ROLFING

The Rolf Method of Structural Integration, also sometimes called "Rolfing" is a technique of manipulating soft tissue to make permanent change in structure, joint performance, alignment, posture, tone and flexibility. These changes in fascia greatly speed healing, eliminate pain, improve strength and flexibility and create permanent solutions for structural problems, which otherwise might only be maintenanced as they are.

For a long time, Dr. Rolf was believed to have uncovered a cure all or panacea. Her methods, which account for many non-invasive modality approaches, can be a major transformational tool for individuals interested in long term wellness.

Below is a discussion about its history and how it works. You can link to any section of the page by clicking on this directory:

History What Structural Integration (aka Rolfing) Is Common Benefits of SI

2 Modern Divisions of SI Styles What the Technique Looks Like

What to Expect when You Get the Work Done What to Expect After the 10 Sessions

Theory of How it Works Diet and Nutrition Q&A/FAQ

Rolf Method History:

Ida Rolf, originally a biochemist, studied various healing arts and developed the concept of structural integration using non-surgical manipulation of fascia (the white connective tissue that holds EVERYTHING in your body the shape that it is) via slow, deep, specific bodywork techniques. There are numerous stories about how she got started with this amazing idea, but she was always angry at anyone who tried to explain the history of "Rolfing" using stories of how she discovered it..."This work stands on its own," she'd say. In her opinion, it did not need an explanation to validate it. She began to teach this technique more than 50 years ago. To read more about her from a school dedicated to her life,Click Here

What Structural Integration is:

Structural integration is based on Four primary premises:

First: That most abnormal structural alignments from posture to failing knees, to painful movement to extreme scoliosis are the result of contractions or abnormal shortening, circulation to or action of the fascia that shapes every bump, every organ, every muscle, every cluster of tissue and even, to a large extent, every bone.

Second: That fascia can be permanently and predictably altered through non-surgical manipulation using only the bare hands as tools.

Third: That upon the release of abnormal fascial adhesions or upon the stimulation of malfunctioning fascia, the body can perpetuate a positive shift toward health, improved movement, stabilty and strength of structure.

Fourth: That systemic changes result, somehow, from the steady improvement that the Structural Integration technique causes upon all the reachable tissues of the body that are worked during a Structural Integration session (hereafter referred to as SI).

Benefits Often Enjoyed from the Rolf Method of SI:

The benefits from SI are varied as will be discussed below more in the "Theory" portion of this discussion. In short, though, a number of benefits are common and a few are at least seen often enough to be worthy of mention.

These ARE NOT CLAIMS, these are empirical observations in actual clinical cases. Results always vary and a journey through the 10 sessions is totally individual!

Seen Often:

Increase in metabolism, Mild Cleansing, Erasure of Scoliosis, Psychosomatic releases, Faster healing, Better immune response, Stronger and more flexible muscles and joints, More muscle tone, Better circulation, Correction of relaxed posture, Lower overall pain, Higher energy levels, Faster reflexes, Better focus/clarity, Improved mood, Increased fertility, Decreased Joint pain, Improved sexual climax, Easier breathing, Increased tissue oxidation, Increased endurance, Decreased menstrual cramping, Immediate remission of plantar fasciitis, Immediate remission of carpal tunnel syndrome, Decreased difficulty in changing habits (see theory below for more about this and related benefits).

Seen Occasionally:

Improved vision, Restored liver function, Restored kidney function, Spontaneous healing of old injuries, Changes in bony anomalies, Changes in bone structure, Remission of osteoporosis, Reversal of osteoarthritis, Some remission of auto-immune disorders, Clearing of acne, Reduction of foot size, Reduction in waist size, Reduction in body fat percentage, etc.

Two Divisions of SI:

SI is divided into two basic approaches today, both of which follow Ida Rolf's original "recipe" for the sessions.

The original SI style is intense, with a focus on reaching the hidden fascial adhesions and anomalies. It is motivated by thoroughness. It is fast, immediately effective and very often permanent.

The "evolved" SI style is what is primarily taught at one of three schools that teach the Rolf Method today. It is known most often as "soft Rolfing" and is focused on eliciting response from the body, instead of commanding that response. It is slower, but definately appropriate for some people. It is generally not intense at all.

Some "Rolfers" only use "soft Rolfing" while some use a blend and others remain true to the original genius of Ida.

