Your body is a remarkably resilient structure. But injuries and stress can cause pain that resists traditional treatment. Rolfing will help restore order to your body, assist in easing any pain you have—and even treat conditions you thought were untreatable. Athletes use Rolfing for nontraditional results to help them gain an additional edge in their performance, and to shorten their recovery time from injuries.
What is Rolfing?
olfing® focuses on bringing order to your body’s structure so that it’s structurally integrated and aligned with gravity. Through a series of 10 one-hour sessions*(see note below), the soft tissue (muscles, tendons and fascia) of the body is remolded into a looser and straighter shape. This procedure of sculpturing is a slow, firm manipulation of the soft tissue. As pressure is applied to the tissue, the body releases tension as it relaxes.
Each session focuses on specific goals and areas of the body. These sessions are cumulative, as each session builds on the results of the previous session. As the body is reordered, so are its movement patterns. New, more efficient habits enhance the structural changes, preventing the likelihood of a re-injury or the return of old tension.
Owen fixed my posture. I thought I was standing up straight, but after years of chronic back pain from a congenital spinal defect, several car accidents, and bad posture habits, I was actually leaning back, walking duck-footed—and throwing my body out of alignment with every step. After just a few sessions with Owen, he taught me to walk and run correctly. He released all the old tension, and I took minutes off my running time. My lower-back pain is gone, and my knees and hips stopped aching after running.
Theresa Renner, 37
Releasing stress in the body
Most often, the need for Rolfing is stress-related. It may be due to stress resulting from an accident, athletics or repetitive motion; or it may be the psychological stress that we all endure. For example, an old childhood injury may be compounded by a sports injury and then accentuated by a minor auto accident. Six months after the auto accident, in spite of all that has been done to get well, pain still lingers.
Many therapies treat recent conditions with success, but a chronic condition may actually underline the most recent injury. To relieve the pain of the recent injury, the chronic tension needs to be released. When your body is tight, and it experiences one too many traumas, it no longer has any resilience. Simply put, even the healthiest body will reach a place where there is no more room for stress. Your body will remain tense until the older trauma is released as well as the more recent trauma. Rolfing addresses these long-held traumas as well as the more recent traumas.
Rolfing transforms the body through slow, precise release of chronic stress.
The Best Rolfing in the news and on TV
The Oprah Winfrey Show devoted a section of their program to Rolfing. The million people who have been Rolfed, until now, have driven the growth of Rolfing’s popularity. It was only a matter of time before Rolfing became main stream. Oprah’s show will likely be a major contributing factor. Oprah is known for investigating and scouting relatively undiscovered phenomenon that can help people. Oprah´s allure is base on her ability to discover the next beneficial wave. Vogue magazine is also touting the benefits of Rolfing.
Not only did Dateline NBC do a story on Leon Fleisher so did the The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal write about the success of Nathaniel Kahn’s documentary Two Hands. The film is about classical pianist Leon Fleisher return to performing. Fleisher used Rolfing as one of his therapies to recover from extreme focal dystonia. [Here is a video of from Dateline NBC of Fleisher describing his Rolfing.]
Good Morning Spokane did a segment on mine pilot study on Rolfing and cellulite.
The New York Times article on Rolfing speaks to the growing trend beyond just fixing problems to enhancing performance. As the former Rolfer for The Arizona Ballet Dance Company and for professional athletes I can attest to Rolfing’s ability to take an athlete to a new place. The NBC Today Show had one of my old friends on their show explaining why Rolfing is growing in popularity. NPR did an excellent story explaining Rolfing’s resurging popularity. As always we need more clinical research explaining why Rolfing gets the results that clients report.
Then there is the Sports Illustrated article about Jake Plummer former quarterback for the Phoenix Cardinals and the Denver Bronco’s commenting on his Rolfing SI experience with me here in little old Sandpoint, ID. Even Elle magazine is righting about Rolfing. This US News magazine article speaks about the growing body of research on Rolfing. One of the best articles on fascia, the tissue we work on as Rolfers is this Runner’s World article.
Then there is Andrew Weil, MD, the father of holistic medicine speaking about Rolfing. Many years ago, Andy worked with us on our Scottsdale Institute for Health and Medicine. From day one, he’s been a fan of what Rolfing can do for a client.
The structure of the Rolfing series
Basic Rolfing usually consists of 10 sessions performed between twice a week to once per month. After an integration period, which may be six months to a year, clients often return for a short series of advanced Rolfing. One-session tune-ups are conducted to alleviate new problems.
Please Note: No longer Practicing
After 40+ amazing years of helping thousands of clients in Arizona at my clinic then in Idaho, I am focusing on my new passion, helping men. MELD, committed to bringing emotional wellness to men around the world is now a growing community of men.
Much of what I learned about the body and our emotional physiology is woven into MELD. Through our groups, courses, and content, men are transforming their lives and relationships.
Videos on Rolfing
Here I am explaining Rolfing in an interview with Lindy Lewis.
For more client testimonials go here.