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 | Aug 17, 2015 | Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K, Structural Integration
Avoiding your pain at all costs?
My guess is that most people would prefer not to feel their pain. It makes sense though, doesn’t it? Who would want to feel pain? Perhaps-that’s why we have so many defense mechanisms in place to supposedly protect us. We are like walking miracles where much of our pain is suppressed…. until it resurfaces or is found out!
Feeling Deeply into Pain to Heal
When people come in for a massage at my office, they are usually feeling some type of discomfort or pain that continues to call for attention. I often hear about chronic pain that doesn’t resolve and the stress and sleep deprivation that makes things even worst. My clients biggest wish is they would like to feel better. Yet, it’s hard to do this alone when we have learned to avoid our pain. Whether you go to a Massage Therapist, a Psychotherapist, a Chiropractor, whoever, it’s good to receive help from another perspective. You may not find the solution up front, but if you stay with it, and trust your own inner sense to guide you, you will get help that best suits your individual needs.
As a licensed Massage Therapist for 18 years, my observation after working with many clients, is that the truth is that the longer we are organized against feeling the “soft” pain, all the energy that is kept in protection to support this dynamic, starts to lose it ability to keep us separated from the pain. Eventually, the pain seeps through and one symptom start to show up, and another and another. Pain is only meant to be temporary to let us know when we are in real danger. Afterwards, we need to learn to shake it off or process it efficiently.
When I first started working, I was drawn toward Structural Integration Work, developed by Dr. Ida Rolf. When I received my first 10 sessions of this myofascial therapy, I felt great. In my thinking and experience, working with fascia became key to gaining a sense of wellbeing. Working with releasing dysfunctional fascial patterns has helped many of my clients release pain and find better posture. Then I found myself attracted to Energy Therapy. I know this sounds far out to many people, but in fact everything is made out of energy. Some people are born with a gift to perceive it and work with healing, and others can learn this. So I attended the Barbara Brennan School to study Brennan Healing Science. While there, I learned that soft pain was held in the Human Energy Field. There are many tools a “healer” can use to facilitate healing this way: clearing energy, charging the field, helping clients to awaken to their “Inner Wisdom”. As with most Massage Therapists, I went on to study another course to study “Hakomi” to add to my toolbox. Most of my class mates were Social Workers, Psychotherapists and such, but I enjoyed learning new and deeper skills to help people with emotional pain based on beliefs that were long held. Hakomi is an organic and gentle type of therapy that is kind and organic. The compassionate standpoint of this work has helped my clients try new things without any judgment or harshness. My last great passion was to study at the Upledger Institute, to gain a more extensive understanding of how to work with the brain, the Craniosacral System, and SomatoEmotional Release. With all of this and more said and done, what I have realized is that people have unique make-ups of how they run their living patterns. When they become stuck on one level, if it is not able to be cleared, pain stays in that system. So if someone truly wants to heal, they need to meet that place of suffering and/or pain with an open heart and a willingness to feel the “soft” pain in order to transform it.
Loving our pain is not a new concept, but I suppose most people might not have thought about it this way. All things are derived from Love. Our defenses only kick in because something is painful in the moment and we did not find a way to complete itself. Yet the mind, body, spirit connection is always waiting to complete itself into the next cycle of growth. So whether you come in and need deep fascial or muscle work, or light touch, give yourself a chance to work with a therapist long-term to explore your relationship to pain and finding ways to release it. In my opinion, the easiest way to feel good is to acknowledge what is present and feel it at your comfort level until the patterns dissolve. Using a SomatoEmotional approach can be very telling, as the body is always dialoguing what it needs, if we only listen and respect what is communicated.
Sometimes, during a first session, even after all this time, I am not spot-on, but I do learn something with every touch, sound, and exchange. I gain knowledge and compassion for the highest good of my clients on my table. So we try many different approaches to resolving pain issues, and happily I can say that I have seen many clients leave my office astounded by how much better they feel. But it’s important to remember that if you are just off the table, the endorphins will wear off, but if you stay with the clarity, staying committed to the work that is needed, and the homework that your MT’s give you, the long-term result are quite possible.
Remember: Love your pain because it is telling you something needs to be addressed. Something deeper than you probably know.
Imagine your life if you stopped thinking pain was “bad’ and learned to flow and dance with it in life.
It might actually change into something special!
Sharon Hartnett LMT
740 966-5153
www.massageincolumbusohio.com
by SharonHartnett | Jul 26, 2015 | Structural Integration, sports
Sports Massage is a Specialty.
