Treating Concussions with Craniosacral Therapy

Treating Concussions with Craniosacral Therapy

Who Gets Head Injuries?

Did you know that there are an estimated few million sports concussions and brain injuries each year? Many of those are young athletic children who hit their heads during their daily sports activities. Likewise, there are also many more people who hit their heads while involved in exercise, car accidents, falling off roofs, bikes, and also those who experience such mishaps as slipping on ice or tripping on a sidewalk. The symptoms of a concussion may not feel apparent at the onset of a fall, but these head injuries can often negatively affect the functioning of the brain. It’s important to keep an eye for any indications of a concussion after any forceful head impact. Even more critical is that you take good care of yourself until you heal and follow your doctor’s advice.

My Clients:

These are the types of people with whom I work. Many of my clients who have come in to see me have been in an accident. I’d say about half of them have experienced some type concussion signs. Some also find themselves in chronic pain. While most people do recover pretty well from concussions, there are those who do not. Some of the unresolved issues I have worked with are: confusion, blurry vision, headaches, imbalances, difficulties with concentration, fatigue, and sensitivities to light. Sometimes for months, and even years- my clients had not found any type of relief. Often Craniosacral Therapy is their last stop.

Concussion

 

 

 

 

 

Heal Your Brain

Upledger Institute

Brain Concussions and Trauma can become a huge disturbance in your life. I have worked with people who have had to quit their jobs and those who have been “let go”, only because there was no cure to pain and disorientation in their head. But rest assured, there is help. One of the places that encouraged me to become specialized in head trauma is the Upledger Institute. They have been doing Comprehensive Intensives with professional athletes at their clinic in Florida. The results of their work and reviews by clients have demonstrated time and time again that the brain can be helped to become better organized biomechanically and supported to self-heal. On a personal note, as I have attended a few 5 day intensives with the Institute both as a support and primary therapist, I have seen what seemed like miracles happen with many clients many time over. Observing improvements like that influenced me to go ahead and receive my Diplomate level expertise to treat just as effectively to bring out optimal health. Over the years, I have seen quite a few people walk out of my office happier and healthier people. They re-discover how to function more clearly in life again. A series of sessions can the symptoms disappear resolve and disappear.

How Brain Work Works

I have been doing massage therapy and bodywork for about 20 years, but the Brain Work that I have learned at the Upledger Institute has given me the tools I need to support my clients Inner Wisdom. During a session with a client who has experienced a concussion, I am often led to dialogue with different parts of the brain, while keeping a holistic picture approach. This can be done quietly biomechanically, but at other times, the client will speak and share his/her experience from this internal environment. The intelligence of the body leads him/her back to health and wellbeing like nothing I have seen before.

What I love about being a Craniosacral Therapist is that the work is so gentle, and it listens to the wisdom of the body to direct the session. All of the facilitation leads you back to the Inner Guidance inside of you leading the session toward your health. The results have been profound as the work releases unhealthy restrictions, and promotes more fluid flow and motion. I am the facilitator who uses learned techniques to treat, but the body and the essence of the person is what heals.

Self Care

If you have hit your head, or someone in your family has, please go see a physician and get yourself diagnosed and treated. It’s important that you focus on self-care. I will say, I have had personal experiences with concussion too. The worst trauma I felt was after I fell off my horse and hit my head. I rested for a month and could hardly do anything. No television. No computer. No reading. Just quiet rest. However, once I could travel, I went straight to the Upledger Institute and put myself in the hands of Craniosacral Therapy. I also found a local therapist here in Columbus too who helped me. I recovered. Ever since, I have made Concussion work my primary focus in my work serving clients.

Free Telephone Consultation If you have been diagnosed with a medical condition or are having questions after talking to your physician, please call me. I offer a free 10 minute phone consultation. Whether you come here, or need assistance to find a therapist near you, I am glad to help. My phone number is 703 509-1792. I enjoy working with people who are ready to turn the tide back to health and wellbeing.

Warmly,

Sharon Hartnett CST-D

www.craniosacraltherapistcolumbus.com

703 509-1792

Craniosacral Therapist

Yes Craniosacral Therapy!

How can Craniosacral Therapy help you?

