cranial bones and sutures (especially helpful for TMJ and headaches)
Spinal segments and sacrum (important for lower back and pelvic issues)
Fascial restrictions throughout the body
The dural tube (which protects your spinal cord)
The vagus nerve (key for calming the nervous system)
The diaphragm Release (opening the body)
10 step protocol (Using a structured listening plan and addressing key areas)

By enhancing the flow of cerebrospinal fluid and relieving pressure around the brainstem and nervous system, Craniosacral Therapy promotes deep relaxation, pain relief, and emotional release.

Who Can Benefit from CST?

Many people in Columbus and Worthington, Ohio come to craniosacral therapy for help with:

Chronic pain and tension
TMJ and jaw problems
Headaches and migraines
Anxiety and emotional stress
Post-surgical recovery
Trauma and PTSD
Digestive or pelvic issues

A Safe, Non-Invasive Therapy

Because it’s so gentle, CST is safe for people of all ages—from newborns to older adults. Each session is personalized and supportive of your body’s healing needs.

Ready to Experience Craniosacral Therapy in Worthington or Columbus?

With nearly 30 years of experience and the highest level of certification, I offer sessions that combine anatomical precision with compassionate care. If you’re looking for a natural, non-invasive way to reconnect with your body and release tension, I invite you to book a session today.

Sharon Hartnett CST-D

614 653-8111

FAQ Page

How Craniosacral Therapy Helps Your Nervous System heal from Chronic Stress

by SharonHartnett | May 22, 2025 | Craniosacral Therapy, healing, healthy, Healthy Body, mind body & spirit, mindfulness, upledger institute

How Craniosacral Therapy helps the Nervous System

Your body has an innate intelligence which knows how to heal. But when stress is constant, your ability to function optimally decreases. Craniosacral Therapy can help the body get out of the fight-or-flight response that can occur after a stress overfload. By encouraging the parasympathetic system to shift louder so to speak, the body can create a space for self-repair.

My clients often report:

A noticeable release of jaw or neck and head tension
A sense of inner stillness and calm as the nervous system calms down.
Improved sleep and digestion
Fewer stress-related flare-ups
Deep relaxation throughout the whole mind and body.

Why Chronic Stress Needs a gentle approach

Stress is not taking space only in your head, but it affects the whole body as well. The tissues, the organs and all those miraculous things that keep you alive and well do better when they come into balance. Craniosacral Therapy is considerate, welcoming and the techniques are very supportive to good health. The nervous system has the chance to optimize and create harmony in the whole body.

Find Relief in Columbus, Ohio

At Lighten Up Therapies in Columbus, craniosacral therapy is offered with skill and care. Whether you’re living with long-term anxiety or just feel like your body needs a reset, CST can help restore your nervous system to feel a deeper sense of safety and ease.

Ready to reconnect with calm?

Contact Sharon Hartnett CST-D at 614 653-8111.

www.craniosacraltherapistcolumbus.com

To find a Craniosacral Therapist anywhere in the world, check out the Upledger Institute.

Nothing Exists Alone: Embracing Connection as a Path to Wholeness

by SharonHartnett | May 19, 2025 | change, craniosacral, Craniosacral Therapy, healing, healthy, Healthy Body, mindfulness

Through mindfulness and the recognition that everything exists with connection, we begin to heal. Not just ourselves. But also our relationships in the world around us.

When we become mindful of how everything lives in connection, the universe shifts into a deeper mutual place of compassion. Truly discovering that we are not isolated objects is a powerful realization. That’s something we could all use just about now.

It’s not so simple that we are just individuals moving through separate experiences. From the breath we take to the words we speak, our lives are constantly woven into a larger web of interdependence. From the quantum level to how the butterfly effects of one choice changes everything.

I bring this up because as a Craniosacral Therapist, working in Columbus, Ohio, I find that awakening to the bigger picture brings about deep healing, growth and evolution.

Because we are so ingrained to believe in separatness and individuality, we forget that there is more richness in inter-dependence and mutual help and support. Yes, we have a sense of independence, but we are also here in mutuality and connection.

When I work with clients, often I feel that there seems to be a “part” that is dysfunctional. yet as my hands listen, and notice- the other fluids, tissues and systems come into play in the healing process. Nothing can heal in separation or parts. What seems like a problem is actually an expression of something waiting to change and move toward connection, Mostly, I manually wait for the deeper inner intelligence of the body to reconnect and remember the innate wholensss that lives in everything. Other times, the client may speak about past experiences of trauma that are ripe enough to heal. I trust whatever happens to bring the “pieces” back together into the present.

