Does Rolfing Hurt?

There are certainly more intense moments, but for most people, pain is not a significant obstacle. I have no desire to push beyond your pain threshold and encourage open communication.

Do I have to do the Ten-Series (ten sessions)?

No. I encourage you to try a session or two before you make that type of commitment. Positive results can certainly be rendered in a session or two, but it is not as comprehensive or holistic an approach.

What do I wear for a session?

For the bottoms, I recommend either athletic shorts or boxers/underwear. Women should also wear a sports bra, regular bra, or tank top. I can generally work with whatever clothing people come in with.

If I do the ten-series, how often should I come in?

Ten-series seem to work best if you come in once a week or every other week (or some variation of this).

When/how did Rolfing begin?

Rolfing was intuitively discovered/invented by Dr. Ida Rolf in the 1940’s. Dr. Rolf was a PhD biochemist and studied yoga in her formative years. She referred to the work as Structural Integration, but as she began teaching it to health professionals around the world, the shorthand name of “Rolfing” stuck (much to her chagrin).

How long is each session?

Typically, sessions are between 75-90 minutes. It would be best to allocate 90 minutes just in case.

What are you really doing to the tissue you’re working on?

There are a lot of words that could be used here, as it’s not really one thing or always the same thing: Hydrating, smoothing, combing, differentiating, balancing, shifting, and organizing are words that come to mind.

How long do results last?

It’s challenging to put a number on this as there is so much variance between individuals, but Rolfing results “last” longer than you might think. For someone receiving the ten-series, between several months and several years is probably the average answer. But the reality is, you will be a different person at the end of the work and the body has no interest in returning to an older version of you (unless you ask it do so by moving in the ways that got you there in the first place). Rolfing changes chronic movement patterns and posture as opposed to addressing acute disruptions. The more awareness and education (both kinesthetic and intellectual) you take on through the work and after, the more likely you are to keep your results and even continue to improve. At the end of the day, we live in a world of entropy in which things tend to become less organized with time; Rolfing helps restore order.

Who is Rolfing for?

Most people (from children to the elderly) can benefit from Rolfing. See the below paragraph for potential contraindications.

Who is Rolfing not for?

While most people have the capacity for Rolfing - for those dealing with serious medical conditions, I recommend you contact both me and your Medical Doctor to confirm if Rolfing is a good fit.

Outside of medical conditions, it’s important to understand that Rolfing resides in the transformational paradigm of healing. While I believe Rolfing could be appropriate for most anyone, the timing that it is appropriate for a given individual is an important factor. You need to have some space in your life to notice yourself (ex. if you’re going through a tough divorce and working two jobs and caring for a sick parent - now may not be the best time to fully reap the benefits of this work because your awareness will be preoccupied).

How is Rolfing different from massage?

Massage is often either relaxation based or therapeutically based in acute disruptions. Rolfing is a more collaborative process that is best applied when working with chronic patterns. There are no lubricants (oil, lotion) used in Rolfing. Rolfing clients wear some clothes so they can move and change positions as needed (ex. a woman might wear running shorts and a sports bra, a man might wear running shorts). There is also assessments and awareness work before, during, and after the session.

How is Rolfing different from chiropractic work?

Again I would argue standard chiropractic work is best for acute disruptions. It can be a valuable tool but if the soft tissue has its own engrained chronic pattern and this isn’t accounted for, it will inevitably pull the adjusted bone back.

Do you still offer massage?

Yes. Because I specialize in Rolfing, my massage style has naturally evolved to be sort of a hybrid between massage and Rolfing. Think of it as a lazier Rolfing session or a more structurally inspired massage.

The Wikipedia article makes Rolfing look fake, what gives?

Very little fascia research happened before the 21st century (it was often discarded as “packing material” during dissections). Following suit, there isn’t yet much scientific research on Rolfing (though that is changing). That said, it is still a bizarrely worded Wikipedia article with questionable sourcing. If you talk to people who have actually experienced Rolfing (or look at online reviews), you’ll mostly hear very positive things.

What does the Ten-Series look like?

Sessions will always vary a bit between individuals. All sessions have some back and neck work. Below are very general descriptions of each session.

Session 1 - Superficial tissue. Aims to allow for easier breathing and to begin leveling the pelvis (so it’s not tilted up or down).

Session 2 - Mostly superficial tissue. Aims to allow the feet and lower legs to better support the body and more comfortably connect to the ground.

Session 3 - Superficial tissue. Lengthens the sides of the body, this often allows for better relational stacking of the body in gravity.

Session 4 - Focuses on establishing the core on the insides of the legs from feet to pelvis.

Session 5 - Continuing from session 4, establishing the core further up the body through the hip flexors and abdominals. Sessions 4 and 5 are often significant in walking functionality.

Session 6 - Focuses on the deeper tissues in the back of the body from head to toe, with an emphasis around the sacrum.

Session 7 - Neck and head integration.

Sessions 8-9 - Re-examining where the individual is at, and integrating/educating the body to be more functional in moving from the core.

Session 10 - Putting the polish on, zipping things back up, and preparing the individual to take their changes into the world.