Massage and Bodywork

[Bernhard]

I did a search and haven't found a thread dedicated to Massage and Bodywork. I thought it would be a good topic to bring up and share information/experiences from bodyworkers and people who have received bodywork and also help people not experienced with massage to shine some light into it.

There are many different modalities that can help with health issues, physically and emotionally and in terms of "The Work" in general to dissolve "armor". Chronic muscle tension, bad posture and body pain can also be a manifestation of unresolved issues, memories and trauma. Much of it can be resolved through the right diet, breathwork/meditation (EE) psychological and esoteric work as explored in other threads. However, integrating bodywork can help the process as well as I've seen in my own life on the receiving end and also being a professional bodyworker.

In my work I've found that most people see massage as a "luxury" and "pampering" rather than a healing modality. Receiving bodywork on a regular basis can be "preventive medicine", helping to connect body and mind, so we can function better (immune system, circulation, mental clarity, qi flow, etc.. ) and "feel" better in our bodies, becoming more aware of what's going in "inside". I understand that it is not possible for many people to afford bodywork or even find the right therapist/modality for them. Maybe this thread can also be used to suggest self-massage techniques to help with that. For example, medical taping can be very useful in that regard: _http://www.medicinenet.com/kinesio_tape/article.htm , _http://www.tapeconcept.com/

As with everything, there can also damage be done since there are some "therapists" out there who don't know what they're doing, as I've experienced myself. There were times I had to stop the therapist to work on me, because he/she clearly had no sensitivity/skills/knowledge (anatomically and otherwise) which only made things worse. As I like to say, it's better NOT to get a massage than a BAD massage. There needs to be the right "fit" between bodyworker and client and what works for one may not work for another. The bodyworker of knowing how to "give" to his/her particular client and the client knowing how to "receive".

Receiving bodywork also takes practice and it is not just about "laying on the table". It's important to work with the breath and being able to relax into it (depending what modality is used). Many holding patterns are unconscious, so it's sometimes easier said than done. I talk about this a lot with my clients. It's a process and it's best to get a series of sessions if one has found the right bodyworker, so therapist and client get to know each other more, meaning the client gets a feel for the therapist's work and the therapist gets to know the client's body/issues and how he/she receives the work (for example how deep he/she can go, etc..)

Here are just some general conditions that massage and bodywork can help with:

- Release chronic muscular tension and pain.

- Improve circulation. 

- Cleanse the body of toxins

- Increase joint and muscle flexibility. 

- Reduce mental and physical fatigue & stress. 

- Improve concentration and mental clarity.

- Relax and soften injured, tired, and overused muscles.


- Improve posture.

- Reduce blood pressure. 

- Release energy blockages.
- Alleviate headaches and migraines.

- Promote better sleep.

- Clear emotional and spiritual blockages.

- Calm the mind.

- Alleviate anxiety, depression, insomnia.

- Enhance immunity and help the body's metabolism to work more efficiently.
- Promote deeper and easier breathing.

In terms of modalities, I'll start with the ones I practice and studied myself:

- Deep Bodywork (Deep Tissue) combined with "Esalen Massage"
(Note: I'm aware of the issues with the Esalen Institute as a psy-op (as I wrote here: http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,29287.0.html , however I studied bodywork there (and at other schools in California) with someone who was taught by Ida Rolf (founder of Rolfing) and Milton Trager (Trager work). Both were teaching at Esalen at one point. Peter Levine, author of "In an Unspoken Voice", whose work has been discussed on the forum also gives workshops at Esalen. Lies are mixed with truth and good bodywork is not that easily co-opted. ;) )

from _http://deepbodywork.com/about/

This method combines the integrating qualities of a flowing Esalen® Massage with the therapeutic effectiveness of deep tissue work. Using these healing modalities in combination opens realms of possibility to the bodywork practitioner unavailable through the application of one or the other alone.

Using deep tissue methods, massage practitioners can enter the body’s deeper soft tissue layers, freeing previously dense, hardened areas, which may have become chronically painful due to a lack of fluid exchange and energy flow. As such areas soften and ‘re-organize”, their chronic tension patterns release, revitalizing living tissues with blood, lymph, and “Chi” (life) energy. Because living systems like the human body require a constant flow of Chi energy to self-organize and heal, blockages to that flow within our tissues can create longer term health problems like joint and soft tissue pain, movement restriction, and circulatory problems to name some of the most common.

As chronic tension patterns held in the deeper soft tissue layers begin to open and change (often called “unwinding”), reservoirs of previously held life energy become available to promote the process of healing. This energy can help clients overcome stubborn, seemingly intractable physical conditions, which have failed to yield to other therapeutic methods. The Deep Tissue component of Deep Bodywork, when applied slowly, is one of the most effective means available for alleviating acute and chronic suffering in our clients.

The long, flowing strokes characteristic of Esalen Massage add an integrative component lacking in most connective tissue approaches. In my 26 years of bodywork experience, I have noted that flowing, soothing touch, either gently resting on, or gliding over the surface of the skin, creates profound relaxation. As we release deeper tension patterns through the application of deep tissue techniques, we touch equally as deeply, although differently, with a long flowing stroke across the body’s surface.

Because the skin can be thought of, literally, as the surface of the brain (skin, brain, spinal chord and nerves all evolve from the ectoderm in embryonic development), gliding slowly over the brain’s outermost periphery has a deeply integrating effect. The essence of the long, flowing stroke lies in connecting the mind to its different physical segments through the sensations generated at the surface of the skin.

Combining deep tissue work with the flowing quality of Esalen Massage creates an holistic method concerned not solely with unwinding soft tissue lesions, but also restoring to the mind a sense of organismic integrity often lost through physical injury, emotional trauma, and the everyday stresses of life.

- CranioSacral Therapy

from _http://www.upledger.com/content.asp?id=61

What is CranioSacral Therapy?

CranioSacral Therapy (CST) is a gentle, hands-on approach that releases tensions deep in the body to relieve pain and dysfunction and improve whole-body health and performance. It was pioneered and developed by Osteopathic Physician John E. Upledger after years of clinical testing and research at Michigan State University where he served as professor of biomechanics.

Using a soft touch which is generally no greater than 5 grams – about the weight of a nickel – practitioners release restrictions in the soft tissues that surround the central nervous system. CST is increasingly used as a preventive health measure for its ability to bolster resistance to disease, and it's effective for a wide range of medical problems associated with pain and dysfunction.

How does CranioSacral Therapy Work?

