What is Visceral Manipulation?

Visceral Manipulation is focused on restoring the health of organ movement while enhancing functionality.

Based on the Work of Dr. Jean-Piere Barral, a therapist who practices Visceral Manipulation manually listens to the body to feel for primary tension patterns.  At first the hands are placed on the head in order to follow any strains, rotations or restrictions downward.  As the general listening continues, one is directed more into a local listening to be able to find areas for the more detailed work.

Once the area of dysfunction is discovered, techniques are used to bring harmony back to the original organs and also with their relationship to the rest of the visceral system and nearby structures.  This is done by working with mobility (releasing and adhesions and supporting free movement), and by touching into the inherent motility and encouraging natural motion.

A session is done with very light touch working mostly through the connective tissue that encases the organs such as the kidneys, livers, intestines etc... By releasing restrictions, the organs can return back to the job that were created for by not having to work so hard.  Visceral Manipulation usually takes a shorter time than with other types of massage and bodywork, so it can easily be incorporated into other types of therapy.   

Because the Barral Institute is linked with the Upledger Institute,  often one will find practitioners who will add the visceral work into a Craniosacral Therapy Session. They both include listening and following rhythms, are based on listening and applying gentle manipulations, and can be done with clothes on.  Both are built on the foundation of osteopathic medicine.

If you have more questions on this fabulous type of therapy, check

http://www.barralinstitute.com/about/vm.php

Sharon Hartnett LMT, CST

www.massageincolumbusohio.com

Upper Arlington and Johnstown, Ohio

(614) 372-6598

Structural Integration Columbus Ohio

Generally this is a Craniosacral Blog.  But I also work doing Structural Integration Therapy which is a more active type of massage therapy that focuses on the fascia. Lately,  I have been hearing the question,  "What is the difference between Rolfing and Structural Integration"?  So I decided to clarify it for those of you who have questions...

The Rolf Institute was created in 1971 to promote and educate people about the work of Dr. Ida Rolf.  The focus of her manual hands on fascia work is based on bringing balance and optimal functionality back to the body by working with the weblike connective tissues that contains all the living structures in your body.  The main benefit of this therapy from my perspective is that the Rolfing brings the body back into more natural alignment, thereby making it easier to move in relationship to gravity. This work helps people to feel more flexible longterm, more energized, and generally happier with how they feel both internally and in relationship with their environment after a 10 series.  The Rolf Institute is located in Boulder, Colorado.

As with most successful things,  students of Ida Rolf began to develop new ideas and concepts and began to branch off into different schools of thought.  One of the most well known fascial leaders at the moment is Tom Myers.  He has been in the forefront of research, evolving his own concepts and understanding while educating the public about this fabulous work.  His link can be found at: Anatomy Trains if you would like to find out more.  However,  I would be remiss if I did not mention that there are other schools and teachers that hold high standards and quality education as well.  All of these newer schools fall under "Structural Integration" because they can't use the "Rolfing" name because that name is registered to the "Rolf Institute".  Some of these schools adhere to the original 10 series by Ida Rolf, but others have changed.  From my perspective, it's not about where the therapist went to school though-  you want to interview your potential therapist about experience and check referrals or testimonials to get feedback on the expertise he/she has in this field.  Good questions to ask maybe:

• How long have you been working?
• Do you work with layering?
• Do you have any recommendations online or whom I can contact?
• How is this work different than typical massage?
• How long are your sessions?

Structural Integration is a great way to get your body feeling at its best.  Most clients love the work and feel a real shift after completing the series.  To be honest,  it's not always the easiest massage to receive because it addresses functional and pain areas.  But if clients are willing to feel deeply within, they usually walk away wondering where the  pain went and in wonder that they can feel so much better.

If you are interested in more about fascia, check this research: 

http://www.rolf.org/content/pdf/press/Science%20Mag%2007.pdf

or call Sharon Hartnett LMT at (614) 372-6598

www.massageincolumbusohio.com

Lower Back Pain

Lower Back Pain is very common.

But that doesn't diminish the fact that it can keep you in bed in pain, unable to move for hours or days.

If you are experiencing the following symptoms,  please see a physician to keep your back healthy:

1.  Difficult time standing or moving around.

2.  Pain that is chronic or acute in the lower back and gluteal area.

3.  Muscle Spasms

Muscles strain, disc issues and accidents are usually the cause for lower back pain. If you are experiencing inflammation,  relax and follow your doctors instructions. However,  when the symptoms quiet down, Craniosacral Therapy and Structural Integration are excellent modalities of healing that can help you to feel better. This is done by releasing restrictions in the fascia and in the Craniosacral System.  When the adhesions dissolve, the body can go back into natural alignment, freeing up your energy and balancing your nervous system.

There is no need to suffer and stay in pain.

If you are interested in finding out more about relieving lower back pain, call Sharon Hartnett LMT at (614) 372-6598.  

www.massageincolumbusohio.com

Namaste: Hands of Light Massage Therapy in Columbus Ohio

Namaste:  An ancient Sanskrit greeting which recognizes the light in my heart as connected to yours...

There are two types of Massage in my opinion:

1. The feel good, fall asleep type of massage.  Great for people who just want to relax.
2. Therapeutic Massage which leads to deep inner healing and health.

