I am offering online sessions through secure video conferencing via Zoom. I am committed to offering a nurturing and inclusive space for clients seeking change and transformation. These are challenging times with COVID-19 affecting us all with, at the very least, a call to change many of our daily routines. We need connection and new ways of supporting each other as we transform our lives moment by moment, day by day.
In each session I invite you to deepen into the natural wisdom of your body - connect, support and explore yourself. We will work collaboratively to address overwhelming life experiences, stress, pain, constriction or simply expand on your practice of self-care. I offer sessions in several formats, each supporting healing, transformation and wholeness with new possibilities for feeling, moving and being. My work is informed by over 28 years of practice in Craniosacral Therapy (BCST), Somatic Experiencing (SE), manual therapies (LMT) and the Realization Process. An inperson session may be a blend of these techniques or just a single modality depending on the needs and goals of each person. These 3 modalities (BCST, SE and meditation) easily lend themselves to working via virtually and I invite you to explore this option. All of my work is experimental and relational, and the body and nervous system are powerful resources for us all to utilize.
Somatic Experiencing
SE is a body-oriented approach to healing trauma and other stress related disorders. Like other somatic approaches, with SE the body comes first when dealing with the problematic, and often physical, symptoms of trauma. We look at the sensations that underlie our feelings, and uncover our habitual behavior patterns to these feelings. Sometimes done seated, sometimes lying down on a treatment table. We work through skillful guided conversation and, when needed, touch to gently and slowly release these patterns. The focus is to restore vitality and healthy energy through greater resiliency and capacity within the nervous system, healthy energy that has been bound up in trauma.
Areas of specialization include adults abused as children, sexual assault, complex medical issues and syndromes, and developmental trauma.
Areas of specialization include adults abused as children, sexual assault, complex medical issues and syndromes, and developmental trauma.
Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy
Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy is quite a mouthful so from here on I will refer to it as BCST. It is a really light, slow and gentle hands-on modality that originates from the osteopathic tradition. In this approach to Craniosacral Therapy the body expresses subtle motions of multi-layered organization from the dense to the subtle. These subtle motions are the expression of the active principle of health underpinning our physiology, integrating all cellular and tissue form and function. You are familiar with some of our rhythmic pulsing - breath and heart beat. We are never completely still. Interacting with these subtle rhythms is fundamental to Craniosacral Biodynamics.
Through skilled touch, embodied presence, deep stillness and a working knowledge of anatomy, physiology and embryological development, I facilitate intrinsic change, reorganization and balance . . . a fuller expression of health.
Through skilled touch, embodied presence, deep stillness and a working knowledge of anatomy, physiology and embryological development, I facilitate intrinsic change, reorganization and balance . . . a fuller expression of health.
For more information on BCST:
www.craniosacral.co.uk/craniosacral-therapy
www.craniosacraltherapy.org/what-is-bcst
www.craniosacral.co.uk/craniosacral-therapy
www.craniosacraltherapy.org/what-is-bcst
What to Expect in a BCST Treatment
Clients are fully clothed, usually lying face up, on a comfortable treatment table. During the session I will gently make contact with parts of the body, listening to or palpating subtle rhythms, and assist the body's natural movements toward resolution and health as areas of tension, congestion or restriction ease. Within the biodynamic approach there is no force applied or manipulation of tissues.
Throughout a session, clients may experience patterns of sensation as pain, stress and tension. As this occurs, I assist the client in staying present with the breath and bodily sensations working together to support resolution, release and integration. An important aspect of BCST sessions is the fostering of the client's ability to follow their own embodied experience (physical sensations, feelings, thoughts and images as they arise). These skills of open hearted awareness and curiosity easily translate into daily use.
BCST is used to address many issues effecting health. In my general practice I work with a wide spectrum of physical dysfunctions, neurological and musculoskeletal problems, chronic pain syndromes, chronic illnesses, traumas, as well as general health and well-being.
Often after a series of treatments, clients may experience a resolution of the issue they came to address and the added bonus of having more energy and resiliency in their body. Clients may also discover new ways of relating to themselves. Many people report feeling less stressed, calmer and more relaxed as a result of treatment.
Clients are fully clothed, usually lying face up, on a comfortable treatment table. During the session I will gently make contact with parts of the body, listening to or palpating subtle rhythms, and assist the body's natural movements toward resolution and health as areas of tension, congestion or restriction ease. Within the biodynamic approach there is no force applied or manipulation of tissues.
Throughout a session, clients may experience patterns of sensation as pain, stress and tension. As this occurs, I assist the client in staying present with the breath and bodily sensations working together to support resolution, release and integration. An important aspect of BCST sessions is the fostering of the client's ability to follow their own embodied experience (physical sensations, feelings, thoughts and images as they arise). These skills of open hearted awareness and curiosity easily translate into daily use.
BCST is used to address many issues effecting health. In my general practice I work with a wide spectrum of physical dysfunctions, neurological and musculoskeletal problems, chronic pain syndromes, chronic illnesses, traumas, as well as general health and well-being.
Often after a series of treatments, clients may experience a resolution of the issue they came to address and the added bonus of having more energy and resiliency in their body. Clients may also discover new ways of relating to themselves. Many people report feeling less stressed, calmer and more relaxed as a result of treatment.
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Support for:
Resolving the effects of stress Easing migraine and tension headaches Addressing acute and chronic pain Ameliorating TMJ and jaw dysfunction |
Mild traumatic brain injuries - concussions
High blood pressure Post traumatic stress disorder Anxiety and depresssion Insomnia |
Therapeutic Massage
During the early years of my practice I utilized my massage skills extensively and have moved away from it as my primary modality because I love the simplicity and efficacy of BCST. Today when I incorporate massage in a session it is a mixture of Swedish massage, neuromuscular therapy and myofascial release techniques. The many benefits of massage are commonly known now and are wide-ranging including relief from aches and pains, decreased stress levels in the body, enhanced clarity and ease of movement. Massage is a healing art, a natural path to stress reduction, self-awareness, health, and wellness and something I still strongly believe in for its benefits.
Disclaimer: Liz Hartshorn is not a licensed physician nor psychotherapist, and as such she does not practice allopathic medicine in any way, shape or form.