Few structures have as much influence over the body’s ability to function properly as the brain and spinal cord that make up the central nervous system. And, the central nervous system is heavily influenced by the craniosacral system – the membranes and fluid that surround, protect and nourish the brain and spinal cord.

Every day your body endures stresses and strains that it must work to compensate for. Unfortunately, these changes often cause body tissues to tighten and distort the craniosacral system. These distortions can then cause tension to form around the brain and spinal cord resulting in restrictions. This can create a barrier to the healthy performance of the central nervous system, and potentially every other system it interacts with.

Fortunately, such restrictions can be detected and corrected using simple methods of touch. With a light touch, the CST practitioner uses his or her hands to evaluate the craniosacral system by gently feeling various locations of the body to test for the ease of motion and rhythm of the cerebrospinal fluid pulsing around the brain and spinal cord. Soft-touch techniques are then used to release restrictions in any tissues influencing the craniosacral system.

By normalizing the environment around the brain and spinal cord and enhancing the body’s ability to self-correct, CranioSacral Therapy is able to alleviate a wide variety of dysfunctions, from chronic pain and sports injuries to stroke and neurological impairment.

What conditions does CranioSacral Therapy address?

Migraines and Headaches
Chronic Neck and Back Pain
Autism
Stress and Tension-Related Disorders
Motor-Coordination Impairments
Infant and Childhood Disorders
Brain and Spinal Cord Injuries
Chronic Fatigue
Fibromyalgia
TMJ Syndrome
Scoliosis
Central Nervous System Disorders
Learning Disabilities
ADD/ADHD
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Orthopedic Problems
And Many Other Conditions

- Thai Massage

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_massage

The application of slow, rhythmic compressions and stretches along ten of the most important “sen” (the body’s energy lines) using the palms of the hands, thumbs, elbows and feet. The body is positioned into yoga-like poses and gently rocked to more deeply open joints and facilitate limbering....

Thai massage is a type of massage in Thai style that involves stretching and deep massage. This form of bodywork is usually performed on the floor, and the client wears comfortable clothes that allow for movement. No oils are used in Thai massage....The massage practitioner leans on the recipient's body using hands and usually straight forearms locked at the elbow to apply firm rhythmic pressure. The massage generally follows the Sen lines on the body—somewhat analogous to meridians or channels and Indian nadis. Legs and feet of the giver can be used to fixate the body or limbs of the recipient. In other positions, hands fixate the body, while the feet do the massaging action. A full Thai massage session typically lasts two hours or more, and includes rhythmic pressing and stretching of the entire body; this may include pulling fingers, toes, ears, cracking the knuckles, walking on the recipient's back, and arching the recipient into bhujangasana (or cobra position). There is a standard procedure and rhythm to the massage, which the practitioner will adjust to fit each individual client.

- Sensory Repattering

Sensory Repatterning is a unique modality which utilizes continuous and passive movement such as undulations and slow motion therapy to recalibrate the relationship between your mind and body. ...Based on two main body rhythms, breath and heartbeat, Sensory Repatterning is deeply relaxing for the mind and freeing for the body. It aims to un-wind deep-seated physical patterns that limit our freedom of movement and helps reverse restricted movement."

Fashioned after Dr. Milton Trager’s technique, Sensory Repatterning is based on a “mind to muscle” connection, involving rocking, shaking, and moving body parts through a natural range of motion. It is a gentle, nurturing approach to repatterning the body’s condition. The idea is to present to the body a feeling of freedom from the limits it has set for itself by its own mental programming....

In this advanced form of passive joint mobilization, the client's body is moved, rocked,cradled and invited to let go, creating sensations of openness and freedom, fluidity and joy. Recipients connect with their core, physiologically and emotionally and practitioners learn to use their bodywork tools with more artistry and finesse.

Personally I apply all these techniques on the massage table in a session, mixing them up and customizing it for the client depending on his/her needs.

- Rolfing

I also integrate Rolfing techniques. I'm not a certified Rolfer, but have studied (and still am studying) with a Rolfer. Rolfing, created by Ida Rolf, is seen as the "Rolls Royce" of bodywork. I've gone through the traditional Rolfing series (10 sessions) twice with remarkable results. It's deep structural work addressing the fascia (connective tissue) rather than just the muscles. It's something I'd recommend to everyone to go through at least once as it helps with many issues.

Here's a description by the Rolfer I've been working with (Note: My intention is not to promote/sell his or my work or anyone's work mentioned on here, just using sites to provide information about the different modalities)

from _http://russpfeiffer.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17&Itemid=35

Rolfing is the name coined for the original system of body work developed by Dr. Ida P. Rolf. It can and does make dramatic changes in a person's physical structure. Rolfing has an unequaled and unprecedented ability to dramatically alter a person's posture and structure. Professional athletes, dancers, children, business people and people from all walks of life have benefited from Rolfing. People seek Rolfing as a way to ease pain and chronic stress, and improve performance in their professional and daily activities. It's estimated that more than 1 million people have received Rolfing work.

Rolfers believe that the shape of the body reflects how well it is operating and how balanced it is. The general goal of Rolfing is to bring the body (head, neck, torso, pelvis, legs, and feet), into a balanced and supportive relationship with one another. As this is achieved the body will no longer be “battling” the ever present pull of gravity, in fact it will be “lifted” by the tensional soft tissue system. Research has demonstrated that Rolfing creates a more efficient use of the muscles, allows the body to conserve energy, and creates more economical and refined patterns of movement. Research also shows that Rolfing significantly reduces chronic stress and makes postural changes in the body's structure. What is it that Rolfing changes?

Rolfing works with the connective tissue of the body called Fascia. This tissue is ubiquitous; it positions all of the organs, bones, nerves, blood vessels and muscles and in fact gives the body its form or structure. Fascia is pliable and can have its shape changed by injury, repetitive motions and the manipulations of a Rolfer.

Shortened or “stuck” fascia causes our body to move in a limited range of motion. Old movement patterns, whether from an injury or just sitting in front of computer, can become imprinted in the fascia and can prevent our ability to fully utilize our body.

A Rolfer uses his or her hands to remove these patterns from the fascia and bring it back to its normal length and consistency. Through the release of the fascia the body comes back into alignment, more vertical. The Rolfer is trained to release the fascia in such a way that the body starts to line up along a vertical line; head over shoulders, shoulders over pelvis, pelvis over legs, legs over feet and feet articulating with the earth.

