"And you? When will you begin that long journey into yourself?"-- Rumi
Welcome to With Insight, LLC.
Your Journey Awaits.
ABOUT WITH INSIGHT, LLC
A Holistic Approach for Your Well-Being
Heather Hinz, of With Insight, LLC, is located in Springfield, OR. She offers an integrative approach to support clients on their healing journey. In 2002, Heather earned her MS in Occupational Therapy (OT). After working for more than a decade in acute care, Heather founded her private OT practice where she utilizes her therapeutic knowledge and skills to assess and address the individual needs and goals of each client. In 2006, she completed the first of many continuing education classes for Craniosacral Therapy (CST) and discovered her professional passion and purpose. Heather is an advanced Certified Craniosacral Therapist, Somatic Pre- and Perinatal Practitioner, and Certified Spiral Emotional Clearing Practitioner. She continues to refine her therapeutic skills through ongoing education in CST, Visceral Manipulation, Neuromeningeal Manipulation, Bio-energy techniques, and Pre/Perinatal Dynamics.
Heather offers a trauma-informed, client-centered approach. She places a strong emphasis on techniques, such as grounding, resourcing, dialogue, and imagery that encourage the development of self-safety, self-compassion, nervous system regulation, and interoceptive awareness—the awareness of internal bodily sensations. She specializes in concussive and traumatic brain injuries, pre-natal and post-natal support, and individual, ancestral, and collective trauma, to name a few.
CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY
Appointments Are Available In-Person and Online. Please Call or Email For Scheduling Details.
WHAT IS CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY?
Craniosacral therapy (CST) is a light touch, manual therapy in which the practitioner supports the client to unwind, release, and resolve patterns of tension, pain, and trauma within the body. CST does this by addressing the relationship between the Craniosacral System (CSS) and the surrounding tissues, organs, nerves, fascia, blood vessels, lymphatics, and bone throughout the body. The CSS is made up of the brain, spinal cord, and the fluid-filled membranes that surround, protect, and nourish the central nervous system (CNS).
Every accident, physical trauma, emotional injury, surgery, illness, and the day-to-day stresses and strains we experience can be recorded, sometimes unknowingly, within the tissues of our body down to a cellular level. Over time, these injuries-- even minor ones--can create patterns of tension or restriction that may have widespread affects on other areas of the body, including the central nervous system, and vice versa.
The Cracked Windshield Analogy:
Have you ever had your car windshield chipped by a rock? The initial damage may be small—a minor crack or compression in the glass that, for the most part, goes unnoticed. However, if the damage is not addressed, with further wear and tear that crack might start to migrate. At first, the damage may only spread a few centimeters but, under certain circumstances, the crack could grow larger and may even send offshoots of damage into multiple directions.
Much like a mildly cracked windshield, when something even as minor as an ankle sprain happens, continued use without proper support may lead to further damage. Oftentimes, this damage goes unnoticed for weeks, months, or even years before some circumstance causes a tension or pain pattern to emerge, seemingly out of nowhere, that is actually tied back into the initial ankle injury.
HOW CAN CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY HELP?
Practitioners trained in craniosacral therapy are skilled at evaluating and treating patterns of tension within the central nervous system and surrounding tissue. One means of assessment is through the use of the craniosacral rhythm (CSR)—an innate pulse-like rhythm that is created by the circulation of cerebrospinal fluid within the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord. Where there is ease, or lack of tension in the tissue, there is movement and flow of the CSR. Where there are patterns of restriction, there is a limit or lack of flow of the craniosacral rhythm.
With this in mind, craniosacral practitioners are able to identify areas of restriction within the central nervous system and surrounding tissues, and support the release of these patterns using the minimum amount of force needed to create a change (oftentimes around 5 grams pressure or the weight of a nickel). This allows structures to unwind, release, and gain an overall greater freedom of movement and flow. Craniosacral Therapy also has a positive effect on the nervous system by improving the function of the Parasympathetic Nervous System—the part of our nervous system responsible for “rest and digest and relaxation." It also helps improve the flexibility of the Sympathetic Nervous System—the part that is responsible for “fight, flight, freeze and fawn"-- in order to help bring the nervous system back into a state of balance.
WHO WOULD BENEFIT FROM CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY?
Craniosacral therapy (CST) can be great for people of all ages, during all stages of life, and who are at all levels of function.
CST is commonly used for clients who experience the following:
ADD/ADHD
Anxiety and Panic Attacks
Chronic Fatigue
Chronic Pain
Colic
Concussive Injuries
Depression
Fertility Challenges
Infant and Childhood Disorders
GI Issues
Latching Issues in Newborns
Lyme Disease
Migraines/Chronic Headaches
Multiple Sclerosis
Neck Pain
Nerve Pain (Tennis Elbow, Trigeminal Neuralgia, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome)
Orthopedic Injuries
Parent/child connection (during pregnancy and beyond)
PTSD
Selective Mutism
Sensory Processing Disorders
Traumatic Birth Experiences
TBI
TMJ Disorder
Sciatic Nerve and Other Back Pain
Spinal Cord Injury
And Many Other Conditions
SOMATOEMOTIONAL RELEASE (SER)
"If you have a comfortable connection with your inner sensations--if you can trust them to give you accurate information--you will feel in charge of your body, your feelings, and your self."-- Bessel A. van der Kolk
WHAT IS SOMATOEMOTIONAL RELEASE?
The history of our physical and emotional experiences is held within our nervous system and tissues; this seems particularly true when it comes to traumatic events in which the nervous system activates the fight-flight-freeze- fawn responses. When this happens, emotions that are associated with the trauma can often become retained, suppressed, and isolated within the body and in the unconscious. Over time, the energy it takes to accommodate these stored emotions can lead to issues such as anxiety, depression, changes in immune function, fatigue, pain, and physical dysfunction.
SomatoEmotional Release is an aspect of craniosacral therapy in which the practitioner supports the client in their awareness of the sensations, emotions, and experiences that are taking place within their body, while also supporting the physical body to release associated patterns. This is done, in part, through Therapeutic Imagery and Dialogue techniques that help the client identify and discharge emotional energy associated with trauma. When there is space for such emotions to shift, it also supports the associated physical structures to shift. This can lead to an overall improvement in the sense of health and wellbeing.
MORE ABOUT HEATHER
In her off hours, Heather enjoys family time, board games, connecting with friends, following her curiosity, relaxing with a latte and a good book, and deepening her own embodiment through ecstatic dance and outdoor explorations.
"I struck gold when I started working with Heather. I went to see her with the intention of healing a chronic physical tightness but what I found was that I was invited into the depths of my being; this resulted in healing at every level. In one session, Heather asked a single question that lit up my heart with happiness, and instant clarity, that allowed me to drop rigid patterns of self-denial and helped me to soften into more pleasure in my life. Heather is a true catalyst and change agent."--S.P.
"I am always so happy to see Heather. She feels as much like a good friend as my craniosacral therapist. I have chosen to utilize her expertise in the mind/body/emotion approach to craniosacral and feel I have chosen very well. She is a thoroughly competent and compassionate guide who helps me to navigate the shorelines and deep waters of my life. She takes what I report of my inner and outer life and connects that to the subtle and profound process of my body and soul. I feel exquisitely safe with Heather." --Susan P.