The best answer that I can think of is that you want to feel good again.  If you are feeling stressed, if your body is in pain, or if you have been in a terrible accident, Craniosacral Therapy can help.  I have treated people who have experienced great results who have come in with anxiety, Traumatic Brain Injury & Concussions, car accidents, TMJ,  back & neck pain, just to name a few conditions.  The major reason that I have success helping people as a Craniosacral Therapist is because I use a method that is so gentle, that the body welcomes the touch.  I don’t have to force my work through layers of fascia. Rather, my hands listen to what the body already knows  I trust that it can unwind painful patterns by using craniosacral techniques that are supportive and precise.  I believe we want to heal, and that having a compassionate presence helps move that process through naturally.  It feels to me like I hold a flexible yet centered point for my clients to re-organize around.  It works for me as a therapist, and it works for them as clients.

I have been practicing bodywork for 20 years, and Craniosacral Therapy since 2003.  During this time, I have studied and worked with advanced Craniosacral Therapy techniques, SomatoEmotional Release, and emphasized brain and spine related work in my work practice.  What I have witnessed at times, is nothing short of a miracle.  In 10 sessions, I have seen clients who have come in with fogginess, depression and pain get up and resume extraordinary lives.  Now I don’t guarantee this, but it is possible.  The people who have shown me the most success are those who are committed to their healing practice,  those who are open to change, and those who can quietly take in the work, and express deeper thoughts, feelings and sensations as they show up during the session.  This is because we are each whole.  And when the mind, body & spirit connecting get tangled up, they need to be sorted out to tap back into the whole essence of the individual.   When we connect to the deeper essence of life, great things can happen.

I don’t know that any one therapist is a Master in their own right.  It is the client that has the power to heal.  What you want to find in a Craniosacral Therapist is  someone who has faith that your own “Inner Wisdom” who can show you the way back to health and wellbeing.  As a Craniosacral Therapist, it is my job to use this model and all the techniques that I have learned to help you self-correct any dysfunctional patterns that show up.  As you let go, the healing has begun.

I trust the Central Nervous System to communicate all of it’s know how as we set the stage for deep release, better balance, more vitality, and emotional clearing if necessary.

If you looking for a Craniosacral Therapist, you can see my profile on www.Upledger.com.  Look for me in the Columbus, Ohio.  If you live elsewhere and you would like a reference, I’d be glad to help you sort through the website.  Craniosacral Therapy is a humble service.  We practice from a neutral place to help clients to find their own way.

Craniosacral Therapist

Craniosacral Columbus

Looking forward to hearing from you.   Let me know if I can be in service to your healing journey.

Warmly,

Sharon Hartnett CST-D in Columbus, Ohio

703 509-1792

www.upledger.com

www.craniosacraltherapistcolumbus.com

 

Headache Relief with Craniosacral Therapy

There are a number of different kinds of headaches that affect millions of people.

If you are one of those people who often gets headaches, your days may becoming difficult to face. It’s probably time to start researching your symptoms and take some positive actions to resolve your pain!

Headache relief

Headache Relief

 

Common symptoms of headaches you may experience are:

Muscle Aches
Pain
Difficulty resting and sleeping
Paleness
Difficulties Concentrating
Nausea
Blurred Vision

What could you do to help be proactive against headaches?

  • Apply Warm and Cold Compresses.
  • Check your diet and notice if there are any trigger foods.
  • Take a warm shower.
  • Meditate
  • Stretch
  • Rest your eyes periodically throughout the day
  • Apply some essential peppermint oil on a cotton ball and inhale
  • See your physician

A Professional Can Help You Too!

Craniosacral Therapy is deeply relaxing and it is very helpful in relieving fascial stress patterns that may contribute to headaches. The work actively engages the nervous system and helps tension to melt around the head in a way that brings about peacefulness and rejuvenation.

Often, for people experiencing profound pain, the tissues are taut and closely wrapped up adhering on both superficial  and deep levels in the body. Certain structures within the head and body may be jammed up. Working with a seasoned Professional Craniosacral Therapist will most likely be very beneficial in releasing these patterns and allowing more freedom and movement in the body.

Sharon Hartnett LMT, SI, CST

Columbus, Ohio    (740) 966-5153

www.massageincolumbusohio.com

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Craniosacral for Migraines? By Sharon Hartnett

Over 25 million Americans suffer from migraine headaches.

How do these people function in their daily lives with debilitating pain?  What happens in their jobs, their home lives and their social lives?