Although Rolfing has the reputation of being a painful process, this is not the case. Since Ida Rolf introduced the work over 30 years ago the craft has been refined and now incorporates more precise contact and gentle movement to release the fascia. As a certified Rolf Movement Practitioner I personally use a great deal of coordinated movement together with touch. However, the client may occasionally feel a localized or general burning sensation, as if the skin were being stretched too far. This only lasts while the tightened tissue areas are releasing. Soon after, the client usually reports a sense of "warmth", "length", "lightness", tingling sensations and new freedom in the area worked on, as well as in surrounding areas as the changes spread through the connective tissue network.

The Rolfing Ten Session Process

Traditionally, clients receive a basic 10-session sequence of Rolfing. This gives me the opportunity to work systematically and comprehensively in releasing the fascial patterns in the client’s entire body. A second option that I offer is what Rolfers call “fix-it” work. These are anywhere from 1-3 sessions in length and address some issue that you feel you have (shoulder problems, headaches, backaches) that have an origin in fascial restrictions.

Clients of Rolfing regularly acknowledge that they feel taller, more at ease in their body, "lighter", recover from strain easier and have more physical energy. These come from a body that is more aligned with gravity.

Other often reported benefits are:
* Improved balance
* Better posture
* Breathing is easier
* Improved joint and soft tissue Range of Motion
* Improved soft tissue flexibility
* More mental energy
* Decreased physical pain
* Easier recovery from exertion
* Movements are easier and more fluid
* Athletic performance is improved
* A calmer mind, well being
* Improved body awareness

Rolfing is considered a Holistic or Whole Body therapy, not concentrating on one area of the body. There are many specific symptoms that Rolfing has been noted to help. Such as:

* Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
* Whiplash injuries
* Back pain
* Temporal Mandibular (TMJ) problems
* Plantar Fasciitis
* Frozen Shoulder syndrome
* Tennis Elbow
* Foot problems, pronation, supination and flat
* Scoliosis
* Spinal Lordosis or Kyphosis
* Neck, Shoulder and Back hyper-tension
* Headaches
* Knee pain
* Hip pain

All of the above are helped through the release of the fascial restrictions and the alignment of the body. Although Rolfing can often aid proper medical care, it is not a medical procedure. Your health and well being has much more to do with keeping your body systems in balance and maintaining that harmony throughout life. Rolfing is a therapy that can greatly help you restore and maintain your vitality and life force.

This just as a start. As I said, there are many other bodywork modalities I haven't touched upon. Maybe others can share their experiences, questions and findings about this topic. I'll contribute more with articles and personal experiences as we go along.

I've also found this excerpt from ISOTM interesting in light of bodywork and massage:

"A great deal of energy is also spent on work which is completely unnecessary and
harmful in every respect, such as on the activity of unpleasant emotions, on the
expression of unpleasant sensations, on worry, on restlessness, on haste, and on a
whole series of automatic actions which are completely useless. As many examples as
you like can be found of such unnecessary activity. First of all there is the constantly
moving flow of thoughts in our mind, which we can neither stop nor control, and
which takes up an enormous amount of our energy. Secondly there is the quite
unnecessary constant tension of the muscles of our organism. The muscles are tense
even when we are doing nothing. As soon as we start to do even a small and
insignificant piece of work, a whole system of muscles necessary for the hardest and
most strenuous work is immediately set in motion. We pick up a needle from the floor
and we spend on this action as much energy as is needed to lift up a man of our own
weight. We write a short letter and use as much muscular energy upon it as would
suffice to write a bulky volume. But the chief point is that we spend muscular energy
continually and at all times, even when we are doing nothing. When we walk the
muscles of our shoulders and arms are tensed unnecessarily; when we sit the muscles
of our legs, neck, back, and stomach are tensed in an unnecessary way. We even sleep
with the muscles of our arms, of our legs, of our face, of the whole of our body tensed,
and we do not realize that we spend much more energy on this continual readiness for
work we shall never do than on all the real, useful work we do during our life.
"Still further we can point to the habit of continually talking with anybody and
about anything, or if there is no one else, with ourselves; the habit of indulging in
fantasies, in daydreaming; the continual change of mood, feelings, and emotions, and
an enormous number of quite useless things which a man considers himself obliged to
feel, think, do, or say.
"In order to regulate and balance the work of the three centers whose functions
constitute our life, it is necessary to learn to economize the energy produced by our
organism, not to waste this energy on unnecessary functions, and to save it for that
activity which will gradually connect the lower centers with the higher."

 

[Laura]

I am a confirmed believer/experiencer in bodywork doing miracles. I mean that sincerely. When nothing else will work to deal with emotional issues, a long series of bodywork sessions can do it if you enter into the therapy with the right attitude. One thing about it is that you can learn to be touched in a caring way that does NOT involve sex, like a parent taking care of a child.

I often say that my massage therapist back in Florida gave me my life back and it's true.

 

[repco]

I suffered from continual sciatic pain for years, so bad I couldn't even drive a car. I tried everything to fix nothing worked until I went for the 10 rolfing sessions.
After the 10th session (all pain was gone) I said to the lady "when do I have to come back" she said "never you are fixed"... Well that was nearly 20 years ago and yes I am fixed, never any problems and I am an active sports player!

Repco

 

[HiThere]

Bodywork does wonders for all kinds of ailments in my experience as well.

 

[1984]

It's also very important to get referrals/do research into the person you are entrusting with your body. Not that someone new to massage/body work can't be good, but a seasoned professional is always a good idea. Be aware that many folks are into massage/bodywork for the money, and obviously those folks likely don't have your best interest at heart. Ask friends/relatives (if you trust them, of course! :)) for therapists they may use. Do internet research on them. Know who you are dealing with.

As well, as do an 'interview' with the therapist prior to making the appointment - get a 'feel' for them (because they will do that with you too. Several friends of mine who are therapists say they will/should 'interview' you as well! :) A good therapist should ask a lot of questions about your health, physical background (ailments, etc.), and oftentimes won't (and shouldn't) make an appointment with you for an actual session until you have been able to meet face to face.

As Laura mentioned too:

One thing about it is that you can learn to be touched in a caring way that does NOT involve sex, like a parent taking care of a child.

I hear this from my therapist friends a lot. In fact, I understand it's not at all odd that a client quickly forms an emotional bond with their therapist, especially if they've experienced abuse in the past and haven't worked that out. It really is important to know a true healing touch because so few of us ever really do.

