by SharonHartnett | Apr 29, 2017 | Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K
Sleep brings us restoration and clarity.
It’s time for bed. It would be nice to have your 7-9 hours of sleep so that you can feel refreshed the following morning. But the obsessive thoughts about work or your relationships swirl around your brain non-stop. Maybe it’s too noisy or the ambient light in the room is keeping you up. It could be you are hungry or your hormones are out of whack. Whatever the problem, you aren’t getting the rest you need.
There are some easy fixes to this. Shorten your naps to 20 minutes or less. Turn a fan or white noise machine on, go get a healthy snack, turn off the blue light technology in the room, seal your mattress against mites, buy pillows for comfort just to name a few. But if after all of this, you still are not finding the rest you need, consider finding a certified Craniosaral Therapist through the Upledger Institute to help you to sleep and feel better. Good sleep is crucial to our health.
One of the best benefits that result from Craniosacral Therapy is a balanced Central Nervous System. The brain and the spinal cord can come back into optimal peak performance. Any type of stress can be listened to by experienced hands through the Craniosacral System. This type of gentle work is geared to support your body to find harmony and to use its own inherent process of self-correction. The body is always looking to respond with a healing response, and this work uses techniques to enhance your own healing power.
sleep
Often, after about 5 minutes on the table, many of my clients snooze off quickly. The Central Nervous System knows when there is connection, and with the techniques, the stress slips away. Many of my clients have come back to me saying that not only has there pain disappeared, but also that they are sleeping better, eating better, and feeling more upbeat. And this makes sense because when stress is eliminated, adrenaline and cortisone won’t keep the body in active alert.
I do have some clients that come in that can’t relax at all. Their eyes stay wide open or they talk through the whole session. However, the more work we do together, those things start to slip away, and they begin to quiet down. It’s like getting a treatment mixed in with a meditation. And for people who have trauma, Craniosacral Therapy can use SomatoEmotional Release to help support the client to sense and feel more deeply in their bodies. As this happens, old stressful memories give way to more energy and feeling more vital.
Cranosacral Therapy is a great balancer for helping to restore healthy sleep patterns. Don’t you deserve to give yourself a good nights rest? It’s easy to go out and be interested in so many things outside of ourselves, but it is essential to start within first to promote health and wellbeing. Our lives begin with how we feel.
Sharon Hartnett LMT, CST, SI, BHSP
740 966-5153
www.massageincolumbusohio.com
My reviews on google
by SharonHartnett | Jan 10, 2016 | Craniosacral Therapy, Massage, Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K, mind body & spirit, Structural Integration, thought for the day
Not able to sleep Well? Looking for some help for Insomnia?
Today I was reading an article that discussed how women often have more challenges with sleep insomnia than men. In my experience, due to hormonal fluctuations, many women that I have seen in my practice would confirm this. They feel restless and can’t stop thinking or worrying either before going to sleep or in the middle of the night. Especially around 3AM. For me, this makes perfect sense as the body system’s are fluctuating due to the menstrual cycle, perimenopause or the like, that for some women, they would not sleep as well due to hormonal falls and rises. They could probably benefit from some type of hormonal support. But the number one reason for insomnia is stress. For women in particular, my guess is that stressful thinking and emotional swings, along with hormonal shifts can make it even more difficult to get the needed rest to have a productive day. That can be tough for a woman.
Can’t sleep well?
What surprised me the most though, was that the article mentioned taking drugs as a remedy to this challenge. On second thought, I guess I shouldn’t be so surprised because as I am writing this, the Universe in its full wisdom has sent a television commercial to come on for a sleeping drug that works with neurotransmitters with a list of negative side effects being marketed to help women sleep better. This has become our social norm. At the end, the watcher is told to ask his/her physician about this drug. I am sure that there are some good benefits to some of these pharmaceuticals. Sometimes we could use an easy way to help us through the night. But is it possible that there are some more natural ways long-term modalities of self-correcting care that are just as good or even better to alleviate stress and sleep disruption? My hope would be that physicians would more often say, “here is a prescription for massage once a week for three months”. Work on getting more exercise and eating well. Why not go take a yoga class?”