All of this highlights the need for each individual to find an SI practitioner who fits him or her well. THE answer is not above, only options are above made effective by mixing a competent practitioner of whatever style(s) with a client who appreciates the value and merit of that practitioner and his or her style.

What SI Looks Like When it Happens to You:

At first glance, one might think s/he is seeing a massage in process. Most SI technicians license under a massage therapy license. It is typically done on a massage therapy table (though there are specialized sables that SI practitioners sometimes use) with a sheet...then you see it! One major difference is that the person on the table is not draped with a sheet, but is wearing either a two piece swimsuit (one piece for men of course) or underwear that are more or less conservative.

This unexpected element is so that the technician can stand up the client and view them regularly to monitor results. It is also so that the technician is not distracted by or responsible for draping in this situation that may find the client sitting, on side or back or front, sometimes with knees elevated, etc.

The sessions are divided up to address each area of the body in a calculated order. There are 10 sessions altogether. These are divided into:

1st session, which is a session to itself. This is what you do if you are uncertain if SI work (aka Rolfing) is for you. You come and get a 1st session, which increases vital capacity (breathing) and puts the legs more perfectly under the pelvis.

2ond and 3rd sessions, which complete the superficial opening work to get the body ready for the core work that will make real, substantial changes.

4th through 7th sessions, which comprise core work for each part of the body in the order that Ida discovered would work in best supportive sequence.

8th and 9th sessions, which are designed to finish balancing the body front to back, side to side and core to superficial tone and stability.

10th session, which is designed to promote movement through joints and to create long-term positive change in the body for the next several months.

What to Expect:

When one gets the 10 sessions, a few things are to be expected:

That the work will be done one-two weeks between each session. Ida planned the sessions to occur every week if possible.
That the client will wear a one piece swimsuit or shorts for men or a two piece swimsuit for women, or underwear that is conservative enough to allow focus on the sessions, not on clothing lines.
That verbal interchange is vital to help maintain a proper balance where the work is effective, but discomfort is kept to a reasonable minimum (for questions about discomfort with SI, look at the Q&A below).
That some exercises will be expected of the client. These are known as repatterning exercises and are designed to prevent harmful old patterns from ever returning throughout the client's life.
That some extra recommendations may be given and apply to each individual. With Kal, for example, if pain sensitivity is not steady, then some nutritional supplements are given to create a healthier pain gradient. Sometimes chiropractic and acupuncture, dietary changes and movement programs are very useful to reaching the individual's goal.
Your SI practitioner might recommend supplementary therapies, such as diet changes, supplementation, chiropractic visits, acupuncture, regular massage, yoga, etc.

What to Continue to Expect:

When Kal got the sessions, two months later, after things had settled down and some things had changed, while others had not, he was walking down a handicap ramp and felt his shoes "slopping" in his shoes. He assumed that his shoes were worn out, so he went shopping for new ones. He put on his usual 13's but found that they no longer fit, they were far too loose. He was able, for the first time in years, put on size 12 shoes!

A week or so later, he noticed that his "knock knees" were considerably lessened. He could, for the first time in his life, put his feet and knees together in a standing position (usually his feet would be spread 4-6 inches when his knees touched in a standing position).

While these changes are not seen in everyone, they are not entirely uncommon. Several of Kal's clients have lost shoe sizes, had major shifts in knees, increased in height and witnessed the disappearance of scoliosis.

The rule of SI is that no work of this type is to be done for 4-8 months after the 10th session. The client monitors his or her body for pain that appears and stays in one place constantly for more than three or four days. When this happens, change has stopped and must be restarted by the SI technician.

Some clients may return early in the event of an accident where unexpected impact from any direction is experienced. This typically stops change and it must be started again by the practitioner.

Theory:

Much could be said about how Rolfing is thought to work. Some things are known, while much is speculated upon.

What is known is that the changes to collagen and elastin fibers in connective tissue proper that holds the whole body together as it is, can be permanently affected by nonsurgical bodywork. Length, movement and healing can be created with just the bare hands on skin. This phenomenon, somehow, affects the body holistically. The possibilities are discussed below.

It is believed that the fascia, which is the focus of SI work, has influence/control over not just the anatomical position and physiological movment of all parts of the body, but also over several functional aspects besides.

Circulation and improved nerve response are simple and obvious results of freer fascia, but some results are less obvious.