 

[emmanuel]

I am a confirmed believer/experiencer in bodywork doing miracles. I mean that sincerely. When nothing else will work to deal with emotional issues, a long series of bodywork sessions can do it if you enter into the therapy with the right attitude. One thing about it is that you can learn to be touched in a caring way that does NOT involve sex, like a parent taking care of a child.

I often say that my massage therapist back in Florida gave me my life back and it's true.

I totally agree, Laura. Especially about the way, HOW you touch another person. I working like massage therapist for 13 years now and I very soon discovered the same thing, that the therapist "must see and overcame" the sexual "feelings" that may arise in the machine-body. This is just ANOTHER PROGRAM and when you don't identified with this, this passed and then the CARING FEELING arise, like taking care of a child.

I do a lot of different techniques , but when I experimented with the Cranio-sacral therapy in combination with Shiatsu (in the water is called Watsu) in the warm thermal water, gave excellent results. I call it Essential relaxation in warm thermal water. When you lie in the water carried on the hands of qualified and trusted therapist is like you are in the mother womb, safe and comfortable, like a fetus. It can also bring you memory from the before birth. This can in some cases not be pleasant but you realize some very deep feelings and emotions buried deep inside you and you than can overcome this with deeper understanding.

Is anyone maybe try something like this in the water?

It's interesting because we are made cca. 70 % of water and our brain are in the CSF cerebrospinal fluid. Can this make any sense? That we can with loving and caring approach in the warm water maybe reach deeper level that the machine, body-mind can be "better tuned"? Or at least reach deeper levels of relaxations?

Just something for the reflection and just my 2 cents...

 

[emmanuel]

It's also very important to get referrals/do research into the person you are entrusting with your body. Not that someone new to massage/body work can't be good, but a seasoned professional is always a good idea. Be aware that many folks are into massage/bodywork for the money, and obviously those folks likely don't have your best interest at heart. Ask friends/relatives (if you trust them, of course! :)) for therapists they may use. Do internet research on them. Know who you are dealing with.

As well, as do an 'interview' with the therapist prior to making the appointment - get a 'feel' for them (because they will do that with you too. Several friends of mine who are therapists say they will/should 'interview' you as well! :) A good therapist should ask a lot of questions about your health, physical background (ailments, etc.), and oftentimes won't (and shouldn't) make an appointment with you for an actual session until you have been able to meet face to face.

As Laura mentioned too:

One thing about it is that you can learn to be touched in a caring way that does NOT involve sex, like a parent taking care of a child.

I hear this from my therapist friends a lot. In fact, I understand it's not at all odd that a client quickly forms an emotional bond with their therapist, especially if they've experienced abuse in the past and haven't worked that out. It really is important to know a true healing touch because so few of us ever really do.

Very good point, 1984. I agree in everything you mentioned above. In the relation therapist-patient or therapist-customer, emotional bond can NEVER be present. The therapist must be totally neutral and the person involved in therapy or massage of any kind must have the TRUSTED feelings of "NON-ABUSIVE type kind". The person must feel completely safe with the therapist. If you like a person who need help get a not good feeling about the therapist is probably better that whatever techniques is involved, that you change the therapist.

 

[Bernhard]

It's also very important to get referrals/do research into the person you are entrusting with your body. Not that someone new to massage/body work can't be good, but a seasoned professional is always a good idea. Be aware that many folks are into massage/bodywork for the money, and obviously those folks likely don't have your best interest at heart. Ask friends/relatives (if you trust them, of course! :)) for therapists they may use. Do internet research on them. Know who you are dealing with.

As well, as do an 'interview' with the therapist prior to making the appointment - get a 'feel' for them (because they will do that with you too. Several friends of mine who are therapists say they will/should 'interview' you as well! :) A good therapist should ask a lot of questions about your health, physical background (ailments, etc.), and oftentimes won't (and shouldn't) make an appointment with you for an actual session until you have been able to meet face to face.

As Laura mentioned too:

One thing about it is that you can learn to be touched in a caring way that does NOT involve sex, like a parent taking care of a child.

I hear this from my therapist friends a lot. In fact, I understand it's not at all odd that a client quickly forms an emotional bond with their therapist, especially if they've experienced abuse in the past and haven't worked that out. It really is important to know a true healing touch because so few of us ever really do.

Good points. Even I as a massage therapist choose a bodyworker that way, mostly through referrals or I "trade" with other therapists I know personally. Conversely most of my clients have been referred to me from other clients. Very few people have contacted me who just found my website. For the most part it's word of mouth. But what goes for someone who is looking for the right massage therapist goes also for the bodyworker, making sure the client doesn't want "more" than a massage. Again, clear boundaries and communication are key.

If you don't know any massage therapists and have no referrals, it's best to go to a spa or massage place where licensed therapists work. It's the safest way to start, imo. I also started working at a spa until I had enough clients who wanted to see me privately (house call or coming to my place) and was able to build my private practice.

In terms of "emotional bond", I personally haven't experienced that yet. Sometimes an emotional release happens during a session and I had people crying and processing during a session when trauma came up and armor was dissolved, however no one ever become "hooked" on me or was trying to have a "relationship" with me. It's about clear boundaries and neutral healing touch. Intention is important as well as knowledge. For the most part it's about holding space and let the unwinding unfold, trusting that the body "knows" what its doing in the healing process. Some clients also share very private issues they haven't even shared with their partner, friends or family. It's about knowing you limits and don't give advice you're not qualified to give. I have some clients who talk throughout the whole session and I'm just listening. They feel the need to share what's going on in their lives, even vent a bit, and just need a good "listener" without me giving any advice or feedback.

I also take much time before the session to check in with my client and meet him/her where he/she is at. My main purpose is to truly help the person and not just try to keep him/her as a client to make more money. If I see that my skills don't work for him/her or I can see she'd benefit from a different treatment I refer him/her to someone else I know (for example acupuncturist, rolfer, chiropracter, psychologist, etc.. ). Again, you gotta KNOW your limits and have a good network of other therapists you could refer your client to.

