1. Why do people get Rolf Structural Integration (Rolfing™)?
People come to Rolf Structural Integration or Rolfing™ for a number of reasons. First and foremost is pain. Rolfing™ is very effective for chronic pain caused by both injury and conditions like Fibromyalgia, because it realigns bones and muscles by releasing fascial tension and teaches you to move with the new aligned options. Rolfing™ works with the fascia and Central Nervous System of our bodies. It seems to help reduce the intensity in which you experience pain. As people have more Rolfing™, their sensitivity to pain often decreases. People get Rolfed to reduce back, neck, knee shoulder and hip pain. Athletes get Rolfed for better performance. Dancers and actors are drawn to Rolfing™ to open up greater expressive capacities in their work. Rolfing helps people access greater fluidity, deeper breath and more comfortable movement as they age. Some people seek out Rolfing™ to facilitate change in their lives or to help resolve emotional issues through somatic change. Others use Rolfing™ to deepen their existing practices, such as yoga, tai chi, Pilates, meditation or psychotherapy.
2. Is Rolf Structural Integration painful?
If you have heard anything about Rolfing™, you have probably heard that it is painful, and that is one of the things that has changed about Rolfing™ in more recent years. This is your Rolfing™ experience and we will work together to find a level of work that is effective for you. If you are in pain, your body will not let me in to make the changes in alignment that you need. How deep it is depends on you and what you feel is effective. For me personally, I feel that deep work is very effective with working with my central nervous system issues. But for some clients, less deep is more effective. Many people say that Rolfing™ is no deeper than their massage work, just different. Rolfing™ creates a variety of stimulation for your nervous system; some can be very intense but never painful to the point of infectivity. When Rolfing™ was first developed over 30 years ago, the methods were less refined than they are today. In the early days of Rolfing™, we tended to work very deep to get at the restrictions causing discomfort. Today, practitioners are trained to pay close attention to the reactions of the nervous system and work to the level of availability in the tissue. Many new indirect procedures have also been developed to make Rolfing™ a more pleasant experience.
3. What is the Ten Series in Rolfing?
The basic Rolfing™ program consists of a ten-session series, generally spaced a week to two weeks apart. Dr. Rolf brilliantly conceived of this systematic method of total body realignment which allows the body to find new pathways to health. Each session has specific aims and goals so that no two sessions are the same. The first three hours work the superficial fascia, the “wetsuit” if you will. By loosening the outer fascia, we often see amazing changes in the major postural blocks of the body, shoulder girdle and pelvis. Things cannot move to where they need to be if there adhesions keeping them in place. The fourth through seventh hour are deep core hours and alignment occurs in the sacrum, pelvis, hips, and shoulder girdle by working deeper into the body structures. For some people, these hours can have significant effect on their emotions. Thus hours 1-7 are about differentiating structures and increasing function and horizontality of joints. The last three hours 8, 9 and 10, are about integrating these newly differentiated and functioning joints across the lumbar spine, getting the upper and lower body to work together. In these hours, clients will spend a lot of time integrating these changes with movement.
4. Do these changes last?
The Rolfing™ ten series changes the body alignment and teaches the body to move using new pathways. The body continues to change and evolve in a positive way following the basic ten session series. After the ten, some people never need Rolfing™ again. Others choose to do a post- ten three series occasionally or a few sessions when changes occur, like an injury or a specific concern. Many people find regular sessions a part of their on-going commitment to health and well-being. People with chronic pain conditions, like fibromyalgia, often find regular Rolfing™ to be helpful in keeping their tissues healthy. Some clients schedule a session each month, and others who come back when they feel the need.
5. What should I wear to a Rolfing Session?
Rolfers are trained to view the body for alignment before and after each session. This viewing is best done in some kind of stretchy clothing or your underwear. Most people are comfortable with viewing in their underwear; some wear a swimming suit or running tights. Rolfers have spent hundreds of hours in training viewing each other and being viewed by others so there is no need to be uncomfortable. This is just a great way to see how your body moves and the function of your joints.