When fascia is freed, it appears to radically improve the pressure gradient that helps lymph to move more efficiently. It appears that no technique works faster than SI work to facilitate the removal of all types of edema and swelling, whether systemic problems or injury related. This certainly facilitates healing.

Fascia might be the medium along which electricity flows in the body. Some nobel prizes have been won on the subject of the electrical circulatory system and Dr. Guyton, who writes physiology textbooks for medical schools, wrote a textbook on teh electrical circulatory system and how it keeps everything running and feeds every organ and tissue. Cells generate this electricity with their sodium/potassium pumps. With a 12 dollar multitester from home depot, one can measure DC voltage flowing from humans, animals, plants and anything with live cells. If fascia is that medium, then there are indeed explanations for some of the spontaneous healing that SI work seems to cause sometimes.

Psychosomatic connections might explain some of the spontaneous healing that occurs with SI work. The Limbic System in the brain wires together physical parts with mental and emotional patterns and experiences. Trauma on either end can cause problems on either end. It follows that radical new freedom on one end (the physical end) of this connection might (and very much appears to) change mental and emotional patterns and result in psychosomatic healing. Traumas both physical and mental/emotional are released and often appear to be relieved in the life of the client.

One client had had a great deal of dental trauma in her teens when her dad would have the dentist pull every tooth with a cavity. She had full dentures by 17. When she got 7th session, she did not want the work associated with her mouth. When she finally consented, she cried the whole way through. This client had had no relief of extreme kyphosis, though all proper approaches had been taken to straiten it. After this session, which had nothing to do with that kyphosis, she stood up strait and never went back to her original condition.

Fluid flow in the spine and other tissues is a time honored theory that supported osteopathy in its infancy. It still lies behind many natural healing modalities, cranial sacral work and humoral medicine. When fluid flows freely, the whole body is thought to be in a state of health. When that fluid is impeded, or even just slowed, a disease state is entered, where there is malfunction and pain. Assuming this theory has any validity (which many studies seem to confirm), there is no technique more suited to moving fluid freely in the body, than the Rolf Method of SI.

Physical position of organs and glands as well as circulation to them might explain some of the changes that happen after SI work. One client lost 20 pounds after the sessions. Another had spontaneous improvement in liver function. Another client had immediate reduction in cystic acne for several months (a lifelong condition). These are issues that might relate to the improved circulation or unrestricted position of the internal organs and glands. These changes could be from many things, and that is the challenge that SI practitioners face--they focus on the stuff that every other field discards as unimportant to study or health--thus little is understood about exactly how this amazing technique works.

What we do know is that it works. It changes structure and it affects the body holistically in the process.

Dietary Recommendations:

This section should be the longest, since it has the only up-stream position to fascia of anything we can discuss. That is to say, wise diet can prevent much of what SI fixes/targets and wise diet can greatly facilitate the changes that are possible during the sessions of actual SI work.

The keys of healthy diet are cleanliness and nourishment. These are the only considerations that can be discussed in terms that everyone accepts as real.

Cleanliness implies three things:

Eat no more than your body can comfortably process (digest and eliminate)
Keep elimination channels open (herbally, dietarily or with exercise or any natural means available to you)
Eat foods that digest well (not processed foods, dairy or much of animal products) and leave little residue

These could be discussed in great detail, but they are discussed comprehensively in Traci's Books, so please check those out at www.BestFoodist.com In a nutshell, eat natural foods and eat most of them raw and whole. Eat when you need food, not when you need distraction or crave an addiction. Chew well, eat relaxed and basically start making the wise decisions that you already know to do. Avoid dairy and all processed foods, especially sugars, breads and oils.

Eating adequate nutrition can also be divided into three categories

Eat foods that digest easily and which have enzymes in tact. This largely refers to raw plant food, especially fruit and non-starchy vegetables. While these are not always overburdened with nutrition, the nutrition they contain is balanced for us and is totally usable per our needs.
Eat high quality foods. This can be subdivided into quality, meaning Organic/Biodynamic/from your own garden; and into character, meaning foods that are especially nutrient dense, beneficial to digestion or to any system that may be weak. Supplements should usually come exclusively from this category of foods, which can be prepared in a juice powder or fresh juice or some such thing that provides high absorption rates.
Complete nutrition is the last point. This is not as hard to get as some nutrition experts might make you feel. In fact, nutrition is only a problem in two groups: the grossly overfed and the truly starved. The rest of the world probably only needs a supplement for things they are genuinely low in about three weeks per year (once every four months or so).

