Rolfing
Balancing Your Body with Deep Tissue Massage

Rolfing is a form of bodywork that involves releasing fascial restrictions. This form of bodywork works the deeper layers of tissue to help free restricted muscles and properly align the body. It is a predecessor to other deep forms of massage therapy like deep tissue massage.

Ida Pauline Rolf received her Ph.D. in biochemistry in 1920. She studied at Columbia University. She conducted research in organic chemistry at the Rockefeller Institute. At the time, there were very few women in science and she struggled against sexism to get her ideas heard.

Rolf was interested in alternative medical practices like chiropractics, homeopathy, osteopathy, and yoga. She experimented with these healing practices to treat her health problem and the health problems of her two sons.

Eventually she came to the conclusion that physiology was key in correcting much of the body's dysfunction. The body as she saw it was in a constant struggle against gravity. As this struggle took place it would become misaligned. This would cause pain and restriction in movement. In the early 1950's, she came up with a method of soft tissue manipulation to realign the body.

Rolfing was originally called Postural Release. Later it became know as Structural Integration of the Human Body. Many clients and therapists nicknamed it Rolfing. Eventually the name stuck and that's what it's known as today.

Rolfing can be summed up in three words:

• palpate--looking for areas of dysfunction in tissue
• discrimanate--separating adhered muscles from fascia
• integrate--bringing physical balance to the body in a gravitational pull

This therapy is done in ten session known as the Ten Series. These sessions each focus on a different region of the body.

Sessions 1-3 focus on releasing the connective tissue in the arms, ribcage, diaphragm, upper leg, neck and spine. It also involves the repositioning of the shoulder girdle, hips and head for proper alignment.

Sessions 4-7 focus on the core of the body from the bottom of the pelvic to the top of the head. Tissue deep in the legs are also worked on as are the feet.

Sessions 8-10 focus on integration. The therapist tries to properly align the body.

Dr. Rolf believed that all people could benefit from experiencing this therapy. It is especially suited for people who have experienced traumatic injury at some point in their past. It is also a good therapy for people who tend to have a heightened body awareness, like athletes, dancers and musicians. Anyone who has experienced muscle or connective tissue pain could benefit from this therapy.

No lotion or oil is used during a session. You can undress to your level of comfort. Your therapist will work around your clothing. You will have to participate in your therapy. There's no laying on the table and going to sleep. You'll be asked to move and change positions. You'll even be asked to get up and walk around the room during certain points in your treatment.

People experience various levels of discomfort during a session. Some methods used are gentler now than they were in the early days of the therapy, but some people still say that the therapy can be painful. The pain could be worth it. Clients report the ability to move more freely after a session. They also report long term pain relief. Clients have even reported a slight increase in height after receiving the Ten Series.