Photo courtesy of wikicommons user Collard

People often wonder how structural integrators can claim to elicit emotional change. Structural integrators claim that a sense of well-being can result, that sometimes our work is more effective at getting through emotional blocks than talk-therapy, etc. etc. We make pretty bold claims for some people to believe, so let’s look at the science behind such claims, shall we? » Continue reading “What does structural integration have to do with emotions? (this time with detail!)”

Owen Marcus over at Rolf Blog has written a nice two-part article on dealing with back pain from a Rolfer’s perspective. He offers a simple, straightforward explanation of back pain in part one and goes on in part two to talk about how to work with the pain…

“I have not seen a back that was muscularly weak; I see many that are structurally weak. Our bigger back muscles are not meant to be posture muscles, they are designed to move us, not hold us. The constant holding makes them tighter. Rather than getting stronger form sit-ups or back extensions, practice breathing and stretching…”

It’s not carpal tunnel. It’s not out and out nerve damage to the radial or ulnar nerve! It’s thoracic outlet syndrome! Thoracic Outlet Syndrome: a 50 year experience at Baylor University Medical Center is an interesting survey of the center’s development of treatment of (read: surgery on) TOS. Food for your professional mind.

On Rolfing sites and in books on structural integration, you’ll find countless claims about “trauma being stored in our tissues.” For some, this can be a hard pill to swallow – it was for me – but neurobiological investigations bear out this metaphorical claim. New tools to investigate the mechanisms involved in the experience of pain are yielding some surprising (or perhaps not so surprising) insights. » Continue reading “How can trauma be stored in the body’s tissues (Part 1)?”

The Rolfing community, as well as many other complementary therapy communities, has long claimed that the health of the mind and of the body are inextricably linked. To many people raised in the western world, that has been considered a laughable and downright absurd proposition best left to the gullible and uneducated for consumption. Dualism – the idea that the mind and body are totally separate and that the body has no effect on the mind – has simply been too ingrained as a fundamental philosophical tenet for fruitful discussion to occur. But change has occurred and western medicine is now recognizing monism as a functional and useful reality.

» Continue reading “Mind-body medicine: Why is it so hard to believe?”

Getting Rolfed often arouses emotional responses in clients that can be mild and practically unnoticeable as well as strong and cathartic. Changes in the body, through various neurobiological mechanisms, affect the functioning of the brain, with particular effect on the regions associated with emotions and feelings. The result is that clients often report feeling happier, uplifted, and more stable. » Continue reading “What does Rolfing have to do with emotions?”

In this interview with Dr. Ginger Campbell, M.D. of the Books and Ideas blog, Germany’s first Certified Rolfer, Dr. Robert Schleip, PhD discusses the role of science in the world of complementary medicine. Topics include a German study on the efficacy of acupuncture, the dynamics of fascia in injury and healing, and the ways in which his scientific research has changed his understanding of Rolfing and other complementary therapies.

Update: The study Dr. Schleip references can be read in its entirety here. The German Acupuncture Trials pitted standard medical protocol, real acupuncture, and fake acupuncture against each other in the treatment of low-back pain. Standard medical protocol scored about a 27.4% success rate. Real acupuncture scored 47.6%. Fake acupuncture?

44.2%.

The short answer is no.

The long answer is that it can involve intense sensations, but today’s Rolfers never want that intensity to turn into grimaces and protective tightening in clients. Such physical responses are viewed as counterproductive to bringing about lasting change. » Continue reading “Does Rolfing® hurt?”

Rolfing works by addressing range of motion restrictions throughout the body to establish a more balanced, efficient whole. It is believed that Rolfing and myofascial release techniques work by contacting fascia, the filmy white stuff that surrounds and is continuous with ligaments, muscles, bones, and organs. You’ve seen fascia if you’ve ever prepared raw meat. It’s that icky white stuff under the chicken skin and on your slab of raw steak that is always a struggle to cut away no matter how sharp the knife.

Though fascia is 3D and loops around and about all over the body, it may be helpful to envision it as latex. The entire body is wrapped in latex. The structure of the body is being held together by constant tension. When, say, a shoulder is moved out of place, the latex still keeps the shoulder sucked into the torso, but the shoulder doesn’t move right. The hips are a bit skewed. The knees are bowed. The neck is craned. There are a host of structural issues being held together by the latex wrapping. Rolfing loosens up the latex (fascia) around all this to help all the parts of the body find their ways back home. Basically, when the latex gets loose, the pull of gravity brings everything towards the plumb-line.

How exactly the actual touch techniques work, however, has been up for debate for decades.

According to the latest research, Rolfing and other forms of myofascial bodywork work by contacting mechanoreceptors within fascia, thereby changing the way the body’s self-regulatory mechanisms function. » Continue reading “How does Rolfing really work? (the neurophysiology of touch)”

Robert Schleip was Germany’s first certified Rolfer.  He turned into a histological researcher after 13 years of teaching Rolfing and becoming dissatisfied with the “pseudoscientific mentality behind what [he] was doing.”+

His website, www.somatics.de is known for its collection of articles discussing the techniques and philosophy of Rolfing as well as other somatic therapies. » Continue reading “The Robert Schleip Collection of Articles for Professionals and the Public”