Rolfing

I'm very much the skeptic.

skepticism is a wonderful thing.

If I were you, I wouldn't believe me either.....at least not yet. I myself and waiting to see if the improvements continue.

The only reason I ever gave any of this a chance is because a very good friend of mine suggested it, and spoke of it a length. Knowing her, I know she's one of the most level headed people I've ever known.

Also, I did a lot of reading and reasearch.

I went into this fully aware that I might be taking a chance, but confident nonetheless.

I am a born skeptic. I'm usually the first person to say "that's a bunch of crap"

If this smelled like anything new-agey or hippyish...no way.

I'll just enjoying what's happened so far.

If I was to do the rolfing bit I would need to be in Sedona Az and have crystals hanging from the ceiling while Enya was chanting in the background.

heh....as a matter of fact, that's the part that was missing.

I noticed when I went in the treatment room there was a radio/stereo or something, and I assumed there'd be relaxing music. Nope, she never turned it on. No lotion, no candles even.

Only part I had to get used to...you have to do this in your underwear. Oh...you can wear gym shorts if you want, but I don't have gym shorts, I threw them out after high school.

She (Sandy) said, I'll be right back, just get undressed and you can wait on the couch (the place looked like a living room except for the table, it wasn't in her home though, it was in a professional building).

It feels really weird to be sitting in your panties and bra on a strangers couch, in a living room, flipping through a Newsweek magazine. Then she makes you parade around for a minute so she can see how you move.

Yeah sure....it was probably a huge turn on for her.

Rolfing
I've been reading this thread for a while, but have declined to participate in it till now because of the obvious professional reasons (i.e. I'm a Rolfer®). Its been difficult, because sometimes there have been some huge mis- & myth-conceptions expressed regarding the nature of this work. Basically, though Rolfing® may occasionally err into being painful that is not its aim, rather an occasional side effect. There is a whole spectrum of touch that Rolers employ, from superficial to deep, from gentle to intense, and the application varies depending upon what is appropriate to the person at the time: much the same way as a pianist varies their playing, allegro, piano piano, forte, troppo etc or the way a good cook varies the heat or the medium (poach, simmer, boil, fry, saute, roast, grill etc). Pain is generally counter productive in bodywork anyway. Tolerable, sustainable pressure that you can breathe into, just below your pain thresh-hold, is acceptable, but anything that hurts you then sets up an autonomic, sympathetic (fight or flight) response which negates the effect of the work being done. Rolfing is about getting the body dynamically aligned in a unified manner around its centre of gravity and it does this not by just working directly on the body's tissues but through re-educating ones perception and co-ordination and movement patterns. This is generally down in a ten part process, each part (session) having a specific goal. Which doesn't always means that ten sessions are all you will need- that depends on your condition when you present for Rolfing.

In response to Eva, who posted that she wouldn't consider Rolfing for her scoliosis but preferred massage: I had been a massage therapist for 15 years before I was a Rolfer and back then had mixed results with my scoliosis clients. Since treating peoples' scolioses with Rolfing only I've had a remarkable success rate. If you want to know about this email me at [email protected] and I will send you an article on working with scoliosis using the paradigm and techniques of Rolfing (which has been published in several massage journals).
If anybody else wants information on what the goals of each Rolfing session are, feel free to email me on .the above address and I will forward you the info.

Re Chai's comments about the "turn on": we are professionals. We look at your biomechanical functioning, hence you being in your underwear. While your uniqueness as a being is respected, you are probably the 5 or 6 or 7 thousandth body your rolfer has seen so we generally aren't interested in clients as sexual entities.

And one last thing- I would never play Enya or tapes of Dolphins in my clinic, nor hang crystals around. Rolfing has way more in common with osteopathy, physiotherapy, pilates and Feldenkreis than the way out & airy fairy approaches to the body that are out there.

Re: Rolfing


That was a joke son, and I'm sure everyone here knew it.

Rolfing
OOps!

Pardon my literalness!

Better grow a beard & get back to my wobble board!

Stone the crows & tie me kangaroo down, sport.

Re: Rolfing



What?