It is focused on performance.
Many different techniques have been used to help athletes work optimally. Just to name a few: friction, stretching, range of motion, effleurage, compression, and deep strokes have been part of a typical routine to help circulation, lymph flow, and enhanced neurological functioning. Massage can be enjoyed before or after an event based on the needs of the athlete.
I like to think that there is an even better way to help sports-oriented people feel and challenge themselves.
Structural Integration which is based on fascia and myofascial relationships is key in allowing the body to release tension, rotations, and restrictions. When I have worked on athletes, young and old alike, I have seen dramatic changes which have increased mobility and allowed more space for the body to lengthen and perform better. Clients are amazed at how this type of work helps where others have not!
In the best 10 series, clients connect to their line. What this means, is that a vector of sorts is felt from their grounding to the top of the head which allows them to move more freely in relationship to gravity. Being in alignment creates better efficiency in rest and in motion! During a 10 Sessions Set, the Structural Integration Therapist starts with the upper body, and then moves to the lower, and then integrates superficially. After that, the work deepens into core and continues to balance and re-educate the athlete to work with more ease. By the last session, well- everything comes together in a new way. Clients feel more energized.
sports massage columbus
The three areas that most athletes call for a massage visit that I see are:
1. Performance Enhancement- Bringing symmetry, more vitality and balance into the body.
2. Sore Muscles
3. Injury/Restoration/Scar Tissue
Working with the fascia can be extremely beneficial in all three of these areas.
If you would like to find out more, call: Sharon Hartnett, LMT, SI, CST, and Brennan Healing Science. at:
740 966-5153
www.massageincolumbusohio.com
East of Columbus, Ohio
by SharonHartnett | Jun 9, 2015 | Craniosacral Therapy, Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K, Structural Integration
One of the chronic physical conditions that benefits best in the world of manual therapy is the lessening of pain for clients by helping to loosen direct and indirect soft tissue restrictions.
In my practice, I have found two areas of massage therapy that have consistently proven to help increase range of motion and to relax the musculatures and other internal systems so that the body can fall back into its natural alignment: 1. working directly with the musculature and 2. also by focusing on fascial tissue.
Most people who have received basic massage know what it feels like to have a muscle worked. You go in and you feel either light or deep pressure going inward and moving in a certain directions. That can feel wonderful. Your circulation increases, stress melts away, and the lymph system works more efficiently, all with an hour of massage. But if you want longer lasting structural change, the fascial component of the work can create longer lasting shifts and release bones and other adhesions that hinder good flexibility. This feels very different in quality when receiving because the intention is to work with this web of tissue that contains and runs through almost everything in the body. Either using fingers, the hand, or an elbow, the practitioner enters the fascial system and helps it to stretch or unwind so that the client can move more freely. She can work with the bones, the viscera wrappings, and all the contents either directly or indirectly while inviting the client to move certain ways to find length and movment. As one point or section is released, the rest of the body feels he tautness let go too, even if on an unconscious level. Everything is connected in the body and the fascia is key into bringing balance throughout the whole structure.
The New Frontier in Pain Relief!t
In the quiet of the body there is nourishment. At the same time, the body also needs to move from the cellular level to the larger systems to stay healthy. Deep myofascial work can do wonders to help you accomplish this by touching into stuck places and releasing old patterns. Through therapies like Craniosacral Therapy with a light touch or Ida Rolf’s 10 Session protocol for Structural Integration, fascial work will bring balance and lightness back into your step!
Sharon Hartnett LMT, CST, SI
Columbus, Ohio
703 509-1792
www.massageincolumbusohio.com
by SharonHartnett | May 21, 2015 | Craniosacral Therapy, Energy Healing, Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K, mind body & spirit, Structural Integration, thought for the day
The most frequently asked question I receive from clients is…
“How often should I come see you for massage therapy treatments?”
To be honest, one of the reasons I became a massage therapist was because many years ago, my best friend Karen practiced on me while she was in massage school for two hours once or twice a week and I got hooked. She had the most warm and embracing hands that melted everything in my body and soul. I unwound and felt so happy and peaceful afterwards. It was like living on cloud 9 with my body feeling very grounded at the same time. She had the touch of an angel, and I felt so embodied and centered after our sessions.