There is always more to us than we ever imagined. To self-realize and discover the value of reaching beyond is a compassionate and wise way to live and grow. Not only for our own personal journeys, but also knowing that each choice we make ripples across the Universe. We all matter. Everything we do counts. Being mindful changes everything.

To learn more about Mindfulness and Connection, check out: www.hakomi.com

To find out more about Craniosacral Therapy, check out: www.upledger.com

Sharon Hartnett CST-d

614 653-8111

www.craniosacraltherapistcolumbus.com

How to Develop a Good Plan for Stress Management

by SharonHartnett | Jan 24, 2025 | Craniosacral Therapy, Energy Healing, grounding, healing, healthy, Healthy Body, meditation, mind body & spirit, mindfulness

Who needs stress?

Well, stress can be beneficial. It can help your performance in any part of your life if it is used in a positive way. However, chronic stress is a different matter. Long-term stress can be a major contributor to numerous health problems.

Fortunately, there are some tools that you can learn to help you stay healthy in your mind and body connection. Addressing stress as soon as possible can significantly shift your mindset. An intentional practice of committing to self-care can help avoid or minimize anxiety, depression, cardiovascular diseases and chronic pain.

If you haven’t already come up with a plan for stress managment, here are a few ideas:

Mindfulness, prayer and meditation can help reduce cortisol levels and bring one to center. This is a practice of becoming fully aware in the moment through experience and observation. Curiousity also helps set the stage for discovering inner peace.
Holistic and Complementary practices like Craniosacral Therapy, Visceral Manipulation, Acupuncture have shown to be very helpful with stress management.
Breathing Exercises can shift you more into a calm state. One that I recommend is breathing in to a slow count of 4, exhale to 6 and pause. In your practice continue to lengthen the pause at the end of the exhale. Also, practice diaphragmatic breathing, imagining your breath filling the whole ribcage as it expands and contracts. Allow the breath to move all the way to the pelvic floor.
Check with your physician about the Role of Nutrition: omega 3, magnesium and certaine B vitamins support brain health, and help to regulate emotions.
Sleep. It’s so important to get enough rest. When you sleep well your brain is able to clear through the glymphatic system. This can help you to feel much better restored, and to heal. A good sleep routine is imperative to good health.

Being in a Healing Practice for close to 30 years, I have seen so many people with chronic stress.I want you to know that it’s possible to step away from that. However, it does mean making a choice to change your life. Your power comes in the form of doing things that bring you back to your balanced and healthy Self.

If you have any questions, how I can help you as a Craniosacral Therapist, I offer a free 15 phone consultation.

Sharon Hartnett CST-D

614 653-8111

Serving the Columbus Ohio Area

www.craniosacraltherapistcolumbus.com

How To Find Joy by Choosing the Higher Self

by SharonHartnett | Jan 22, 2025 | change, craniosacral, Craniosacral Therapy, Energy Healing, meditation, mind body & spirit, mindfulness, move effortlessly

What is the Higher Self?

One could describe the higher self as the deeper, timeless essence of who you are — a part of you that exists beyond the layers of ego, personality, and conditioned thought. It’s like the true center of your being, always in harmony with the universe and imbued with wisdom, love, and clarity. To understand it, think of it as the still, quiet voice within that knows and sees beyond your ordinary perceptions. This is what Google says anyway. And believe it or not, I agree this is a great description!

In today’s world, there is a lot of suffering and pain. It’s part of he human condition. It passed down along the lineage and through our cultures and religion. We get so distracted with the stories from the past, it’s hard to imagine a life of compassion, great wisdom and greatness. But it’s time to start feeling joy. Right?

In today’s world, many people think it’s up to us alone to deal with our problems. Be accountable. Figure it out. You can do it. Right? While this is all true, along the journey of life, sometimes we do need help from others, and also from that place inside of us that transcends time and space. Inside of us is the whole universe, and when we align with the Higher Self, it will open us up and awaken all the possibilities. If you are looking for clarity, the Higher Self is the best place to inquire.

There is a good book I recommend by Susan Thesanga called, “The Undefended Self“. I read this years ago. And what she says in that book is powerful knowledge even today.

Sometimes, we need to cut through all the patterns of the past and commit to the Higher Path. Even though it’s hard to let go of the past at times, beginning to look inward for these wisdom resources will change everything for you. Begin with mindfulness and prayer. Listen to the responses that life brings back. Open up this communication to the Higher Self, and the “old” will dissolve and thee “new” can begin. Embrace the change and find your Inner Warrior. Be courageous. Be strong. But there is you in making this choice, and there are your allies too. Remember:). Jump into your Best Timeline.

Sharon Hartnett CST-D, Brennan Healer and more!

614 653-8111

www.craniosacraltherapistcolumbus.com