Rolfing is a theory about how bodies are put together which involves balancing the body and altering its relationship in the gravitational field. Originally known as Structural Integration, Rolfing involves manipulation of the connective tissue network through touch and movement. Clients experience a type of euphoria, an “incredible lightness of being,” less pain and a new appreciation and awareness of their bodies.
Frequently Asked Questions About Rolfing
by Ray Bishop, Ph.D. and IdaRolfsBrahms.com
What is Rolfing?
This seemingly simple question is actually one of the most difficult, so let’s tackle it first.
This is what Rolfing is not:
- A very painful deep massage;
- All about pain and catharsis;
- The brutal invasive procedure satirically portrayed the 1979 Burt Reynolds film, Semi-Tough and the more recent film, Safe Guys (1998).
Rather, Rolfing is a theory about how bodies are put together, a uniquely personal experience which involves balancing the body and altering its relationship in the gravitational field. Structural Integration, Ida’s original term for Rolfing, involves manipulation of the connective tissue network, a vibrant mutable communication system which can be reshaped through touch and movement. Once this task has been accomplished, clients experience a type of euphoria, an “incredible lightness of being,” less pain and a new appreciation and awareness of their bodies. For me, Rolfing is not just a sequence of manipulation techniques, it is a philosophy, and, like the Socratic method as explained by John Housemann in the film, The Paper Chase, a series of questions, each of which leads to greater understanding and inevitably to other questions. Each session provides new insights and brings the body closer to equipose. At the same time, new possibilities and deeper patterns emerge, suggesting themes for future sessions. My job is to read the body’s messages, reorient harmful patterns and suggest to the system new ways of self-expression and integration. For me, Rolfing requires a unique blend of sophisticated technical knowledge and intuition. It is precisely this synthesis that makes the work so interesting and yet so difficult to describe in a meaningful way. It simply must be experienced to be appreciated.
How does Rolfing work?
Here is another tough question. When I asked Tom Myers, the former head of the anatomy faculty at the Rolf Institute this question, his reply mirrored Rolf’s familiar explanation. It went something like this! By better balancing the body, front to back, side to side, and inside to outside (particularly inside to outside), Rolfers alter the body’s relationship to the gravitational field, promoting a more harmonious structure which interacts with greater ease in the gravitational field. This is accomplished by manipulating connective tissue, fascial layers and muscular structures in a carefully orchestrated manner to correct imbalances which, if left uncorrected, will increasingly randomize the body, creating greater levels of strain and discomfort, further restricting movement. Exactly how this is accomplished is a matter of considerable debate among Rolfers. The traditional view is called the gel-sol-gel theory or thixotropic effect. You can find a good discussion of this topic in Dean Juhan’s Job’s Body. According to this theory, external pressure (touch) warms and loosens connective tissue turning it from a gel to a more liquid state (sol). When in this state, the tissue can be more easily manipulated. After the pressure is removed, the connective tissue cools and returns to the gel state, but in an altered relationship to surrounding fascial layers and myofascial structures. Many Rolfers question the viability of this theory, preferring the neurological model which links changes in the fascial net to neurological impulses in stretch receptors in the muscles. The chief proponent of this theory, Robert Schleip, has written several interesting articles on his ideas. Although the debate continues, there seems to be much merit for both views. For an interesting summary of this controversy and some recent work on the nature of connective tissue, I highly recommend Liz Gaggini’s recent article in the Connective Tissue issue of Rolf Lines and Peter Levine’s open letter (January 1999) in Rolf Forum on his role in the gel-sol controversy.
What will happen in my first Rolfing session?