In terms of healing touch vs. sexual touch, it's a touchy subject (no pun intended ;) ). Sometimes it's not about the therapist's touch but HOW the person receives it. Especially in our culture, where many people are out of touch with their bodies or have not been nurtured in childhood (including touch), some people are actually even afraid of touch or perceive any touch as "sexual". There is a book I highly recommend which goes into this topic in more depth: "Touching - The Human Significance of the Skin" by Ashley Montagu http://www.amazon.com/Touching-Human-Significance-Ashley-Montagu/dp/0060960280

It describes how the birth process and even prenatal stage affects one's psychology later in life and how important nurturing touch is for one's healthy development. There are also very interesting differences between people who were born with a C-section and people who were born "normal" going through the birth-canal and babies who were breast-fed or not. Then there is the mother-child relationship right after birth and how touch or lack there-of determines the child's later development, also relating to sexuality, fear of touch, etc..

This book is about the skin as a tactile organ very much involved, not alone physically but also behaviorally, in the growth and development of the organism. The central referent is man, and what happens or fails to happen to him as an infant by way of tactile experience, as affecting his subsequent behavioral development, is my principal concern here.
[...]
The skin as an organ, the largest organ of the body, was very much neglected until quite recently. But it is not as an organ as such that I am here concerned with the skin; rather, in contrast to the psychosomatic or centrifugal approach, I am interested in what may be called the somatopsychic or centripetal approach. In short, I am interested in the manner in which tactile experience or its lack affects the development of behavior; hence, "the mind of the skin."
[...]
The question we are most concerned to ask and answer in this book is, What influence do the various kinds of cutaneous
experiences which the organism undergoes, especially in early life, have upon its development? Primarily we are concerned to discover: (1) What kind of skin stimulations are necessary for the healthy development of the organism, both physically and behaviorally? and (2) What are the effects, if any, of the want or insufficiency of particular kinds of skin stimulation?
[...]
The specific question to which we seek an answer is: Must the member of the species Homo sapiens undergo, in the course of early development, certain kinds of tactile experiences in order to develop as a healthy human being? If such experiences are necessary, of what kind are they? For some light on these questions we may first turn to the observations made on other animals.
[...]
The manner in which the young of all mammals snuggle up to and cuddle the body of the mother as well as the bodies of their siblings or of any other introduced animal strongly sug gests that cutaneous stimulation is an important biological need, for both their physical and behavioral development. Al most every animal enjoys being stroked or otherwise having its skin pleasurably stimulated. Dogs appear to be insatiable in their appetite for stroking, cats will relish it and purr, as will innumerable other animals both domestic and wild, apparently enjoying the stroking at least as much as they do self-licking. The supreme note of confidence offered a human by a cat is to rub itself against your leg. The touch of a human hand is very much more effective than the application of an impersonal mechanical apparatus, as for example in milking, where it is well known among experts and dairy farmers that hand-milked cows give more and richer terminal milk than machine-milked cows.
[...]
When a baby is born a mother is also born. There is considerable evidence that at this time, and for months the
reafter, her needs for contact exceed those of the infant The Harlows observed that during the first few months in the rhesus monkey the mother's need for intimate contact surpassed that of the infant, and served to produce maternal protection. In the human mother the need for intimate con tact is undoubtedly much greater and considerably more prolonged than it is in other mammals, serving not only important psychological functions, but also many physiological ones, such as arresting of the postpartum hemorrhage, contraction of the uterus, detachment and expulsion of the placenta, improved circulation, etc

A striking finding of Harlow and his fellow investigators was that when the five utter failures as mothers had their histories traced back to their early experiences it was found that they had been denied the opportunity to develop normal maternal-infant relationships, that they had never known a real monkey mother of their own, and had also been denied normal infant-infant relationships, subsequently having only limited physical association with other monkeys. Two of these mothers were essentially indifferent to their infants, and three were violently abusive. "Failure of normal gratification of contact-clinging in infancy may make it impossible for the adult female to show normal contact relationships with her own infant. Likewise, maternal brutality may stem from inadequate social experience with other infants within the first year of life," Furthermore, these investigators found that none of the motherless-mother animals ever showed normal female sex behavior, such as posturing and responding. They became mothers in spite of them selves. As we shall see, the parallel with such interrelated behaviors in humans is virtually complete, and the significance of these behaviors is virtually identical.
[...]
The biological unity, the symbiotic relationship, maintained by mother and conceptus throughout pregnancy does not cease at birth; indeed, it is naturally designed to become even more intensively functional and mutually involving after birth than during gestation in the uterus....Birth represents a complex and highly important series of functional changes which serve to prepare the newborn for the passage across the bridge between gestation within the womb and gestation continued outside the womb. Because the human infant is born in so precariously immature a condition, it is especially necessary for the parental generation of the human species fully to understand what the immaturity of its infants really signifies: namely, that with all the modifications initiated by the birth process, the infant is still continuing its gestation period, passing, by the avenue of birth, from uterogestation to exterogestation in a continuing and ever more complex interactive relationship with the mother, the one person in the world who is best equipped to meet its needs. Among the most important of the newborn infant's needs are the signals it receives through the skin, its first medium of communication with the outside world. In preparation for its functioning in the postnatal world to afford it, as it were, a womb with a view the massive contractions of the uterus upon the body of the fetus play an important role.
[...]
In 1939, Mary Shirley published the results of a study on premature children of nursery school and kindergarten age
conducted at the Harvard Child Study Center in Boston. Shirley found that premature children exhibit a significantly higher
sensory acuity than term children, and in comparison are some what retarded in lingual and manual control, as well as in
postural and locomotor control. Control of bowel and bladder sphincters, significantly enough, was found to be achieved later and with difficulty in the premature children. The attention span is short; such children are inclined to be highly emotional, jumpy, anxious, and usually shy. Summarizing her findings, Shirley observed that in the preschool period, the prematures present significantly more behavior problems than fullterm children. These problems include hyperactivity, later acquisition of bowel and bladder control, enuresis, excessive distractibility, shyness, thumb-sucking, negativism and hypersensitivity to sound.
[...]
What the child requires if it is to prosper, it was found, is to be handled, and carried, and caressed, and cuddled, and cooed to, even if it isn't breastfed. It is the handling, the carrying, the caressing, and the cuddling that we would here emphasize, for it would seem that even in the absence of a great deal else, these are the reassuringly basic experiences the infant must enjoy if it is to survive in some semblance of health. Extreme sensory deprivation in other respects, such as light and sound, can be survived, as long as the sensory experiences at the skin are maintained.
[...]
When, in later life, we speak of the "warmth" of a person, as compared with those who are "cold," these are not, we may suspect, mere figures of speech. As Otto Fenichel has said,

Temperature eroticism in particular is often combined with early oral eroticism and forms an essential part of primitive receptive sexuality. To have cutaneous contact with the partner and to feel the warmth of his body remains an essential component of all love relationships. In archaic forms of love, where objects serve rather as mere instruments for gaining satisfaction, this is especially marked. Intense pleasure in warmth, frequently manifested in neurotic bathing habits, is usually encountered in persons who simultaneously show other signs of a passive-receptive orientation, particularly in regard to the regulation of their self- esteem. For such persons, "to get affection" means "to get warmth." They are "frozen" personalities who "thaw" in a "warm" atmosphere, who can sit for hours in a warm bath or on a radiator.

