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Style: My work has evolved over my 15 years in practice and while my goals remain similar to those of Structural Integration (Rolfing), my methods do not necessarily follow traditional Structural Integration protocols. For instance, I tend to incorporate much more movement and corrective exercise techniques, if and when appropriate. If you would like a traditional Structural Integration session or series, please let me know.
Structural Integration has had a reputation for being painful. While there is often an intensity that accompanies this work, sustained discomfort or pain during a session should not. It is our aim to learn the language of each client's nervous system and work within a range that is comfortable. Sessions begin and end with a quick viewing of the client's alignment, and proceed with manual manipulations while the client is lying in different positions on a therapy table, or while sitting or standing. Clients need to be active participants during sessions, and are asked to make movements or provide feedback about his/her experience. Within this dynamic, the relationships between tissue, breathing patterns, nervous system response, and the body's organization in gravity are keenly engaged.
Structural Integration Series: While clients are welcome to come for a single session to see if Structural Integrationis a good fit, it is most effective administered in a series of sessions. Because this work is very focused, there isn't time in just one session to address the entire body, in addition, too much input during one session can be overwhelming and can negate the goals of the session.
3 Series: A series of three Structural Integration sessions (spaced 1 week apart) is a good way to address specific concerns, injury, or alignment patterns.
The Rolf 10 Series of Structural Integration is a systematic sequence of theory and technique that Ida Rolf referred to as The Recipe. It consists of ten sessions (spaced 1 to 2 weeks apart) that build upon each other and seek to thoroughly reorganize patterns of strain and dysfunction in the body. This series can be considered foundational to Structural Integration.
Attire for Structural Integration sessions should be comfortable and elastic. For women this can be running shorts and a sports bra, a two-piece bathing suit, full coverage bra and underwear, or similar apparel. For men, this can be running shorts or briefs.
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Post Session: Every body responds differently after a Structural Bodywork session. Some people instantly experience a feeling of lightness and freedom, some people experience tenderness in the areas that had been manipulated, or even in areas that had not been touched. Other responses might include tiredness, immune system strain, hunger, or mood swings. We recommend light exercise and extra hydration after a session and to give the body up to a week to integrate the structural changes. Please feel free to contact your practitioner if you have any concerns or feedback after a session.
Suggestions:
- Arrange some quiet time before and after each session to orient to the new changes and sensations. - While it is recommended to engage in walking or light movement after a Structural Integration session, do not engage in what you would consider heavy exercise one day before or after your session. - It is not recommended to receive deep tissue massage or chiropractic work a few days before or after your session, or during the entire cycle of a Structural Integration series. - Do not apply body lotion, oil, sunscreen, or heavy make-up before your session. Further Reading: Wellness Through Structural Integration by Marcella Durand.
"Structural Integration is about the whole person . . . the sensation of moving from weakness into strength, the exhilaration of owning a new part of oneself, the immediate and simultaneous re-education of one's being and action with the joy of self-empowerment, waking up. These are the experiences of Structural Integration." - Emmett Hutchins
"The wonders are occurring only because of gravity and only because we know how to use gravity to create wonders. It is gravity that is the tool; it is gravity that is the therapist. All we (as practitioners) are doing, is directing the flow of gravity by virtue of organizing the body as though it were an electric wire so that gravity can flow through it." - Dr. Ida Rolf
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