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About Rolfing® Structural
Integration >>
More than fifty
years ago, Dr. Ida P. Rolf discovered that she could achieve
remarkable changes in the body's posture and structure by
manipulating the fascia, the fibrous connective tissue that
surrounds every organ, muscle, nerve, bone and blood vessel in
the body. She eventually named her method Structural
Integration, creating a holistic system of bodywork and movement
education that enhances posture and freedom of movement. Rolfing
can resolve pain and discomfort from many different causes,
including accidents, back pain, repetitive motion injury,
trauma, and aging.
People seek Rolfing® as a way to ease pain and chronic
tension and improve performance in their professional and daily
activities. Athletes, dancers, children, business professionals,
and people from all walks of life have benefited from Rolfing.
Research has demonstrated that Rolfing creates a more efficient
use of the muscles, allows the body to conserve energy, and
creates more economical and refined patterns of movement.
Research also shows that Rolfing significantly reduces chronic
stress and creates lasting changes in the body structure.
Rolfing structural integration has the ability to dramatically
alter a person's posture and structure. Athletes, dancers,
children, business professionals, and people from all walks of
life have benefited from Rolfing. People seek Rolfing as a way
to ease pain and chronic stress, and improve performance in
their professional and daily activities. Research has
demonstrated that Rolfing creates a more efficient use of the
muscles, allows the body to conserve energy, and creates more
economical and refined patterns of movement. Research also shows
that Rolfing significantly reduces chronic stress and changes in
the body structure. For example, a study showed that Rolfing
significantly reduced the spinal curvature of subjects with
lordosis (sway back); it also showed that Rolfing enhances
neurological functioning.
In addition to our skills as structural integrators, we are
also educators, a point Dr. Rolf stressed frequently in her
training classes. The role of teacher is something every Rolfer
takes seriously. In each session, Rolfers seek to impart
insights to clients to increase their awareness and
understanding, to help the client make the work we do their own.
Our job is to make ourselves obsolete, by empowering our clients
to take charge of their own physical and emotional health.
“You can affect all functions of all the bodies by working
through the myofascial system –but this is by dealing with the
whole person.” -Ida Rolf
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How does Rolfing® work? >>
Rolfing® Structural Integration uses soft tissue
manipulation and movement education to regain normal healthy
balance in the body. It is not a massage; a Rolfing
practitioner applies hands-on techniques to release tension,
strains, holdings and misplacements that have caused
internal misalignments. To correct these distortions, a
Rolfer uses mild, direct pressure to melt or release fascial
holdings. Since fascia covers every organ, muscle and vessel
in our body, it plays a massive role in our body's
structure, support, mobility, and balance. When the fascial
holdings are released, the muscles find a healthier level of
tension.
It is currently believed that the slow, deep strokes of
Rolfing stimulate intra-fascial mechanoreceptors (sensory
neurons of the muscle nerve), which in turn trigger the
nervous system to reduce the tension of the related muscles
and fascia. Then the body is free to find a healthy balance.
Put another way, Rolfing allows the brain and nervous system
to "re-boot" areas of the body that are receiving too much
electrical stimulation (chronically tight or sore muscles).
And once a healthy level of muscle contraction is
established, the body's entire structure is free to express
a pain-free from. Once the body is appropriately working as
a whole, studies show it will use muscles more efficiently
while actually conserving energy, improving performance, and
promoting self-healing.
In each session, Rolfer's seek to impart insights to clients
to increase their awareness and understanding of body
structure and efficient movement, to help clients make the
work their own. Ultimately, a Rolfer's job is to make
themselves obsolete, by empowering the client to take charge
of their own physical and emotional health.
"So many therapists are striking at the pattern of disease,
instead of supporting the pattern of health. One of the
things that you as Rolfers must always emphasize is that you
are not practitioners curing disease: you are practitioners
invoking health. Invocation is possible by an understanding
of what the pattern is, the structural pattern of health. As
you bring a man's structure to conform to that pattern of
health you achieve health. You invoke health." - Ida Rolf
Talks About Rolfing and Physical Reality Edited by Rosemary Feitis
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What is fascia? >>
Fascia is the
fibrous connective tissue that surrounds and inundates every
organ, muscle, nerve, bone, and blood vessel in the body. The
fascial system gives support and stability, yet allows for
flexibility and motion. It is one complete system that extends
uninterrupted from your head to your toes. The fascial system
maintains the body in equilibrium through a delicate balance of
tension and flexibility. It helps support the efficient
alignment of your bones while being elastic enough to allow
muscles and joints freedom of mobility. This soft tissue can
become restricted due to psychogenic disease, overuse, trauma,
inflammation, thickening, infectious agents, or inactivity,
often resulting in pain, muscle tension and diminished blood
flow.