6. Am I to old or too young for Rolfing?
Rolf Structural Integration is effective for people who want or need changes in their body to alleviate pain or problems. People of all ages can benefit from changing their alignment. Older people will see an ease in movement and it can greatly help vital capacity and comfort inbreathing. I have worked with children with birth trauma and teen-agers. Give me a call and let’s see what we can do to help you with your issues.
7. Are there Psychological Results from Rolfing?
While Rolfing™ is primarily concerned with structural changes, any change in the physical body affects the whole person. However, because our work is with the fascia, there are often emotional changes that accompany the structrural changes. Recent research on fascia shows that it contains emotreceptors. We beleive that people hold emotions and memories in their fascial tissues and deep work on releasing fascial holdings can also release memories and emotions. A human being is comprised of many aspects including; attitudes, emotions, behavior, and structure. They are all related to each other. Rolfing™ clients often report positive changes in their outlook on life and in their ability to handle emotional changes.
8. Is Rolfing Covered By Insurance?
It depends on the insurance policy and the circumstances. With a physician’s prescription and referral, workman’s compensation and personal injury cases are usually covered. With personal health insurance, I advise clients to ask if physical manipulation or structural integration is covered and give them the procedure code: CPT code # 97140 (manual therapy). After you have completed a number of sessions, at your request, I will provide you with a letter and statement of the charges. For health insurance coverage, payment is required at the time of the session. If you fill out your own health insurance forms, there is a better chance that Rolfing™ will be covered.
9. What is the difference between Rolfing and Massage? Is it similar to
chiropractor?
Rolfing™ is a technique that works on the connective tissue (fascia) and stimulates the central nervous system in a unique way. We work not only with the surface structures, but also deeper structures that massage does not address. The goal and result of Rolfing™ is to align the over-all structure of the body. Massage and Chiropractic do not generally produce balance and alignment in the body. Rolfing™ is a compliment to these disciplines.
People come to Rolf Structural Integration or Rolfing™ for a number of reasons. First and foremost is pain. Rolfing™ is very effective for chronic pain caused by both injury and conditions like Fibromyalgia, because it realigns bones and muscles by releasing fascial tension and teaches you to move with the new aligned options. Rolfing™ works with the fascia and Central Nervous System of our bodies. It seems to help reduce the intensity in which you experience pain. As people have more Rolfing™, their sensitivity to pain often decreases. People get Rolfed to reduce back, neck, knee shoulder and hip pain. Athletes get Rolfed for better performance. Dancers and actors are drawn to Rolfing™ to open up greater expressive capacities in their work. Rolfing helps people access greater fluidity, deeper breath and more comfortable movement as they age. Some people seek out Rolfing™ to facilitate change in their lives or to help resolve emotional issues through somatic change. Others use Rolfing™ to deepen their existing practices, such as yoga, tai chi, Pilates, meditation or psychotherapy.
2. Is Rolf Structural Integration painful?
If you have heard anything about Rolfing™, you have probably heard that it is painful, and that is one of the things that has changed about Rolfing™ in more recent years. This is your Rolfing™ experience and we will work together to find a level of work that is effective for you. If you are in pain, your body will not let me in to make the changes in alignment that you need. How deep it is depends on you and what you feel is effective. For me personally, I feel that deep work is very effective with working with my central nervous system issues. But for some clients, less deep is more effective. Many people say that Rolfing™ is no deeper than their massage work, just different. Rolfing™ creates a variety of stimulation for your nervous system; some can be very intense but never painful to the point of infectivity. When Rolfing™ was first developed over 30 years ago, the methods were less refined than they are today. In the early days of Rolfing™, we tended to work very deep to get at the restrictions causing discomfort. Today, practitioners are trained to pay close attention to the reactions of the nervous system and work to the level of availability in the tissue. Many new indirect procedures have also been developed to make Rolfing™ a more pleasant experience.