I don’t know why I am still constantly baffled that medical insurance covers drugs so easily (which are quite expensive), and that when we watch TV-we are bombarded with drug ads, yet massage and bodywork are still considered more of a luxury than a therapeutic modality that can help with things like sleep, stress, and tension. It does take time to support the body to change longterm and I know that this work doesn’t remedy insomnia for all people, but I have heard lots of positive feedback indicating how much better my clients sleep with their sessions. Research has shown that massage and bodywork are key in helping many people to feel better in so many ways. In my view- one of the keys to this is that we are focusing on the human body with massage which is quite sensory and mindful. During a massage, the thinking brain can relax and feel pleasure again instead of focusing on troubles. The more we receive, the easier it is to re-educate our nervous systems to wind down when done in a professional and healthy way. The integration between the mind, body and spirit is integral to wellness.
Craniosacral Therapy, Myofascial Therapy and Structural Integration have especially been helpful from my view in helping people to relax and let go of stress too. By working with the fascia, which is a 3 dimensional web of connective tissues that holds the body together (including being richly innervated), and helping it to let goof tension, the whole body can relax. Have you ever come out of a good massage and everything feels and looks more positive? The reason I specialize in these modalities, is that I LOVE hearing how relaxed and good people feel afterwards. As human beings, we have the capacity to love, feel pleasure, and to be happy. But sometimes we need a little help. And I am not sure that it always has to come in the form of a pill.
I am not suggesting that medicine be replaced. And by all means, I am not a physician. But my hope is that Massage Therapy, SomatoEmotional Release bodywork and perhaps work by psychotherapists that focus on the mind-body start to become more widespread to the public as a possible alternative to taking drugs for sleep and wellbeing. My hope is that this will eventually be covered by insurance so that all of us can sleep well.
Sharon Hartnett LMT
740 966-5153
www.massageincolumbusohio.com
by SharonHartnett | Jun 10, 2014 | Craniosacral Therapy, Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K
Better Sleep is Possible.
Sleep problems are more common than you think. Many parents face the challenges of helping their children to get enough sleep through the night.
Young babies might wake up for feedings, early childhood issues may include separation anxiety, or perhaps the older kids have to get up at 5:30 in the morning to get ready for school. Whatever is interrupting your child’s sleep cycle needs to be addressed to stop sleep deprivation. Children need about 9 hours asleep to feel healthy throughout their day.
Some ways to address sleep issues is to:
- Make bedtime a positive experience.
- Be consistent with bedtime each night.
- Cut down on caffeine and sugars many hours before sleep.
- Eliminate TV and computer time for some quiet time before bed.
- Read until sleepy.
- Focus on relaxing activities rather than stimulation.
- Massage can reduce stress and works wonders in helping one to sleep more deeply.
Peaceful Rest
From a Craniosacral perspective, reducing stress and anxiety through CST is one of the main objectives.
This is accomplished by:
- Speaking in a gentle voice.
- Using a Very light touch
- Work within the child’s boundaries. Listening to body and vocal cues allows a therapist to honor what is needed in the moment.
- Balancing the child’s neurological system through working with the cerebrospinal fluid.
- Restoring better posture through fascial work.
- Supporting emotional release as it occurs.
- Allowing play during sessions.
Touch when done with clear intention and heart can be very relaxing and therapeutic.
Craniosacral Therapy has been successful in releasing restrictions and improving overall functioning of the mind/body/spirit connection.
If you are interested in sessions or would like to learn how to work with your child, contact Sharon Hartnett LMT for a free 15 minute telephone consultation at:
(740) 966-5153
Columbus, Ohio
www.massageincolumbusohio.com
For more information on the benefits of Massage, check out:
http://www.massagemag.com/pediatric-massage-therapy-for-autism-part-two-research-and-benefits-of-massage-therapy-for-children-with-autism-2-24015/