Both are wonderful and can be very beneficial to the Mind, Body, & Spirit Connection.

The real difference is the relationship that is built between the Massage Therapist and the client, even in just an hour. If the Massage Therapist is very present and in a state of listening, the person on the table can feel the quality of touch and contact. This is the Namaste connection. Not only are the tissues touched and manipulated, but the client also feels the dance between the Hands of Light and the Spirit within. When the two people feel this special linkage, something magical happens.  No words can describe it. It's like a knowing which enlightens from the inward awakening.

Life can seem so short at times. Like we are tiny dots in this huge Universe. However, if we are to find real value in our lives,  finding our way home means to travel inward. The richness there can help you to feel whole and complete.

For Massage and Bodywork that supports your Inner Journey, contact Sharon Hartnett LMT, CST at (614) 372-6598.

www.massageincolumbusohio.com

www.barbarabrennan.com

Craniosacral and Meditation

One of the reasons why I embraced Craniosacral Therapy was that it has helped me to come more fully into a living meditation.

For a long time, being a constant thinker, it was difficult to quiet down my mind.  During a yoga class, the instructor would leave some time for silence and my chatter continued.  If I was in a in a Meditation group or at the BBSH school, the same thing would happen.  I would observe everyone quiet and emanating more with joy and healthy expression, and I'd be jumping from one thought to the next.  No empty space for me!

Fortunately, when I began to see my first Craniosacral Therapist,  mindful touch techniques and presence began to help me to relax and release old thoughts.  My body felt more enlivened and vital, yet with that tranquil sense of peace without stress.  It was a great relief to quiet down and empty out all the things that were not so relevant.   Progressively, my nervous system changed from anxious to calm. Something that definitely helped me and I knew could help others.

Being a believer in offering what I have learned... I started my own Craniosacral Therapy study and practice about 10 years ago.  Currently, as a Massage Therapist and Certified Advanced Craniosacral Therapist through the Upledger Institute, I have now worked with many people, helping them in the way that I appreciated being supported.  With this work, people genuinely experience new ways of living that help them come more to center and balance, yet feeling energized and generally more positive.  Moving away from pain and stress can change an outlook very easily!

Craniosacral Therapy can be helpful for ADHD,  although it takes commitment to accept the work:), headaches and migraines, fibromyalgia, neck and back pain, digestive issues, nervous system disorders and so much more.  It works with the body's fundamental ability to self-correct and heal on its own.  It is very light touch, but its' profound effects can transform a stressful state, whether physically or emotionally, into a lighter and optimized way of living.

For more information about Craniosacral Therapy,  contact:  Sharon Hartnett at (614) 372-6598 in Columbus, Ohio.

Website:

www.massageincolumbusohio.com

Guess What's Coming Up?

If you would like to experience your first Craniosacral Therapy Session to relax before Thanksgiving, ...   Call Sharon Hartnett CST at (614)372-6598.   Let the work make your day!

$10.00 off if you mention this blog....

Sharon Hartnett CST, LMT

Upper Arlington Ohio

www.massageincolumbusohio.com

Have a chuckle on the Upcoming day of Gratitude!  Call Today.

Moving from Story to Quiet with Stillpoint

Craniosacral Therapy Stillpoint: A Quiet Place

From the moment we wake up in the morning, to the time we close our eyes at night... our sense of Self is for the most part, identified with thinking and belief systems that affect our health.  

Of course, thinking is an integral  part of living, building and creating, but it can often be brought out of balance by the extreme demands in life.  When we identify with our outer world relationships, we have a choice to respond from a place of equilibrium or polarity.  What determines our reactions is the shape of the world in which our mind is set.  If we have learned to engage in a certain way throughout our lives,  layered habitual patterns will set the template of what our life sees, feels, and looks like. When we live in these preconceived ideas of reality, it is sometimes difficult to accept what is truly in the present.  And living out of harmony in the past or future can be very stressful.  It can make it difficult to be in the truth of the moment.  It can affect our health in so many negative ways. When we are anywhere else besides being with what is.... we are at odds. 

It is when we have the chance to wake up to the realization that our "story is created by us" and that we are indeed responsible for creating and co-creating in the theaters of our mind, that we begin to free up and live more vitally.  Stress leaves, and our Presence expands.

One of the things that can help people to move out of the story and into essence is to have the body's sensory input shift with a Craniosacral Therapy Session.  Often, when clients, come in to my office, they are upset, not feeling well, in pain, stressed out and basically feeling out of whack.  One of the first and best things I do at the beginning of a session is to help the body go into a Stillpoint .   It is the easiest thing I have found to help people to calm down from mind chatter and to allow the body to relax and therapeutically self-correct.  An intervention into the craniosacral system with the merging of the therapist and the client with a small manual movement stirs the consciousness into rippling waves of unfolding and reconnection on so many levels of the physiology, as well as the mind and spirit.  

Clients often describe it as: there is a certain point where the brain seems to just empty and let go of all the stress and tension.  It's quiet and rich.

I find that it is in these quiet places that our whole world can change.

Reality is Reality~

For more information about Craniosacral Therapy,  call Sharon Hartnett CST  at 614 372-6598.

www.massageincolumbusohio.com

or read:

www.upledger.com