[...]
Though much that has been attributed to the oral phase of development has not been adequately investigated, there can be not the least doubt of the existence of a profound relationship between oral experiences in infancy and later sexual competencies. Nor can there be any doubt of the intimate connection between the skin and all its appendages, including hair, glands, neural elements, and sexual behavior. A French wit has remarked that love is the harmony of two souls and the contact of two epidermes.* And indeed, it is in the sexual act that, next to the perinatal experience of labor, the individual experiences his most massive cutaneous stimulations, with the lips and tongue and mouth usually actively involved. Nor can there be any doubt that eating and love become closely interwoven in such a manner that in later life eating often becomes a substitute satisfaction for love, obesity frequently constituting an evidence of a failure to obtain love. The offering of food is often more than a perfunctory evidence of the tendering of love.
[...]
That the mother experiences something akin to sexual stimulation by the baby's suckling is well known, and that the baby experiences sensations which, endowed with meanings, later become perceptions of something resembling sexual gratification, is highly probable. We have already noted on an earlier page that inadequate mothering may seriously affect the subsequent sexual behavior of the offspring. The Harlows, to whom we owe this observation, have also shown that while rhesus monkeys raised by live mothers were more advanced in social and sexual behavior than those raised by surrogate mothers constructed of terry-cloth covered wire, the surrogate-raised infants developed perfectly normal social and sexual behavior if they were permitted each day to play in the stimulating environment of other infant monkeys. The Harlows rightly point out that the role played by infant-infant relationships as determiners of adolescent and adult adjustments should not be underestimated. It is more than possible, the Harlows suggest, that the infant-infant affectional system "is essential if the animal is to respond positively to sheer physical contact with a peer, and it is through the operation of this system, probably both in monkey and man, that sexual roles become identified and, usually, acceptable."

It is, indeed possible, even probable, as the Harlows suggest, that infant-infant contacts are necessary for the full development of social and sexual competence, but that, in the absence of any kind of mother at all, such behavior would, even in the presence of other-infant contacts, not develop as well as in mothered infants. Certainly it is clear that, in humans, good mothering without peer contacts has not seriously detrimentally affected the social and sexual development of innumerable individuals. Indeed, there exists an extensive literature showing how enormously important the mother's behavior is for her infant's subsequent social and sexual development. We may be reasonably sure, when all the evidence is in, that however valuable the infant-infant affectional relation may prove to be, it will never equal the influence of the affectional relationship that exists between the nursing couple, always with the understanding that the mother is genuinely affectionate. There can be little doubt that peer interaction in the social growth and development of the child is of considerable importance, for it is in the give and take between peers that children try out and learn many of the modulations of interpersonal behavior.
[...]
Originally derived from the Old French louche, the word is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as "the action or an act of touching (with the hand, finger, or other part of the body); exercise of the faculty of feeling upon a material object." Touching is defined as "the action, or an act, of feeling some thing with the hand, etc." The operative word is feeling. Al though touch is not itself an emotion, its sensory elements induce those neural, glandular, muscular, and mental changes which in combination we call an emotion. Hence touch is not experienced as a simple physical modality, as sensation, but affectively, as emotion. When we speak of being touched, espe cially by some act of beauty or sympathy, it is the state of being emotionally moved that we wish to describe. And when we describe someone as being "touched to the quick," it is another kind of emotion that we have in mind. The verb "to touch" comes to mean to be sensitive to human feeling. To be "touchy" means to be oversensitive. "To keep in touch" means that how ever far we may be removed we remain in communication. That is what language was originally designed to do, to put and to keep human in touch with human. The experiences the infant undergoes in contact with his mother's body constitute his primary and basic means of communication, his first language, his first entering into touch with another human being, the genesis of "the human touch.

 

[Moonbird]

Hello everyone,

Thanks Spiral Out for creating this thread.

I became a massage therapist in 2006 because of a much needed career change. Becoming a therapist was something I thought about for years before I finally made the break from unfulfilling jobs in the corporate world. And now my work is something near and dear to my heart. I love what I do.

It seems to me that the perception of most people that massage is a “luxury” and “pampering” is changing. My observation is that people are realizing how helpful and healing having a massage can be. I agree that massage is definitely “preventative medicine.” Just like when you go to the dentist twice a year for a cleaning. I tell people that all the time. Just look how massage has become available to lower income brackets with the Massage Envy franchises popping up all over the country. You can get a monthly massage there for $59 by becoming a member. It may be cheaper in other areas around the U.S.

The trick is, as you mentioned Spiral Out, finding the right bodyworker. There is nothing more disheartening for me than receiving a blahh or bad massage. My aim this year was to start receiving a massage each month in order to take better care of myself because of the work I do. Well, I am not doing very well with this because I cannot find the right fit for me. So I am discouraged at present. But I will keep searching. I have the name of a gal who has been a therapist for 25 years and will be visiting her next.

With all the stressors in life, sometimes all we need is a good massage! Massage promotes such a sense of well being, especially for the elderly who are often lonely and neglected.

The spa environment is where I am at present. I have a few elderly clients at an assisted living community as well. (My oldest client was 101! A real joy!)

Well thank you all for listening. I surely enjoy my time here at the Cassiopaea Forum and SOTT and reading The Wave.

 

[Voyageur]

Good thread Spiral Out :)

My partner is a long time therapist so we discuss these topics daily. Hazards in the field are “transference” and “counter transference” which is where a great deal of harm can be made. A good therapist is very diligent at understanding these important rules and recognizing when they appear in the client and self. Many clients seem to want to be fixed, and fixed right now – most difficult. Others know and trust the therapists work and realise it is a process of not just one or two treatments, although for some, this can be so. The most interesting work i’ve had, seen the results of in others, or discussed, is trigger point or Myofascial release. Sometimes i can’t believe the immediate change from having locked in points being released.