3. What is the Ten Series in Rolfing?
The basic Rolfing™ program consists of a ten-session series, generally spaced a week to two weeks apart. Dr. Rolf brilliantly conceived of this systematic method of total body realignment which allows the body to find new pathways to health. Each session has specific aims and goals so that no two sessions are the same. The first three hours work the superficial fascia, the “wetsuit” if you will. By loosening the outer fascia, we often see amazing changes in the major postural blocks of the body, shoulder girdle and pelvis. Things cannot move to where they need to be if there adhesions keeping them in place. The fourth through seventh hour are deep core hours and alignment occurs in the sacrum, pelvis, hips, and shoulder girdle by working deeper into the body structures. For some people, these hours can have significant effect on their emotions. Thus hours 1-7 are about differentiating structures and increasing function and horizontality of joints. The last three hours 8, 9 and 10, are about integrating these newly differentiated and functioning joints across the lumbar spine, getting the upper and lower body to work together. In these hours, clients will spend a lot of time integrating these changes with movement.
4. Do these changes last?
The Rolfing™ ten series changes the body alignment and teaches the body to move using new pathways. The body continues to change and evolve in a positive way following the basic ten session series. After the ten, some people never need Rolfing™ again. Others choose to do a post- ten three series occasionally or a few sessions when changes occur, like an injury or a specific concern. Many people find regular sessions a part of their on-going commitment to health and well-being. People with chronic pain conditions, like fibromyalgia, often find regular Rolfing™ to be helpful in keeping their tissues healthy. Some clients schedule a session each month, and others who come back when they feel the need.
5. What should I wear to a Rolfing Session?
Rolfers are trained to view the body for alignment before and after each session. This viewing is best done in some kind of stretchy clothing or your underwear. Most people are comfortable with viewing in their underwear; some wear a swimming suit or running tights. Rolfers have spent hundreds of hours in training viewing each other and being viewed by others so there is no need to be uncomfortable. This is just a great way to see how your body moves and the function of your joints.
6. Am I to old or too young for Rolfing?
Rolf Structural Integration is effective for people who want or need changes in their body to alleviate pain or problems. People of all ages can benefit from changing their alignment. Older people will see an ease in movement and it can greatly help vital capacity and comfort inbreathing. I have worked with children with birth trauma and teen-agers. Give me a call and let’s see what we can do to help you with your issues.
7. Are there Psychological Results from Rolfing?
While Rolfing™ is primarily concerned with structural changes, any change in the physical body affects the whole person. However, because our work is with the fascia, there are often emotional changes that accompany the structrural changes. Recent research on fascia shows that it contains emotreceptors. We beleive that people hold emotions and memories in their fascial tissues and deep work on releasing fascial holdings can also release memories and emotions. A human being is comprised of many aspects including; attitudes, emotions, behavior, and structure. They are all related to each other. Rolfing™ clients often report positive changes in their outlook on life and in their ability to handle emotional changes.
8. Is Rolfing Covered By Insurance?
It depends on the insurance policy and the circumstances. With a physician’s prescription and referral, workman’s compensation and personal injury cases are usually covered. With personal health insurance, I advise clients to ask if physical manipulation or structural integration is covered and give them the procedure code: CPT code # 97140 (manual therapy). After you have completed a number of sessions, at your request, I will provide you with a letter and statement of the charges. For health insurance coverage, payment is required at the time of the session. If you fill out your own health insurance forms, there is a better chance that Rolfing™ will be covered.
9. What is the difference between Rolfing and Massage? Is it similar to
chiropractor?
Rolfing™ is a technique that works on the connective tissue (fascia) and stimulates the central nervous system in a unique way. We work not only with the surface structures, but also deeper structures that massage does not address. The goal and result of Rolfing™ is to align the over-all structure of the body. Massage and Chiropractic do not generally produce balance and alignment in the body. Rolfing™ is a compliment to these disciplines.
