Massage and Bodywork

[LQB]

My rolfer said to me, "thank you for telling me all these things." - she looked emotional, too. I had a release and it was a very good session. :)

Sounds like it, Aya - very nice! Thanks for relating it. :)

 

[Carl]

Today I had a forth rolfing session. It was great! My rolfer worked on my whole body. It was very painful when she worked on my knees which I felt it was like she was pricking there with a small needle. She also worked on my toe that I hurt really bad, falling from stairs on the New Year.

My body felt very warm while she was working on my body. I mentioned her about eating nutritious soup every day. - She asked me like “Is it bone broth?” And I was like “yes!” – Then we started talking about different diets. She was very interested when I told her about Paleo diet and Ketogenic diet, and the fact that I was eliminating most of vegetables as an experiment to be healthy. She also asked me if I was still having painful period, and I told her it’s been much less painful after start eating bone broth.

After the session when I stood up, I felt very dizzy for a while, but after I felt my weight on the ground, firm and steady – I felt more support standing up with good balance on my two feet.

I was very happy for some reason while she was working on my body. I was very relaxed and calm. When the session was done, I sat on a chair ... and started crying. oh god...tears came out and it didn’t stop! My rolfer was perplexed but I explained to her my situation – about moving from Japan after the earthquake/nuclear accident and so forth. Actually, I felt so happy that thinking about my home made me want to cry –not because I was sad. I guess I was crying for others who are suffering consciously or unconsciously, as the situation is so devastating.

My rolfer said to me, "thank you for telling me all these things." - she looked emotional, too. I had a release and it was a very good session. :)

Awesome! It sounds like you're making lots of progress with it. Can't wait for my second session tomorrow :)

 

[Carl]

Just reporting in, I had my legs and feet worked on on Monday, and it was a very enjoyable, though slightly painful, session. I've finally learned how to walk ! The smoothness and ease of my gait now after the session and practicing some simple changes is very noticeable, it feels much more natural.

Very interesting so far, it may become quite the adventure as we go a little deeper in the coming sessions.

 

[Laura]

I'm glad the dizziness was mentioned. I had a rolfing session today - feet and legs - and afterward, felt dizzy (vertigo) nauseous, and generally disoriented. Haven't had that happen before. I'm still feeling spaced out.

 

[seek10]

Thank you truth seeker, spiral out and Laura. I see some locations near my house that do deep tissue therapy and one location for lymphatic drainage technique too. I will plan to take some appointments soon after checking the reviews.

I had my first deep tissue therapy session. Felt good , though some 'scared' feelings keep coming. I had some difficulty in allowing the massage on the back shoulder joint region and therapist says I have lot of knots in that region and suggests the trigger point therapy for the region. I will be scheduling that soon.

 

[Bernhard]

A video about Rolfing by Dr. Ida Rolf. She explains what Rolfing/Structural Integration is in a nutshell.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaUwROROJts

 

[Voyageur]

A video about Rolfing by Dr. Ida Rolf. She explains what Rolfing/Structural Integration is in a nutshell.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaUwROROJts

Thanks for the link Spiral Out.

Have includes a few points Dr. Ida Rolf discusses below on Rolfing:

To make a person feel more effective, more efficient, to make him better organized, better coordinated.
...
Because he is in the gravitational field and accepting it, and working in it and working with it, instead of fighting it, as the average random body has to do.
...
Muscles need to be balanced around a vertical line.

On Muscles:

Balancing the right side against the left side/front of the body against the back of the body/inner most muscles against the outermost muscles – the inside against the outside, this is the most important…

Accidents:

Bodies carry their history written within them.”

Practice:

What we are interested in doing is setting muscular groupings where they belong in order to work most efficiently within the gravity field, in order to support the body with the least effort. That means you have to induce a balance. You induce this balance by getting two sides symmetrical, front /back symmetrical, inside/outside symmetrical.

Rolfing

Demonstrates that a body is a plastic medium; it demonstrates that this plastic medium can be changed back to the model which we accept as being energywize and a more efficient unite.
...
You have to deal with the body as an aggregate of blocks; you have to change the positioning of the blocks…

Breathing patterns:

There are many imposed breathing patterns, imposed by many schools of thinking about bodies.

Their school:

Must not impose a breathing pattern.

She seems to be saying that once the body is realigned/balanced, breathing will take on its natural original form after being out of alignment from an accident or other misalignment.

 

[Bernhard]

This is an interesting article about massage and music. Being a musician and drummer myself, I also consciously choose what kind of music I play in my sessions and "choreograph" my work accordingly, which definitely has a deeper healing effect on my clients as I've noticed many times. I recently finished building/decorating my new massage room in the new house blueberry and I moved into. I've installed custom made professional acoustic panels which increase the sound quality in the room as well as a 2.1 sound system with a subwoofer under the massage table and bamboo speakers mounted on the wall. It really sounds awesome in the room now. The frequency response is amazing and I'm hearing things in the music I play I haven't heard before. Looking forward to explore the healing effects of bodywork combined with music even more. Blueberry is also doing the EE program in this room and she's giving one-on-one EE classes in it too. Laura's voice sounds like she's with us in the room! :) It's very quiet without any noise coming in from the outside.