Another aspect of choosing a good therapist is not just their “book” knowledge, but referral business. Many schooled therapists know all the terms, have the alphabet, the association, yet upon treatments just don’t have intuitive mind/hands that recognize what needs to be done. Another aspect we discuss is recognizing contraindications, client health history, diet, knowing that more damage can be done by working on things that need no work or a higher level of care.

Think humans could benefit for more than they do by utilizing massage as part of their maintenance and care.

 

[Turgon]

Thanks for bringing this topic up, Spiral Out. I finished my 10 sessions of Rolfing recently and during that time, looked around on the forum for any information and experiences with it.

I found those 10 sessions to be very intense, not so much physically - although at times it was quite painful depending on where on the body the rolfer worked on, but emotionally especially. Quite a few times, I would leave the session feeling either overwhelmingly depressed, angry or dishevelled. I would quickly smoke right afterwards to 'escape' the feelings and focus on something else. Even though I did notice more 'lightness' and ease in certain areas in my body, there was an underlying tension that would sort of 'pull me back' to my original posture and way of doing things after a period of time.

Many feelings would crop up from childhood, many of them old fears that seem to come from a place when I was very young, probably even pre-verbal. Around the 7th session, I got this distinct feeling of needing to step back from Rolfing for a little while and take up a more gentle approach on my body for the next little while, to give me an opportunity to process all that was coming up. I didn't and my last few sessions, especially the re-integration one (#9) was extremely difficult to handle.

Afterwards, I was overwhelmed and couldn't focus for days, because the sensations and feelings attached were too much to deal with (this has popped up again 3 times since). So I think it's important, when people are heading into healing modalities of this kind, to really listen and express what they are feeling to their body worker. I stayed quiet about this due to the program of 'being nice' and wanting to 'see it through to the end' - when in hindsight I could have easily have let her know that this was how I was feeling and come back to it when I felt like some of what had surfaced was more properly integrated. I`m sure she would have understood.

Not everyone has experiences like this, but for the more sensitive type of person, which I am, taking it slow with such a powerful form of healing is best. Just sharing some of my thoughts on the experience.

 

[echo]

I can relate with your experience, Turgon. I have been taking osteopathic treatments during the fall. It's not rolfing but very gentle yet deep in perhaps a similar way. After the first one I developed a headache that wouldn't go away, and the feelings of depression and frustration that you mention. 2 weeks later for my next appointment, the headache had just started to go away but came back immediately after treatment. I called the school (it's a college of osteopathy clinic) and got an appointment with the head master. He corrected the problem (something in my hip was stuck) and the headache went away but I was quite overwhelmed with the whole experience. He told me that I reacted so strongly to treatment that I shouldn't come more than once a month, perhaps with even more time in between. I was disappointed because I'm a little bit impatient, but I followed his advice. Next time, 4 weeks later, I felt I was "ready" for the next round. This time they knew not to do too much, and did a very gentle work with my middle back and diaphragm. I still get a strong reaction- a lot of emotions and memories- but knowing I have time to process things, I feel I can relax.

Restorative yoga helps me a lot, (= using a lot of pillows and props to rest in positions) and EE. I think when we get overwhelmed we tend to pull away from feeling, which disrupts the healing process even more.

Best wishes to your healing

 

[Turgon]

He told me that I reacted so strongly to treatment that I shouldn't come more than once a month, perhaps with even more time in between. I was disappointed because I'm a little bit impatient, but I followed his advice. Next time, 4 weeks later, I felt I was "ready" for the next round.

I had the same issue. I was in such a hurry to fix my bodily issues and whatever emotional entanglements that were involved that I forgot completely that healing is a process, whereas I was looking at at from point A to point B. My rolfer kept talking to me about creating space and trying to relax and slow down a bit, which I would agree with - but most likely just in a mechanical way because I was still 'stuck' on the idea of trying to heal as quickly as possible.

I think when we get overwhelmed we tend to pull away from feeling, which disrupts the healing process even more.

I agree, and it's something that really needs to be worked on. I actually tried to stay with the feelings, even though I wanted to dissociate from it, and it was 'painful' which is what led to the overwhelm. Peter Levine talks about this 'In An Unspoken Voice' how dealing with the sensations and feelings should be like a pendulum, swinging back and forth, each time you get a little closer, but not too much too soon, because you can overwhelm yourself and cause re-traumatization.

In and of itself, I'm seeing that 'thrusting' of a predator in my urge to get rolfing and healing. Totally missing out on the process itself because I was so concerned (still am) about the outcome.

Best wishes to your healing

Thanks, you too :)

 

[Bernhard]

Came across some interesting quotes from Ida Rolf, founder of Rolfing. I can highly recommend to go through the 10 Rolfing series at least once. Great work! Has helped me a lot.

“Rolfing can be like making your bed in the morning. You think you’re going to get by without pulling that bed apart, so you pull up this cover and the next cover. When you get all the covers puffed up, you’ve got nine ridges running across the bed. Now you’ve got to go to a deeper layer and organize the deeper layer, and make your bed on top of that. Then you’ve got a made bed. Well it’s the same with the body: you’ve got to organize those deeper layers.”

–Ida P. Rolf, Ph.D.

“Some individuals may perceive their losing fight with gravity as a sharp pain in their back, others as the unflattering contour of their body, others as constant fatigue, yet others as an unrelentingly threatening environment. Those over forty may call it old age. And yet all these signals may be pointing to a single problem so prominent in their own structure, as well as others, that it has been ignored: they are off balance, they are at war with gravity.”

–Ida P. Rolf, Ph.D.

“… no situation exists in a human which a psychologist would diagnose as a feeling of insecurity or inadequacy unless it is accompanied by a physical situation which bears witness to the fact that the gravitational support is inadequate.”

–Ida P. Rolf, Ph.D.

“Practitioners of SI do not feel ourselves to be therapists. The gravitational field is the therapist. What we do is prepare the body to receive the support from the gravitational field which gives a greater sense of well being.” –Ida Rolf … there is an ongoing psychological change as well toward balance, toward serenity, toward a more whole person. The whole person evidences a more apparent, more potent psychic development.”

–Ida P. Rolf, Ph.D.

“Rolfing is permanent. As one student put it, after you’re Rolfed you’re like a Jaguar. No matter how long you drive a Jaguar, it’s not going to turn into a Ford. That’s a very good emotional answer. It’s beautiful because it appeals to all levels.”

–Ida P. Rolf, Ph.D.