In the first session, which often lasts two hours, we will talk about your medical history, accidents, surgeries, injuries and how these have impacted you in every day life. We will also discuss what your specific goals are for the series. I like to help the client come up with a “wish list” of things she or he would like to see happen when we are done. Formulating this list helps me stay on track and suggests ways that I might adapt the series to a client’s specific needs. We will then, with your permission, take a set of photos. They allow us to better evaluate strain patterns in your body. We will review these photos at the end of the first session. At the completion of the series, we will take another set of photos and compare them with the first set. This comparison provides a concrete record of your progress in the series. Both sets will be given to you when you complete your series. We will also have you stand and walk around the room so I can observe how your body interacts with gravity. I will share my insights with you and ask you questions about how you experience your body. We will then do some work, focusing on your ribs, upper legs, head, neck and spine. You will be asked to stand up during and at the end of the session and describe any differences you might feel. We will then discuss specific exercises or images you should play with during the week to reinforce what we have done.
I have heard that Rolfing is extremely painful, how worried should I be about this?
This is a real “hot button” for Rolfers. One of the major obstacles we Rolfers encounter is the proliferation of horror stories out there about how painful the work can be. I have heard health care professionals actually say things like: “I am interested in Rolfing, but, frankly, I’m scared to death of it. I’ve heard you tear muscle away from the bone.” My reply to remarks like this run along the lines of: “I must have missed that day of class.” This distorted perception is an anachronistic notion which evolved in the 1960s and 70s. At that time, the work tended to be very aggressive and intense. One likely reason for this is that Ida was reported to have told her students to go deeper. This they interpreted as meaning, work harder. Actually, it is more likely that her intention was for the students to work on deeper layers of tissue not necessarily to apply greater force. It’s clear to me that deeper does not mean harder!!
Over the past 30 years, Rolfers have learned that bodies often change more effectively with less pressure. We now use a wider range of more subtle techniques which allow the body to change at a more appropriate rate. However, when Rolfers work in areas where the tissue is particularly resistant for physical or emotional reasons, you can expect some transitory discomfort. For most individuals, the work I do in these areas is experienced as appropriate and very manageable. The thing to remember is that the client is in control of everything that happens in the session and that her or his ability to provide honest feedback about the intensity of the work is critical at all stages of the session. Another thing to understand is that releasing deeply held physical trauma in heavily muscled bodies will certainly prove challenging for the client. This issue is always discussed, particularly when dealing with long-standing serious chronic injury.
An Ida koan (or mantra, in part, if you prefer) that I repeat during sessions is: “If it ain’t moving, get out!” By this she meant, that resistant areas may not release when we first touch them. Digging away like a drill press on resistant tissue may prove more harmful than useful. Rather, when this occurs, I move to another area, easing often distantly related structures and later, when it seems appropriate, I return to the resistant area. Without failure, subsequent exploration of a highly charged area seems much easier, as is proven by the frequent remark from clients that I am certainly working a lot easier than I was initially. In fact, I am often able to work deeper than before.
I have heard a lot about Rolfing causing big emotional releases, is that true? Will it happen to me?
There is clearly a connection between psyche and soma (mind and body). Every memory is stored not only in the brain and nervous system but also in the connective tissue. These memories are often associated with biochemical and electromagnetic alterations in the tissue at a cellular level. Accessing the traumatized region can release memories and elicit strong sensations both positive and negative. On rare occasion, these memories are quite powerful and can cause perceptible emotional and physical reactions. When this happens, there are simple techniques I use to help my client’s body decompress.
My attitude towards activating and releasing trauma may be expressed by the phrase “titrating the trauma”. By that I mean that, when trauma is released, it should be in a gentle manner, eliciting a series of mild sensations over a period of a few days rather than a single powerful physiological response while my client is on the table. Some systems are much more susceptible and fragile than others and sensitivity to the client’s emotional resiliency is critical to avoid compromising the client’s emotional integrity during the Rolfing series.
I have never seen a client who specifically stated that he or she was afraid of having a major release during a Rolfing session experience such a release during a session. This process is nothing to be anxious about and if you truly do not wish it to occur, you will surely prevent it. Also, understand that failure to have such a release should in no way suggest that you somehow failed to work hard enough during the series to “face your demons”. This is patent nonsense. Quite frankly, for most clients such a catharsis is not only inappropriate but may actually prove injurious.