New York Times article on Rolfing® SI

Today's New York Times has a good article about Rolfing® Structural Integration entitled "Rolfing, Excruciatingly Helpful". The article accurately describes how Rolfing SI works on the fascia (not the bones like chiropractic, or the muscles like massage), which is one reason Rolfers™ can get such good results with people's pain and posture issues. 

The article does have the old saw about Rolfing® work being painful, so I want to point out that while the work can be intense, a good Rolfer works within your comfort threshold, so don't be scared away from trying it. My clients would generally agree with the author and interviewees that the intensity is worth it when it relieves chronic pain and stress.

Interestingly, the article also discusses how many New Yorkers in their 20s (a demographic already way into yoga) are seeking Rolfing sessions as a way to deal with stress and get more into their bodies. My practice has always had people from the 20s-30s age group, as well as many clients 40s+ dealing with the pain and tension ramifications of injuries and poor posture. What I find exciting about the 20-30 age group is that while they work hard and play hard – whether waiting tables, in corporate careers, or mountain biking and snowboarding – they balance this with a commitment to caring for their bodies that will help them in the long haul. 

I also want to let local readers know that in Seattle Rolfing sessions do not generally cost $150 per hour, as they apparently do in New York City!

Comments

[Barry Nutter]

I was Ida Rolf's model when she was teaching a class in the Florida Keys. When she got her fingers into the soft tissue around my xyphoid process, the solar plexus area, I yelled wow that hurts. She said not to resist the pain and it would go away. She said try to make it hurt worse! I said why would I want to do that? She explained that my resisting the pain was causing it to hurt more. She said try to breathe there and push back into my fingers from the inside. As I began to work with her suggestions
I felt the tight scar tissue from an old injury begin to melt and the warmth of circulation replaced the pain. I learned to directly meet the pain in my life and welcome the change that became a new sense of well being and aliveness. Now 40 years later, I share that story with my patients when I do their sessions. Pain is part of the process. It is never too much to deal with. It is that threshold where the greatest change happens. It is much more painful to remain stuck in the flesh, than to experience the joy of freedom.

[Anne Hoff]

Concerning the comment below: Dr. Rolf was known for getting right in there and doing what she felt needed to be done. Rolfers™ have learned since her time that pushing the edge of intensity does not work for everyone. A good practitioner will find your comfort level and get results - at least that's what I strive for.