_http://www.peacehope.com/Massage_and_Music.html

 

[Starshine]

Thanks for this thread, Spiral Out,
It's been really useful to discover "Touching - The Human Significance of the Skin" by Ashley Montagu", it explained a lot of things to me. I never had much infos about childs born by caesarean which I am and even though I had good care as a baby, it is crucial.
It also changed my view about the importance and the true signification of touch, and the way I will behave with babies in general. I would recommend it to anyone, especially those who're going to have childs soon.
A funny thing is that I saw an extract that you put on your Integrative Bodywork FB page the day before I started my massage formation, and they talked about it in the end of the first day, I had to check because it was in french, but there it was. It's called 'Institut Cassiopée'.

I'd like to come back to the healing touch vs. sexual touch, as it is part of what is explained in this book :

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 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.

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".

Edit : I was not finished, wrong move !

*I'm new in the practice. I really like doing it. And this is a really important point to grasp. I'd like to add my point of view as a beginner.
What surprised me in the beginning (apart of massaging a stranger) and I talked about that with my instructors, was to feel this sexual feeling with some bodies, from people that I would not even have been attracted to (physically). And also to not feel the same for people that I would find attractive. They told me that it also happen to them, that it's pretty natural, 'just observ and overcome this'. I still felt bad because the intention was really not into that, but the skin reacted that way, even though the intention was the caring feeling. There's an important part to be done on mental/emotionnal/physical preparation. Being centered, protected and staying there.
I also noticed that there was an apprehension with some people that I know personnaly since some years, mutual I guess, because I have to massage in my surrounding. It seems easier with strangers. Once the massage begins, the apprehension is gone. The warmth, decoration and music in the room are really important. The respect of intimacy and finally, the moment that you take to really communicate before and after are capital.
At this point, I still need volunteers, and I think too much people see it only as reserved to the "intimate sphere", I noticed that men are 'afraid' of being massaged by another man, am I the only one?
Massaging my parents has been, the first time, really fullfilling. It's been a real pleasure to bring them some relaxation. I should do it more often, it's a good way to "talk".

The Rolfing seems really interesting. I'd try in the future, when I'll be able to afford it.
Thanks for the links, by the way.

 

[emmanuel]

Starshine, in my experience the so called "protection" just block the flow of energy. But you are right about being centered and staying there. This allows you to remain neutral. And of course that you can, despite of your good, non-sexual intentions, feel the sexual respond of other body-minds. But that become somehow irrelevant, because if you stay centered as you very well pointed out, you are not responding on this sensations. And what is ( at least for me ) very important is, that if you are balanced, calm, still, passive and observant, after a vile even the other persons nervous system somehow assume this properties.
This is the reason why is so important if you are working like a massage therapist to find this "still-point" of your own neutrality in you or if you need a therapist, find someone, who "do the work" and is capable to discern his own feelings and sensations from the patient/customer. And sometimes can be an invisible battle there!
There are so many different things that you can sense. But again, rely only on senses and exclude reason and thinking is dangerous, to put it mildly.
I never forget the words from my Chinese teacher years ago, who said to me : " Always remember two things regarding Traditional Chinese Medicine or any kind of therapy:
1. You must KNOW what you are doing, so study, practice a lot, think, use your brain.
2. Use your HEART, listen, observe, feel and be kind to the people.
If you just use your brain, you will know what to do, but you will lack empathy and compassion for the people. And if you just use your heart, you will lack knowledge and despite your good intentions you will not know where to put your hands or stimulate vital acupressure points. Only if you always consider both, mind and heart, you will treat the people properly, with dignity, warmth ( interesting, he never use word "love"), compassion and respect. And you can never do nothing wrong."
So, I think,that you are doing very well and that you are "on right track". Enjoy in journey and I wish you a lot of success on your path.

 

[momo]

Hello,

I've had my first Rolfing session 10 days ago, and it was G-R-E-A-T.
It is a really good investment in health, though very expensive for me.

Never have I felt more grounded - at least not for the past 32 years (I'm 37 now.)
Now, I have a question: While diagnosing my body, walking around, my Rolfing Therapist talked about my feet walking outward, that they should be parallel - and I said that I thought it was trained into me through ballet (I danced very very much when a child/juvenile.). She said: "no, that's not where it's coming from".
I can't stop thinking about that statement - I wish I had asked right away...
Does anyone happen to know what she meant? Maybe you, Spiral Out?

This is what my research found out, but it's somehow not satisfying:
_http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmTwiu4dgWc

I've watched the Ida Rolf Video on youtube, but I'm curious to find out more...
There is a ton of books out there - can anyone recommend a good one that gives an overview for a laywoman like me?