It’s a Challenge!

Migraines can feel like throbbing pain.  People often express a sensitivity to light, sounds and other stimuli. They can experience auras and feel numbness in the body.  They can become nauseous and unable to do much of anything.

So what can help relieve Migraine Headaches?

Current research has found that dilation and constriction of blood vessels in the brain is the main culprit in causing migraine headaches and reactions.  Also, women can experience migraines after the onset of her first menstruation with its fluctuations of hormones.  Doctors have not been able to find a sure cure for migraines, but they have come up with an integrative approach to treat and diminish symptoms.  Some of the things you can do:

  • Keep a journal of foods and other triggers when the migraine comes on.

  • Share information with your physician.

  • Medications may helpful before and after.

  • Preventative herbs have been found to reduce occurrences.  Speak with a professional.

  • Complementary service such as Craniosacral Therapy, Acupuncture or hypnotherapy.

  • Aromatherapy

  • Lifestyle Changes

  • Finding ways to quiet stress such as mediation.

Craniosacral Migraine Columbus

migraine relief

A Craniosacral Approach to Migraines

While migraines are still somewhat puzzling to the medical community, the Craniosacral approach has found some success, especially when used in combination with the above.  The reason why Craniosacral can be helpful is because it is focused on the brain, spine  and surrounding membranes.  The intention is to reduce stress and to relieve any nerve compression or break in nerve conductivity found along the spine and the brain.  The Craniosacral Therapist monitors the cerebrospinal fluid movements and takes corrective measure to help the body to self- adjust in a gentle and balanced manner.  While there are no boney adjustments, when symmetry and amplitude are improved in movement occurs, it is possible too that nerves and blood vessels can be released from restrictive patterns. Flow and internal dialogue can shift things dramatically.

Because there is no sure cure for migraines,  it is best to go on a journey of self-discovery of what works best for you.  With the Craniosacral work, it could take one to ten sessions to find if this is the treatment for you.  

If you have any questions, please contact:

Sharon Hartnett LMT, CST, SI

Columbus, Ohio

(614) 372-6598

www.massageincolumbusohio.com

or read the following link from the Mayo Clinic:

Mayo Clinic

What is Craniosacral Therapy?

What is Craniosacral Therapy?

Craniosacral Therpay (CST) is a light touch approach in bodywork that invites profound change and improvement into your life. It releases deep tensions to relieve pain and dysfunction while improving whole body health and performance. A seasoned therapist begins by gentle listening to different areas of the body in order to monitor the craniosacral fluid’s rhythm that is flowing around the Central Nervous System.  It is possible to get a sense of where the flow is strong, weak or out of balance.  As she follows the listening, she can move toward the source of the dysfunction and help to rebalance the problem areas.  The therapist is also trained to gather information within the fascia, a connective tissues that wraps around the body and interconnects as a web throughout the body. By using both hands to re-educate the memory of tissues, the body starts to remember a more healthy and relaxed state of being.

 

Sharon Hartnett, LMT

Great for relieving neck and back pain.

What are the benefits of Craniosacral Therapy?

First and foremost, Craniosacral Therapy balances the nervous system.  For people who hyped up and have a difficult time relaxing,  they will generally notice a deep letting go of tension and stress.  On the other side of the coin, people who are tired and find themselves with low energy often feel more vital and sharp. By bringing the body back into balance, it resets itself to operate more efficiently. Because the Central Nervous System is engaged with the rest of the body, CST is helpful in other areas as well.  some of the conditions that CST address are:

  • ADD/ADHS
  • Scoliosis
  • Central Nervous System Disorders
  • Infant and Childhood Disorders
  • Chronic Neck and Back Pain
  • Migraine and Headaches
  • Stress and Tension Related Disosrders
  • Chronic Fatigue
  • TMJ
  • PTSD
  • Orthopedic Problems
  • Learning Disabilities
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Coordination Challenges
  • Balances out Emotional Feelings
  • Autism

 

Sharon Hartnett is a certified Craniosacral Therapist through the Upledger Institute.  She has a practice in both Naples, Florida and is now opening in Columbus, Ohio.  For a free 15 minute phone consultation, do give her a call at: (740) 966-5153.

Advanced Craniosacral Therapist

Certified as an Upledger Craniosacral Therapist