My Approach
"If you're not educating people you work with, you aren't Rolfing" - Jan Sultan quoting Dr. Ida Rolf
Long story short, I was once in serious pain, I eventually found Rolfing, and I received a 10-series. Unsurprisingly, my classmates at the Rolf Institute, people who came from many different backgrounds, essentially all had a story of being in pain, finding Rolfing, and getting out of pain. You probably have a story of pain too. However, Rolfing's approach doesn't just address pain. Ida Rolf said she wasn't simply interested in "chasing pain". The main thrust of her message was that for long-lasting ease and comfort, one needs to address the entire body. That is not to say I'll put your pain on the back burner searching for the "ultimate cause" without ever addressing the problem that brought you to find Rolfing.
Chronic pain can result in a vicious cycle of stress and inactivity that only exacerbates the situation. My pain began shortly before entering graduate school and only got worse. I had pain issues when I started my studies, and I was down in the dumps because of it. I started out sleeping on a futon mattress in grad school. Sleeping on the futon made my back hurt. My back hurting meant I couldn't sleep. Pain and lack of sleep made studying difficult. Difficulties studying led me to be inefficient, less energetic, and doing homework later into the night... Thankfully, a real bed and a Rolfing 10-series drastically improved my well-being and saw me through successfully.
Biomechanics are an important part of pain; I wouldn't be a Rolfer if I didn't believe so, but the body isn't so fragile that any deviation from the norm should cause pain. Stress at the workplace is actually one of the best predictors of low back pain. Rolfing provides an environment for your issue to be heard, understood, and dealt with. There have been various studies about the short amount of time doctors will give to patients before interrupting, but I want to understand how you feel in your own body. Instead of "alternative" health care, I think of Rolfing as complementary to it, for the slower, intricate care you don't get in the health care system. I want to facilitate you on your own path to whatever your goal may be: being pain-free, unlocking your potential, or something else.
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Something else important to keep in mind is that there is no perfect posture, movement, pose, etc. Everything is unhealthy if not in moderation. We're made to move.
This image is lifted from Greg Lehman. We experience pain when a number of factors compound and overflow.
I find Rolfing, and bodywork generally, to be a fitting blend of science and art. I have an analytical academic background but welcome shades between black and white. My master of science program at Carnegie Mellon University, taught through the philosophy program, centered around logic and the scientific method. Though anatomy and science is the foundation, I appreciated the artistry that was also encouraged at the Rolf Institute. Unsurprisingly, students with a background in acting generally thrived in class, as they have experience feeling and expressing with their bodies. As my teacher Juan David says, "Mastery is the place where logic, knowledge, and intuition converge". Imagery and other creative elements can be powerful tools for helping people to find ease and freedom in movement, or a different viewpoint on body image and chronic pain.
The image here shows the outline of a Rolfing 10-series. It generally progresses up and down, superficial to deep, and works to address adaptability, support, and palintonicity (span or volume). "Core" in Rolfing doesn't refer to the musculature around the abdomen. It refers to the visceral space in our bodies that runs from head to pelvis, viscerocranium to pelvic floor.
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