It wasn’t until a couple years later, when I moved from Colorado to Ohio, that I actually took the plunge myself and dove into the Massage school curriculum at a Massage School in Akron, Ohio. Even then, I was quite surprised to find myself there as it was the last thing I expected as a career choice for myself years before. But the touch, and the healing was wonderful, and I knew that I was right where I needed to be more than any doubts that showed up. So- if I am asked how often should a client receive massage, I’d most often recommend as often as possible as long as it feels therapeutic and it is in your budget. Massage Therapy feels great and helps you to let go of stress and tension which is not healthy for you. When you find the right massage therapist for you and form a deep relationship of holding and healing, your essence and light breaks through so you can be your best. That’s how I view it for myself, and the clients that I see.
With that said, once the above is determined, I like to remind clients and potential massage clients that if you are living in chronic pain or feel an acute pain condition that has just come about, that it takes time for the body to heal. The physical world does not mend as quickly as we are able to skip over to a new thought. Biological healing is a process that unfolds with care and connection. And in most cases, pain situations are an accumulation of many factors including: postural imbalances, habitual patterns of movement, stress, emotional issues, sports injuries, birth traumas, challenges taking in a healthy diet, toxins in our environment, along with other dysfunctional interactions we have in life. So with all that goes into creating a painful situation, it is necessary to balance out with receiving quality care, and allowing the body to repair and self-correct after treatments. Don’t put your stock into a one time fix, although many times these types of miracles can occur to resolve pain relief. In most cases, more work is needed to help the body restore itself to its natural healthy state for the long-run. If you want the honest answer to the question “how many massage sessions do I need to come in for”, the answer is that it depends on your commitment to feeling well and doing whatever it takes to accomplish that. And- healing is a unique and different experience for each person and each relationship.
Massage Columbus
In my practice, I have some clients that come a few times a year for a tune-up or for when they are feeling out of whack, and I have clients who come once or twice a week until things turn around. When clients are specifically interested in the Structural Integration for better alignment and pain relief, I follow a ten session recipe as prescribed by Dr. Ida Rolf for optimal postural re-education results. If the client is experiencing a bulging disk or nerve pain, sometimes it’s best to get a chiropractic adjustment, and wait a day or two for your massage and bodywork. Once the bones are stable, the fascia and other soft tissue needs to be released to help the client to stand straighter in better form. Massage is focused on soft-tissue. Craniosacral Therapy is a fantastic modality of work that directly works with the cerebrospinal fluid surrounding the brain and spine. It is a tremendous therapy for helping clients with structural issues also, although with a light touch. Wonderful benefits has been experienced with conditions like anxiety, stress, ADHD, fibromyalgia, neck and back pain and headaches and more. Clients who can’t fall asleep at night often fall asleep on the table because they are so relaxed. It may take a few sessions, but slowly the nervous system balances and learned to heal in many cases.
Personally, as I have been working in this field almost 17 years, I have more recently kept most of the focus in my practice on myofascial therapy including Craniosacral Therapy, and Structural Integration (as taught by Dr. Ida Rolf). I also include mindful exploration of the mind, body and spirit connection for those who are interested. I have a background in Brennan Healing Science (graduate at former faculty as the Barbara Brennan School of Healing), Reiki, and I like to include my trauma background and Hakomi practice as well into my work. I find that when people come into the massage office, that they are best served by being held in the sacred space of healing and health. However that stress is showing up, my office is a confidential place where everything can be as it is without new conflict or distraction. Because I personally enjoy working with Somato-Emotional Release and with people hoping to find pain relief from previous trauma, I usually like to see clients once a week on an ongoing basis until they feel good. My preference is to work with people who are commitment to feeling well. They get the best results because they see deeper that a session or two for a quick fix. And my hope is that I am doing the best job to help them so that at some point they can stop, or take long breaks until they could use either some proactive massage therapy or they are feeling uncomfortable again.
It’s important to mention that each massage therapist has his/her own unique style. Each client is organized in his/her own way. While a massage therapist can hold space, we are not licensed as psychotherapists. But many of us have had training in dialogue, wellness, coaching, and spiritual healing. If you are committed to unfolding into your presence and health, consider a long-term relationship with your massage therapist and any other type of therapist you would want on your healing team. There are so many possible stresses in the world, we all can use a helping hand at some time. And we all deserve to be happy and feel our best!
Sometimes, I think we forget to treat ourselves well and we give all the excuses in the world to not give ourselves the quiet and nourishment we need.
Wishing you a sacred and beautiful day.
Sharon Hartnett LMT, CST, SI, Brennan Healing Science Practitioner.
740 966-5153
Lighten Up Therapies
Serving the Columbus, Ohio Area
www.massageincolumbusohio.com
www.upledger.com
For your Massage and Bodywork questions, please feel free to write~