Rolfing
I've been reading this thread for a while, but have declined to participate in it till now because of the obvious professional reasons (i.e. I'm a Rolfer®). Its been difficult, because sometimes there have been some huge mis- & myth-conceptions expressed regarding the nature of this work. Basically, though Rolfing® may occasionally err into being painful that is not its aim, rather an occasional side effect. There is a whole spectrum of touch that Rolers employ, from superficial to deep, from gentle to intense, and the application varies depending upon what is appropriate to the person at the time: much the same way as a pianist varies their playing, allegro, piano piano, forte, troppo etc or the way a good cook varies the heat or the medium (poach, simmer, boil, fry, saute, roast, grill etc). Pain is generally counter productive in bodywork anyway. Tolerable, sustainable pressure that you can breathe into, just below your pain thresh-hold, is acceptable, but anything that hurts you then sets up an autonomic, sympathetic (fight or flight) response which negates the effect of the work being done. Rolfing is about getting the body dynamically aligned in a unified manner around its centre of gravity and it does this not by just working directly on the body's tissues but through re-educating ones perception and co-ordination and movement patterns. This is generally down in a ten part process, each part (session) having a specific goal. Which doesn't always means that ten sessions are all you will need- that depends on your condition when you present for Rolfing.

In response to Eva, who posted that she wouldn't consider Rolfing for her scoliosis but preferred massage: I had been a massage therapist for 15 years before I was a Rolfer and back then had mixed results with my scoliosis clients. Since treating peoples' scolioses with Rolfing only I've had a remarkable success rate. If you want to know about this email me at [email protected] and I will send you an article on working with scoliosis using the paradigm and techniques of Rolfing (which has been published in several massage journals).
If anybody else wants information on what the goals of each Rolfing session are, feel free to email me on .the above address and I will forward you the info.

Re Chai's comments about the "turn on": we are professionals. We look at your biomechanical functioning, hence you being in your underwear. While your uniqueness as a being is respected, you are probably the 5 or 6 or 7 thousandth body your rolfer has seen so we generally aren't interested in clients as sexual entities.

And one last thing- I would never play Enya or tapes of Dolphins in my clinic, nor hang crystals around. Rolfing has way more in common with osteopathy, physiotherapy, pilates and Feldenkreis than the way out & airy fairy approaches to the body that are out there.

Check out Rolf Harris- he's a running joke here in Australia.

Didn't you just post all that?

Wow, and after all the posts I made trying to express how rolfing was flaky, and how much difference I see after just one session.....



yeah, I got it dude....what? and you repost your whole first post. hahaha really got me there.

Re: Rolfing


While the latter methods are complete payed by our heath insurances [on prescription] (or offered by them for free, like Feldenktais), rolfing is a no-no foa all here (Germany).

Re: Rolfing


That's wryly amusing, given that both Moshe Feldenkreis and Joseph Pilates were both profoundly influenced by Ida Rolf.

Here in Australia (and, from what little I know, to a lesser extent in the US) quite a few health funds cover Rolfing. Agitate in Germany and see what happens.

re influence: at least for Pilates ... that's quite doubtfull - Rolf was still at university studying biochemistry while Pilates already had students for his concept :wink:

Pilates was developed in the 1920's

Rolfing in the 1950's

Walters right, how could Ida influence Joseph when he was doing his thing 30 years before she was?

This is embarrassing....sorry folks, I don't know this Ozian.

Rolfing was developed from the 1930's onward, originally as a 7 part protocol; sometime around 1950 it was a 10 part protocol.
Pilates developed his work from the 1920's onward, Feldenkreis from the 1940's onward. The interaction between Rolf and Feldenkreis occurred in the 1960's and there is ample evidence of it- it changed his work and altered hers. I have heard stories that the Pilates/ Rolf interaction dated from the 50's but I have no direct evidence, so currently will regard it as hearsay- I'll research a little more and get back on it. Influence often stems from interaction and is 2 way, as it was between Rolf & Feldenkreis. Bear in mind many great minds (Elsa Gindler, Marion Rosen, Rolf, Pilates, Feldenkreis, Martha Graham, Bartnieff etc) were cross fertilizing ideas about the human condition in this period and that influences were often lateral rather than linear. Rolf was teaching her concepts about the body via anatomy classes to dancers in the New York scene from the late 40's onward.