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What is the Rolfing® Ten Series? >>
The hallmark of Rolfing® Structural Integration is a
standardized "recipe" known as the Ten Series, the goal of which
is to systematically balance and optimize both the structure
(shape) and function (movement) of the entire body over the
course of ten Rolfing sessions. Each session focuses on freeing
restrictions or holdings trapped in a particular region of the
body. A practitioner also maintains a holistic view of the
client's entire system during each session, ensuring that the
transformational process evolves in a comfortable and harmonious
way. The Ten Series can be divided into three distinct units.
Ten Series Session Breakdown:
· Sessions 1-3: Called the "sleeve" sessions, sessions one
through three strive to loosen and balance surface layers of
connective tissue.
· Sessions 4-7: Sessions four through seven are referred to as
"core" sessions and examine terrain found between the bottom of
the pelvis and the top of the head.
· Session 8-10: "Integration" is emphasized throughout the
remaining three sessions, as eight, nine and ten provide an
opportunity for the practitioner to blend previously established
advancements, and those yet to be made, in a way that encourages
smooth movement and natural coordination.
"After nine sessions of poking, prodding, debugging,
releasing fixations, integration, uncorking, de-rotating,
mashing, etc. you come back to work superficial fascia and
integrate and stabilize the work via horizontals. This brings
the work to completion and allows the client to hold onto the
gains of the work continue in the process of transformation on
their own and take the work into their daily life." - Jeff
Maitland, PhD. Certified Advanced Rolfer and Rolfing Instructor
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Who should consider Rolfing®? >>
According to Dr.
Rolf, all bodies have some degree of disorder and compensation
in their structure; therefore she believed that everyone should
receive Rolfing®. In practice, people who seek out Rolfing tend
to do so either to find relief from physical pain, or to pursue
a more richly embodied spiritual path.
Those seeking relief from physical pain often have a history of
injury or trauma and notice that the effects of their often
minor injuries are beginning to interfere with their everyday
lives. In many cases these individuals have tried traditional
medical treatments or exercise to reduce or counteract the
long-term effects of old injuries with varying degrees of
success. These clients include former and current athletes,
musicians, performers or those engaged in physically demanding
jobs as well as those who choose not to accept the notion that
the quality of their lives must suffer simply because they are
aging. In fact, all adults of any age who suffer from any
limiting physical discomfort can benefit from Rolfing as long as
the pain is in the neuromuscular system and not a sign of a
nervous disorder or a deeper pathology. For most of us, Rolfing
combined with appropriate movement therapy and exercise offers a
long-lasting solution for connective tissue problems.
Those who are on a spiritual path sometimes find that their
physical limitations prevent them from attaining a higher level
of spiritual or emotional peace. Frequently, many on this path
assume that the body is something to be transcended rather than
something to be honored and loved. For these individuals,
Rolfing can serve as an educational resource that allows them a
more intimate and comfortable relationship with their physical
body, which in turn allows a greater ability to experience
serenity. Interestingly enough, as the body transforms
physically it transforms on other planes as well, so that, while
Rolfing's primary focus is the muscular and connective tissue
system, it frequently has an even more dramatic effect in
seemingly unrelated areas such as the spiritual. Exactly how
this happens is still a matter of much debate and speculation.
However, the results of the work were of much greater importance
than the how or why for Dr. Rolf. The genius of Rolfing is that
it can affect so many people in so many ways.
"Comprehensive recognition of the human structure includes
not only the physical person but also eventually the
psychological personality – behavior, attitudes, and
capacities." - Ida Rolf
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Does Rolfing® hurt? >>
Several factors
determine the level of comfort or discomfort during a Rolfing
session. One is the degree of trauma in the system; other is how
long fascial distortions have been in the client's body.