I'm looking forward to my next session...

Greetings, momo

 

[Voyageur]

Hello,

...
Now, I have a question: While diagnosing my body, walking around, my Rolfing Therapist talked about my feet walking outward, that they should be parallel - and I said that I thought it was trained into me through ballet (I danced very very much when a child/juvenile.). She said: "no, that's not where it's coming from".
I can't stop thinking about that statement - I wish I had asked right away...
Does anyone happen to know what she meant? Maybe you, Spiral Out?
...

Not sure exactly the reason. In Ida's video she talks about 10 cycles (sessions) being the norm to balance - so I'm thinking, as you described this, a balancing of muscles is required to realign muscles that have locked or have programed memory for reasons unknown. She said, balancing "inner most muscles against the outermost muscles – the inside against the outside, this is the most important…". With more sessions ahead, this may all be revealed hopefully for you, osit.

Good luck.

 

[Laura]

I would just like to emphasize that the best way to approach helping anyone, whether it is via counseling, listening, or bodywork, is to think of that person as a wounded child in an adult body. You can temporarily become a loving parent trying to find out and soothe the hurts and cares and comfort the sadness and tears when that person finally feels safe enough to release them. Sexual feelings have no place in such a dynamic. You put on a different hat/role/perspective when you are in a helping profession similar to the way a shaman puts on his shaman gear to communicate on a spirit level. In fact, that is exactly what you are doing.

 

[Starshine]

Starshine, in my experience the so called "protection" just block the flow of energy. But you are right about being centered and staying there. This allows you to remain neutral. And of course that you can, despite of your good, non-sexual intentions, feel the sexual respond of other body-minds. But that become somehow irrelevant, because if you stay centered as you very well pointed out, you are not responding on this sensations. And what is ( at least for me ) very important is, that if you are balanced, calm, still, passive and observant, after a vile even the other persons nervous system somehow assume this properties.
This is the reason why is so important if you are working like a massage therapist to find this "still-point" of your own neutrality in you or if you need a therapist, find someone, who "do the work" and is capable to discern his own feelings and sensations from the patient/customer. And sometimes can be an invisible battle there!
There are so many different things that you can sense. But again, rely only on senses and exclude reason and thinking is dangerous, to put it mildly.
I never forget the words from my Chinese teacher years ago, who said to me : " Always remember two things regarding Traditional Chinese Medicine or any kind of therapy:
1. You must KNOW what you are doing, so study, practice a lot, think, use your brain.
2. Use your HEART, listen, observe, feel and be kind to the people.
If you just use your brain, you will know what to do, but you will lack empathy and compassion for the people. And if you just use your heart, you will lack knowledge and despite your good intentions you will not know where to put your hands or stimulate vital acupressure points. Only if you always consider both, mind and heart, you will treat the people properly, with dignity, warmth ( interesting, he never use word "love"), compassion and respect. And you can never do nothing wrong."
So, I think,that you are doing very well and that you are "on right track". Enjoy in journey and I wish you a lot of success on your path.

Thank you Emmanuel for those wise words and the support. I would have think (or I've been told) it is important to stay "protected" though. And not only on bodywork but also on energetic work. My Reiki teacher told me that too. I guess it has something to do with identifying oneself with feelings, misunderstanding the chemicals involved ? True protection comes from knowledge, from there, it has a different meaning.

I would just like to emphasize that the best way to approach helping anyone, whether it is via counseling, listening, or bodywork, is to think of that person as a wounded child in an adult body. You can temporarily become a loving parent trying to find out and soothe the hurts and cares and comfort the sadness and tears when that person finally feels safe enough to release them. Sexual feelings have no place in such a dynamic. You put on a different hat/role/perspective when you are in a helping profession similar to the way a shaman puts on his shaman gear to communicate on a spirit level. In fact, that is exactly what you are doing.

This analogy is more than useful, it's capital. I will print it in my mind. Thank you.

 

[manitoban]

I'm glad the dizziness was mentioned. I had a rolfing session today - feet and legs - and afterward, felt dizzy (vertigo) nauseous, and generally disoriented. Haven't had that happen before. I'm still feeling spaced out.

After my first rolfing session I also felt disoriented, spacey, and quite exhausted. I still felt tired and weepy for several days afterwards. I haven't had that happen since then, and the last few sessions I've found to be quite exhilarating and my mood is great when I finish the session.

I'm also definitely noticing that I'm beginning to hold my body differently, my posture is improving, and overall am feeling more grounded and somehow more stable in my body.

I'm halfway through the series now, and can highly recommend it. Especially for those of us like myself who tend to be much more mentally focused than physical, it's been a real eye opener to be paying attention and becoming more aware of my body. To me it feels like this is another big piece of the puzzle, a form of therapy that I haven't really explored before that is really having a big impact.