The last point needs some expansion. Unfortunately, the majority of the world is now grossly overfed. This condition inevitably exhuasts resources in eliminating the excess and reduces resources for absorption of needed nutrients. The result, plainly, is the need for supplements...or maybe a low calorie diet. Eating variety, but always a little shy of feeling satiated, and exercising regularly will almost always solve nutritional problems. When it does not, that person can be brought to nutritional optimum in a few days with a good quality supplement targeting his or her needs. Of course, eating high quality variety and being aware of genuine needs in one's diet are useful, but usually complete nutrition is a subject that gets a lot of talk and effort, when in fact it is merely the wake of a fat, overstuffed ship that passed by already. Fighting the wake of the ship, but ignoring the ship seems borderline insane.

Q&A/FAQ:

Does Rolfing Hurt?

This question comes up whenever someone has heard another person talking about getting the technique done. The person exaggerates the intensity of the experience in the only words they know, but rarely communicates how much they look forward to going and how much they love the magic that is happening and how good they feel immediately after the session is over.

Certainly, SI work can be painful in some spots for everyone and in many spots for some people, but it is far more like the pain of a personal trainer in the gym, who you love to have push you because you really do want results. You do not dread going and you are not afraid to go, but there is some pain and some soreness involved in the goal you are seeking.

The Rolf Method, for exactly the same reasons, creates some discomfort sometimes.

Is Rolfing Safe for Everyone?

There are people who should not get SI work and you should speak candidly with your practitioner about any medical conditions you have. Often, a different variation of the work can be used to help even extreme cases, but some people should not get this kind of work. If one has osteoporosis, for example and even slight pressure can break a bone, they are not an appropriate candidate for SI work. Mild and early osteoporosis, however, can be very much helped by SI work.

Be open and candid with your technician so that you can be treated wisely. Moreover, if you feel something during the sessions that does not feel safe or right to you, you should tell your tech immediately. She or he will not know until you tell them and people do have unusual problems sometimes, which can only be dealt with appropriately when communication is good.

How Long Does it Last?

SI work is permanent in nature. This means that one has to actively recommit the same patterns that led to the structural problems in the first place in order to recreate them. Massage, activity, chiropractic, riding in a car and other normal activities will have no negative impact on SI work and it will not "undo" it.

Some changes that come from SI work may only be temporary if they are the result of increased metabolism (which the work tends to stimulate) or stimulation of acupoints or meridians or reflex points. This might create relief and exhileration that will last only a few hours, days or weeks.

What Should I do to get the most out of the sessions?

Have great communication with your practitioner, do the exercises she or he gives you, eat right, exercise, take ginger capsules, drink more water (or better yet raspberry leaf tea), think positively, release old habits, love more, forgive more, be the kind of person you always wished you were more, keep your elimination going, breathe deeper and use the space the practitioner gives you in your body.

Can I get the sessions more than one time?

I have gotten the sessions three times, the first two times back to back. If one can afford it, doing this is highly recommended as each time was revolutionary for me and a revelation about my life and body.

Generally, this is not done and it was not the plan made by Ida, but it nevertheless is very powerful. One will get the value from following Ida's plan of getting the sessions and then processing for several months and then getting "tune up" sessions, but getting them twice back to back is pretty amazing too and will do no harm.

Do I have to do 10 sessions?

Most SI practitioners will offer "spot work" and sessions that function well by themselves, however, once you get 2ond session, you really need to get 3rd and once you get 4th, you really need to finish them or your body will go through a very difficult time balancing itself, being grossly uneven in the areas worked.

Who does Rolfing?

Usually, Rolfing practitioners are graduates of the Rolf Institute, though there are two other schools teaching the Rolf Method of Structural Integration. One of these is a massage school and so its graduates are all massage therapists as well, but very often practitioners come from all walks of life and may or may not have any history in healing arts.

Kal Sellers, MH, LMT, Rolf Method Technician offers the sessions here in Atlanta Ga area and is a holistic healing practitioner as well, who integrates healing arts, herbs and natural nutrition into the experience, as well as cranial work and some other useful modalities as needed.

You can call and schedule with him at 706 473 4375