Long-term distortions create more tenacious and widespread
compensatory patterns, which may require more sustained pressure
to release. Another factor is the degree of emotional charge
associated with an area of injury or strain. A general guideline
for the vast majority of Rolfing clients is that the intensity
experienced is transitory, moving quickly form brief intensity
to a decrease in sensation and finally to an easing of
long-standing holdings which can prove both profound and
transformative.
The perception of Rolfing as painful is often based on anecdotal
accounts of sessions performed during Rolfing's infancy, when it
was frequently linked to popular emotionally intense therapies
in the late 1960's and early 70's. Part of this reputation can
be attributed to an often-quoted complaint of Dr. Rolf during
her training classes that her students failed to work deep
enough. Apparently, many Rolfers assumed that what she meant was
that they needed to work harder and deeper. However, we now
realize that deep work is not necessarily synonymous with
physical intensity.
"The art of Rolfing is to master a wide range of styles of
touch and know when a lighter and more intense touch is
required." - Paraphrasing Peter Schwind, Certified Advanced
Rolfer from Munich, Germany
Continuous communication with the client and pacing the level of
intensity are essential, profoundly effecting the client's
reaction to the transitory discomfort when seriously restricted
tissue is softened, discriminated and reintegrated.
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Are there any side effects or
conditions where Rolfing should be avoided? >>
It is of extreme
importance to let your Rolfer know of any medical conditions you
may have. Consult your physician first if you have high blood
pressure, blood clots, cancer, a heart condition, a connective
tissue disorder (such as lupus or scleroderma), are on blood
thinners, are pregnant, or have a psychological disorder.
Rolfing may not be recommended in these circumstances.
Obviously, those with acute illnesses, infections or injuries
should be cleared by a physician prior to having bodywork
performed.
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Does Rolfing® relieve stress? >>
When people come to
Rolfers™, they frequently complain about their high level of
stress and how it affects their everyday life. They are seeking
some means of stress reduction. Often, they have explored
allopathic means such as muscle relaxants, painkillers,
liniments, balms and other topical treatments. When these
treatments fail to achieve a satisfactory level of improvement,
those still suffering seek other forms of relief such as
exercise, meditation, yoga and visualization. They may also seek
a myofascial and/or neuromuscular solution and start receiving
regular massages or some other similar soft tissue therapy. In
many cases, these therapies are good at providing transitory
relief of the physical causes of chronic stress. Those seeking a
more permanent solution to the problem are more likely to have
success with Rolfing.
While Rolfing is not a method that focuses on stress reduction,
the Rolfing method creates a higher level of integration in the
body, balancing and educating the body and the psyche. As the
body approaches balance, it is more comfortable in the
gravitational field. As the body becomes more comfortable,
physical and emotional; stresses diminish. All clients
experience benefits from Rolfing, for most, they are less
stressed and more at ease in their bodies.
"To stand upright is to work against gravity, and if this
resistance to the pull of gravity is defined as the force of
life, it can be said that those who expend the least amount of
effort in holding a vertical posture have the greatest potential
to direct their life energies toward some other activity." -
From the book Zen Imagery Exercises by Shizuto Masunanga
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Does Rolfing® have an
emotional/psychological effect? >>
It is impossible to
touch the physical body without touching the emotional body. All
individuals develop compensatory patterns, ways of holding and
defending against a variety of physical and emotional insults.
During the Rolfing process, we offer options and new modes of
physical expression. Resultant emotional changes are quite
common. Finding alignment in the body can help foster alignment
in other areas of life as well.
There is also a well-documented "cellular memory," a memory of
experience stored in the tissue at a cellular level. Touching
the body will sometimes allow the client to access these
physical memories encoded in the fascial (or connective tissue)
matrix. However, for most Rolfers, emotional catharsis is not
pursued or intended. Rolfers are trained to ease a client
through such an experience, but are not usually trained as
therapists. It is important to remember that their expertise is
integrating and balancing connective tissue.
When emotionally charged areas of the body have been identified
by the client, or intuited by the practitioner, they are
normally accessed slowly and with constant communication between
the Rolfer and the client. In some cases repressed memories or
experiences arise for which the client and the Rolfer had no
advanced warning, and the goal of the Rolfer is to provide a
safe container for the release and take the requisite time to
integrate the experience into the physical and emotional body in
a way that promotes maximum resolution and minimal trauma to the
system. The emotional component, as attractive or dreaded as it
may be, remains an ancillary aspect of the Rolfing process and
not its primary intention.
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