by SharonHartnett | Sep 3, 2017 | Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K
The Inner Wisdom of my body brought me into Presence…
When I was younger, I found myself fascinated by the human body and how it works. As a late middle age Craniosacral Therapist, I find myself even more intrigued. Never is there a dull moment when I get bored with what I do. That is because I continue to study, take classes, and keep my mind open to new things arising in the world of Science, Touch and Healing. In addition, during every session, my presence grows as I listen and support the inner wisdom relationship between me and my client. I am in a constant state of openness,learning and integrating. My mind, body & spirit feel much more aligned and deeply connected due to the quality of work to which I aim. Why? Because I understand that each client is a gift to me, where we dance together in mutuality for the highest good, and where the intention is focused on waking up into knowing health and wholeness. My clients come back, because I stay in a neutral place of non-judgment, open to the possibilities of getting better. Whatever it takes… My commitment is strong and based in care and understanding. Not to mention, an array of tools learned throughout the years.
The human body
The human body
As a Licensed Manual Therapist, the emphasis of my work has been on Listening, Connection, & Using the Tools that I have learned. One of the places I learned my unique approach to healing was in my Hakomi training. Ron Kurtz, who founded the Hakomi work taught that Loving presence is an incredible supportive way to create a therapeutic relationship that is safe, accepting and gracious. For me, this means being very aware of Who I am in the moment, and listening to the information that is presented by the inner wisdom of my client. This can be expressed in the wave of a breathe, a sound, a facial expression or sometimes through talk. Dialogue happens on many different levels. Through my Upledger Training, I have also learned to trust the Inner Wisdom inside of each person. It guides me, shows me the way to release and uncover old traumas, defense patterns, and dysfunctional patterns. Much of the time, I use the Craniosacral Rhythm and its Significance Detector to lead me where the body wants to go. Believe it or not, your body knows what it needs and that information is available.
The people who benefit the most from organic and natural healing are those who open up to all possibilities. People who take a chance to step outside what they know into the Unknown. This means feeling deeply into the sensing body, feeling emotions, and exploring belief systems. Coming out of the shadow and entering into the Presence of NOW. For example, I had a client who had lost her baby. During our SomatoEmotional work, she continued felt her deep grief, and expressed the pain that she felt inside her body. The pain at her loss. I listened to what her body offered to show me. After a series of sessions, she moved much more freely and felt so much better. It is such a difficult thing to have to go through, but she found that going in and through her broken heart, that she could live easier on the other side.
What I have discovered is that the best healing work is not about analyzing or figuring out the problem. But rather, I have seen through my manual therapyapproach that focusing on supporting this concept of the “Evolving Presence” takes us into more expansion and a felt presence of health and wellbeing. The more we are mindful, curious and neutral, the more clarity and truthful we become. And the Truth does set us free. All the massage tools in the world don’t mean a thing without have a solid foundation in Presence.
Sharon Hartnett LMT, CST-D, SI, BHSP, Hakomi Practitioner
703 509-1792
www.craniosacraltherapistcolumbus.com
by SharonHartnett | Oct 10, 2014 | Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K, thought for the day
Dr. Andrew Weil has been a huge influence in bringing attention to Integrative Medicine in the US.
Recently I was reading the October 2014 Natural Awakening magazine, and he was asked, “What influence can the public have in supporting a shift” ?
Personally, I have been sitting with this question myself for quite a while. The allopathic part of medicine is so helpful and supportive in some ways, but sorely missing in regards to the connection to humanity as whole beings. It feels like one goes to a physician and is slotted a 15 minute appointment, and on to the next patient. Insurance companies don’t compensate doctors for listening to a complete history for an hour. Not to mention- have you noticed how medications are handed out a lot easier than a prescription for massage or acupuncture. They are covered by insurance easier, that’s for sure. I am not pointing my finger at physicians, as they are having to fit into something that only partially works. What I am suggesting is that the system needs to be restructured.
For me, it is nice to hear a medical doctor interested in changing the healthcare system. However, change is not going to have to be only coming from people like him. It’s up to us as patients, but more fundamentally as full human beings to create this shift.
Dr. Weil wrote, “Our dysfunction healthcare system is generating rivers of money flowing into very few pockets. Those are the pockets of big pharmaceutical companies, medical devices manufactures and big insurers;interests that control legislators. So, I don’t think any real change is going to come from the government.”
Integrative Medicine
If you would like to see changes, I’d invite you to research alternative and integrative therapies. Help make connections between these fields and western medicine. We need rainbow bridges to help bring the best qualities of all the various health protocols together. This requires a grassroots movement. I don’t always agree with all of Dr. Weil’s assessments on all things, but he does have a clear vision in bringing this about. We need to all put away the need for there only being one method to heal…instead let’s come together to create a new system that addresses holism and quality of life.
Right now, we have more people living longer, less doctors to meet their needs. Let’s work together and write to our government, but more than that… get involved and support the wellness programs that help you feel healthier and happier. Find out more about physicians who believe in integrative and functional medicine. You deserve that!
Thought for the day,
Sharon Hartnett CST
www.massageincolumbusohio.com
www.drweil.com
http://www.nacentralohio.com
by SharonHartnett | Jan 29, 2014 | Craniosacral Therapy, Energy Healing, Massage, Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K, mind body & spirit
At Lighten Up Therapies in Columbus Ohio…
Wellness through Craniosacral Therapy is our goal.