“In Structural Integration, we expect to give a cycle of 10 sessions. There is a reason for this. We are not dealing with local problems. We are not dealing with the kind of thing that you can say, ‘Well, I fixed that, that’s all.’ We are dealing with an intent to make a body more secure, more adequate within the field of gravity. This requires that muscles be balanced, and need to be balanced around a vertical line. And when I talk about balancing muscles, I’m talking about balancing the right side against the left side. About balancing the front of the body against the back of the body and, finally, about balancing the innermost muscles against the outermost, the inside against the outside, this is the most important of these balances, and we start from the outside working in, and it takes ten hours before we can get to the place where we can really balance the outside against the inside.”

–Ida P. Rolf, Ph.D.

“The gravitational field of the earth is easily the most potent physical influence in any human life. When human energy field and gravity are at war, needless to say gravity wins every time. It may be a man’s friend and reinforce his activity; it may be his bitter enemy and drag him to physical destruction. His structure holds the answer.”

–Ida P. Rolf, Ph.D.

“Structure is behavior. In humans, conflicts resulting from gravity cannot be understood by seeing man as unitary and unchanging. They hypothesis of man as unitary has retarded his understanding of his physical being. As an aggregate of weight-integrals, man is plastic, segmented and movable.”

–Ida P. Rolf, Ph.D.

“The fixation of the flesh interferes with the energy flow that is the essence of life”.

–Ida P. Rolf, Ph.D.

“Go around the problem: get the system sufficiently resilient so that it is able to change, and it will change. It doesn’t have to be forced. It’s that forcing that you will have to avoid at all costs.”

–Ida P. Rolf, Ph.D.

“We are not truly upright, we are only on our way to being upright. This is a metaphysical consideration. One of the jobs of a Rolfer is to speed that process along. We want to get a man out of the place where gravity is his enemy. We want to get him into the place where gravity reinforces him and is a friend, a nourishing force.”

–Ida P. Rolf, Ph. D.

“Rolfers make a life study of relating bodies and their fields to the earth and its gravity field, and so we organize the body that the gravity field can reinforce the body’s energy field. This is our primary concept.”

–Ida P. Rolf, Ph.D.

“This is the gospel of Rolfing: when the body gets working appropriately, the forces of gravity can flow through. Then, spontaneously, the body heals itself.”

–Ida P. Rolf, Ph D.

“In every arthritic patient, the hip joint gets itself stuck and woven together and heaped up and then sore. You can say the guy has arthritis. You could better say that the guy’s hip joint is just so heaped up he can’t move. If the arthritis hasn’t progressed too far, a Rolfer can get it out. If it has, chemical changes have taken place which will make the going much slower.”

–Ida P. Rolf, Ph.D.

“As people come to Rolfers with their aches and their pains, we can see where their bodies are literally offering blocks to the gravitational forces. The gravitational force is immense, and their resistance isn’t much good except to close the body down, compress it. Sometimes the block has been put into the physical picture by a physical traumatic episode — a fall down the cellar steps, out of a tree, out of a high chair, off a tricycle or bicycle, out of a speeding automobile, etc., etc. This block is in the actual structure, in the flesh of the body. Then there is the kind of block that is basically emotional. Little Jimmy loves Papa. Papa goes along bent over, so Jimmy goes along like that because this allows him to be Papa in his mind. And by and by Jimmy gets a set into his muscular body which he cannot let go of. To get it out, he has to have help.”

–Ida P. Rolf, Ph.D.

“I am dealing with problems in the body where there is never just one cause. I’d like you to have more reality on the circular processes that do not act in the body, but that are the body. The body process is not linear, it is circular; always, it is circular. One thing goes awry, and its effects go on and on and on and on. A body is a web, connecting everything with everything else.

–Ida P. Rolf, Ph.D.

“Over and over again, people come to me, and they tell me, You just don’t know how strong I am. They say “strength” and I want to hear “balance.” The strength idea has effort in it; this is not what I’m looking for. Strength that has effort in it is not what you need; you need the strength that is the result of ease.”

–Ida P. Rolf, Ph.D.

“When the pelvis is not balanced, we do not have the upward thrust that creates zero balance, the sense of weightlessness that can be experienced in the body. When the pelvis is aberated, it does not allow this equipoise, this tranquility in experience that a balanced pelvis shows. The combined forces acting on a balanced pelvis are in a moment of inertia near zero. It is always in dynamic action, but the forces balance out to near zero.”

–Ida P. Rolf, Ph.D.

“This is an important concept: that practitioners are integrating something; we are not restoring something. This puts us in a different class from all other therapists that I know of. It takes us out of the domain designated by the word “therapy,” and puts us in the domain designated by the word “education.” It puts our thinking into education: how can we use these ideas behind Structural Integration? How do we put a body together so that it’s a unit, an acting, energy efficient unit? One of the differences between Structural Integration Practitioners and practitioners of medicine, osteopathy, chiropractic, naturopathy, etc., is that the latter are all relieving symptoms. They make no effort to put together elements into a more efficient energy system.”

–Ida P. Rolf, Ph.D

“From the first day we see a client, we are putting him together, we are integrating him. We integrate him at the end of his first hour, at the end of his second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth. At every hour before that man or that woman walks out the door, we should have integrated him to the place where he has the best, most efficient use of his system that he can have at that level. At the end of the eighth hour he should certainly have an efficient use of a higher level of operation than he had at the end of the seventh hour or at the end of the second hour. If, in our presentation to the world, enough stress can be laid on this, we will have a certain amount of publicity indicating that we are less therapists than we are educationists. I am not hiding behind a bunch of words here. This is what I mean, this is my goal: an educational process.”

–Ida P. Rolf, Ph.D.

Edit: found another one with reference to Gurdjieff and Ouspensky:

"The message of Gurdjieff, and Ouspensky who followed him, was that it didn't matter what you did ad much as how you did it. Many years ago, in a Sunday supplement, I saw a picture of the Olympic races. Among the first four contestants in this picture, the thing that was so outstanding was that the man who won was operating in form and all of the others were operating out of desperation that they had to get there. The front runner was perfectly quiet and easy and could have carried on a conversation all the time he was running. This is form."

- Ida P. Rolf, PhD

 

[Carl]

You've finally convinced me Spiral Out, thanks very much for the info. I've been putting off getting bodywork for a really long time, but I'm starting to see how it would be a great investment, and could be the thing I feel I am 'missing' at the moment.

I just booked my first Rolfing session in January with a certified European Rolfer. Had a fantastic rapport on the phone with the practitioner, and she has some good reviews, so fingers crossed :).