Dr Rolf had finished her biochemistry PhD in 1920 and had already been working at the Rockefeller Institute researching chemotherapy for several years by then. Pilates left Germany for the US in 1926; Rolf's curiosity about the body had been stimulated several years before this via a mix of Alexander Technique, yoga & old style osteopathy.

Rolfing was developed from the 1930's onward, originally as a 7 part protocol; sometime around 1950 it was a 10 part protocol.
Pilates developed his work from the 1920's onward, Feldenkreis from the 1940's onward. The interaction between Rolf and Feldenkreis occurred in the 1960's and there is ample evidence of it- it changed his work and altered hers. I have heard stories that the Pilates/ Rolf interaction dated from the 50's but I have no direct evidence, so currently will regard it as hearsay- I'll research a little more and get back on it. Influence often stems from interaction and is 2 way, as it was between Rolf & Feldenkreis. Bear in mind many great minds (Elsa Gindler, Marion Rosen, Rolf, Pilates, Feldenkreis, Martha Graham, Bartnieff etc) were cross fertilizing ideas about the human condition in this period and that influences were often lateral rather than linear. Rolf was teaching her concepts about the body via anatomy classes to dancers in the New York scene from the late 40's onward.

Dr Rolf had finished her biochemistry PhD in 1920 and had already been working at the Rockefeller Institute researching chemotherapy for several years by then. Pilates left Germany for the US in 1926; Rolf's curiosity about the body had been stimulated several years before this via a mix of Alexander Technique, yoga & old style osteopathy.

Rolfing was developed from the 1930's onward, originally as a 7 part protocol; sometime around 1950 it was a 10 part protocol.
Pilates developed his work from the 1920's onward, Feldenkreis from the 1940's onward. The interaction between Rolf and Feldenkreis occurred in the 1960's and there is ample evidence of it- it changed his work and altered hers. I have heard stories that the Pilates/ Rolf interaction dated from the 50's but I have no direct evidence, so currently will regard it as hearsay- I'll research a little more and get back on it. Influence often stems from interaction and is 2 way, as it was between Rolf & Feldenkreis. Bear in mind many great minds (Elsa Gindler, Marion Rosen, Rolf, Pilates, Feldenkreis, Martha Graham, Bartnieff etc) were cross fertilizing ideas about the human condition in this period and that influences were often lateral rather than linear. Rolf was teaching her concepts about the body via anatomy classes to dancers in the New York scene from the late 40's onward.

Dr Rolf had finished her biochemistry PhD in 1920 and had already been working at the Rockefeller Institute researching chemotherapy for several years by then. Pilates left Germany for the US in 1926; Rolf's curiosity about the body had been stimulated several years before this via a mix of Alexander Technique, yoga & old style osteopathy.

Rolfing was developed from the 1930's onward, originally as a 7 part protocol; sometime around 1950 it was a 10 part protocol.
Pilates developed his work from the 1920's onward, Feldenkreis from the 1940's onward. The interaction between Rolf and Feldenkreis occurred in the 1960's and there is ample evidence of it- it changed his work and altered hers. I have heard stories that the Pilates/ Rolf interaction dated from the 50's but I have no direct evidence, so currently will regard it as hearsay- I'll research a little more and get back on it. Influence often stems from interaction and is 2 way, as it was between Rolf & Feldenkreis. Bear in mind many great minds (Elsa Gindler, Marion Rosen, Rolf, Pilates, Feldenkreis, Martha Graham, Bartnieff etc) were cross fertilizing ideas about the human condition in this period and that influences were often lateral rather than linear. Rolf was teaching her concepts about the body via anatomy classes to dancers in the New York scene from the late 40's onward.

Dr Rolf had finished her biochemistry PhD in 1920 and had already been working at the Rockefeller Institute researching chemotherapy for several years by then. Pilates left Germany for the US in 1926; Rolf's curiosity about the body had been stimulated several years before this via a mix of Alexander Technique, yoga & old style osteopathy.

Re: Rolfing



Lol!

That was a reference to the dreaded Rolf Harris, a more harmless, but equally embarrassing export as Rupert Murdoch.