Often clients are faced with challenges that take them off track for some reason. It could be unrelenting chronic or acute physical pain, feelings of anxiety, anger and rage that have no place to be expressed, or a sense of disconnect from the rest of life. Whatever your problem is, if you are having a hard time resolving it alone, you have come to the right place to start your journey to Wellness. We work holistically within our practice, and with other therapists and doctors as a team. We are here to help you move toward your goals of health.
How does Craniosacral Therapy Work for You?
Craniosacral Therapy is a system that requires an experienced practitioner to listen to the healing intelligence of your body, and energy field to support your health. By bringing our technical and palpation skills to your session, your body can begin to self-correct and release old dysfunctional patterns. This is accomplished by gently following your body tissues and moving along with your natural CS rhythms to enliven and hydrate the tissues and nervous system. As new information is introduced, a dialoguing process activates more efficient body functionality overall. When the mind of the body gets re-educated, the brain changes too.
At the end of a session, clients often get up off the table feeling relaxing changes working throughout their bodies and thinking. When people talk about the mind, body & spirit connection, it means that by sensing change on any of the physical, emotional, or other aspects of life, one spectrum can support healing onto the other. As bodyworkers, often our intention is to awaken your sense of Source through skilled touch. As indicated by the title of this blog, “Wellness is a connection of paths: knowledge and action.” One system connecting with another opens the possibilities to shift into a more whole way of living.
Wellness
At Lighten Up Therapies we offer an array of different modalities to help you on your journey to Wholeness. Our hope is to help you awaken to your Source. It is in the richness of the inner experience that healing can be activated.
For more questions on Craniosacral Therapy in Columbus, Ohio, please call Sharon Hartnett LMT at:
740 966-5153
by SharonHartnett | Dec 11, 2013 | Craniosacral Therapy, Massage, Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K, Structural Integration
It’s been almost a year now since my neck surgery. I had a bone spur pressing into my spine and was in excruciating pain. There were not many options, so I made the best decision I could and went in for my first surgery ever to replace my disc.
After the first week or two, I felt very weak in the neck, but the pain was minimal. I said goodbye to my pain medications and hoped to feel back to normal quickly. Well, that did not happen. The doctors say it may be 6 months or so, but it can take longer. And I am here to tell you that if you want to feel better, it is up to you to take responsibility for your own self care. Once the surgery is done, only you can find the best healing plan for you.
Recovering after Spine Surgery
What worked for me
My body had gone out of alignment from a combination of factors. I was a little overweight, I didn’t pay the best attention to my posture while I was working on the table with clients, and my body type wasn’t balanced. So even with the surgery, I needed to form a plan to feel better longterm. I have focused a little on each one of these, but I do make my own personal plan where to spend most of my energy to accomplish a more holistic sense of health and wellbeing.
What I found that worked:
- Positional Release
- Physical Therapy
- Healthier Diet
- Exercise
- Basic Stretching
- Massage, Craniosacral Therapy, and Structural Integration
- Yamuna Balls and Rolling
- Finding a gentle traction machine to use at home.
- Find a chiropractor with a good reputation.
Most of these, you may have a good idea how to follow and do. But I want to talk a bit about Positional Release because rarely do you hear about this form of therapy and it helps wonders. It is so easy and comfortable that you might be surprised at how great the results are and how you feel afterwards.
With Positional Release, all one has to do is put the body into a comfortable position to release pain and dysfunction. If you go see a Massage Therapist, he/she will listen to your body to locate a position that will activate nerve reflexes to relieve pain. As the musculature and joints are stimulated, the body frees up and more range of motion and easier movement become quickly apparent. At the beginning, it is very helpful to see a massage therapist who can hold the positions and teach you how to do this yourself. However, as you start to get a sense of how this works, it becomes something that can become part of your daily practice, like a mini yoga routine without the work.
My favorite way to do Positional Release to support my neck and body is to lay in bed every morning for about 30 minutes and practice what I preach. I will go into spine rotations and prop myself with pillows so that I feel into my discomfort and a minimal threshold. If you use a scale of 1-10, you might want to start with about a 2-3 noticing a little resistance however you place your neck. It is important to listen to your body and make sure you are not resting in anything more painful than that. Movement into a position should be slow and mindful. Once a position is established, just rest there for about a minute or so, while sensing the discomfort either arising or diminishing. If it is too much, move away from it until you do feel comfortable. In my experience, I often lay on my belly and prop the pillow and turn my head at different angles and just rest until I find more ease in my neck.
At the beginning after my surgery, I was stretching and doing exercises, but it was too much. This positional release on a daily basis was gentle enough and has finally started to give me the freedom in movement I want again. It also helps me to trust my body’s own healing mechanisms and work in a range of comfort.
Positional release techniques are often used with other healing interventions that focus on soft tissue. It is great for surgerical aftercare, headaches, postural issues, fibromyalgia and general flexibility. It’s so easy to do and it is empowering because it is something anyone can do at home without any problem.
This January, my first year after surgery will be complete. My neck is feeling much better. The muscles are more balanced and looser. These days, I look at my current health by constantly listening to my body. It is always an ongoing process to stay in self care as it easy to get off-course with the busy schedules so many people have. But our health begins with us and it really is important to start from Within.
Anyone who has undergone surgery, my heart is with you. Listen to your own inner wisdom and the freedom rests there!
Warmly,
Sharon Hartnett LMT
740 966-5153
Columbus, Ohio
www.massageincolumbusohio.com
