My Rolfing Experience

[Doodle]

I am in the process of getting "rolfed".  I just finished the 3rd session today!  

Since this is later than the first and second session and I have had a few big changes in my life in the past 3 weeks, I'll do my best to tell about what I remember on the first 2 and should be pretty good at giving better info on the next sessions.
I am seeing an Advanced Rolfer.
The first thing I learned was that you can have a "rolfing" sessions independent of the "10" or you can take on the 10 sessions.
My very first session was independent of the 10, so work was performed on many parts of my body.  The rolfer initially had me side-lying on the table and then progressed me into the supine position.  All of the work is so very different from "massage" and yet, I find I incorporate some of the same types of movements in my own massage (which was interesting to me).  The best way I can describe the difference, is that the practitioners movements are somewhat more "brisk" at the end of the strokes and the depth, due to the  various places it is applied sure seems a lot deeper than deep tissue work, but I believe this is more because there is so much origin and insertion work.  The strokes are shorter in many instances and the compressions stick.  However, my rolfer told me, that I get just as deep, but I practiced a few things on myself and see that with a little swedish in the mix, the depth doesn't seem to be quite as taxing on the mental part of ones body.
Intense is a very good way to put it (thanks to Intuitouch's comment below).  This is truly the best way I can describe it at this time.  Other words just don't provide the right mix.  I think a lot of the intense-ness is due to the body actually being coaxed into new patterns.  Though I am not for sure.  I'll talk to my rolfer about that on the next visit.  Since my rolfer has been at this for almost 20 years, it will be a good question to ask of her.  She is also a rolfee.  We are trading services for the sessions, BTW.
It is a lot of work to remember to breath, know when to ask for the practitioner to "lighten up" some, extend a foot or hold a position.  *chuckles*  Either that, or I'm turning into an "old" 37 y.o. -- Or am I 38?  *grins*  Well, either way, I am not good at math and don't feel like calculating this early in the morning.
Moving on...
My independent session that was not part of the "10" was performed with my clothes off (a la Texas-gal ---- draped of course!), but since then, I have found that my rolfer prefers to work the client with "underware" on.  In my case, that means a bra and panties.  I think it is due to the way the sheet is moved during a session.  You may be minimally exposed with the underware on, but that is not going to be an issue.  However, with the way the work is structured, I see that some people may have some small exposure without the underware and it could be a stressy component to them, I guess.  Personally, my rolfer is so professional in the draping, that I really wouldn't care how she wants me to be.
Also, in my next session (one of the "10" while wearing underware) I was asked mid-session to stand, so that my rolfer could see what was happening with my body mid-way.  
It seems that many client do not go to a rolfer for the "10" sessions, as I mentioned before.  Which was very amazing to me.  But, since this is the case, it is a perfect reason to go out and try a session, because my independent session did give me a real good idea of the differences between massage and rolfing.
As for Texas and the law.  One does not have to be an RMT to practice Rolfing here.  Since it is a specific form on it's own, Texas allows for the rolfer to call thenmselves a rolfer and not have to take the state massage test to practice.  This was something I did not know, and so I am passing it on to you.  
My first session of the "10" will be placed in it's own box to follow.

 

[Polly]

Thanks Texas-g!  I have a limited understanding about Rolfing so I will be very interested to learn of your experience.  The info I've been told suggests it is or can be very intense -- is that true?

 

[Cheesman]

Our deep tissue class in school was based on Ida Rolf's work.  I always remember the teacher saying - never use the word pain-- it's "exquisite tenderness"

 

[Paige(Tokio Hotel <3)]

My Rolfing Experience

I am begining the info on my 10 sessions here.  Please remember, there are ten sessions, but each individuals sessions will be somewhat different, dependant on what their body needs.  So, I hope my journey helps you.  Session 1 - ("Opening")I was told to undress (to my bra and panties .... hereafter known as b&p) and stand facing the wall in front of me, so my rolfer could assess me.  Then I was asked to face her, then turn my back to her and then face the other side.  While doing this, we also talked about when problems I was wanting to address and where my concerns were.  My two problems which are most important to me: neck and "breath".  I have had difficulty for many years with getting breath deep enough to fill the upper portion of my lungs.  With tai-chi and martial arts, it is somewhat of an important need, and though tai-chi breathwork does help, I have apparantly had some continued restrictions.  I don't take karate or tai-chi anymore but hope to get back into this, so I figured that these sessions would get me on the road to moving back into that direction (the mental aspect of my rolfing experiece I hope to gain, I suppose).Now, I also have to add here, that I did recieve "Dubbing" work (Zentherapy) of 12 sessions about 7 years ago, and they are based on rolfing and feldenkrais -- It was also quite helpful for this same "breath" issue I have had.  I do believe my breath issue is a personal preference as I breathe just fine, but I long for that extra pump.  My breath proior to Session 1 was getting stuck somewhere around the 4th rib region (that's from the top), and not rising any higher.Neck issues - multiple-multiple (that is NOT a typo) MVA's and some falls on the head/back (horse incident and diving incident) with corresponding lax ligaments for most my life - treatment has always been myo and chiro *grins*.  Love it, and give it a 2 thumbs up!Enough about me! -=-=-Ok... so for the session.  I think we started face up.  Actually, if I recall correctly, most of this session was face up.  Very tender - upper chest work, into the clavicles and sternal area, as well as the posterior upper arms which were worked while I was face up, by putting my arm in the following position (a little teaser, for those who are interested in something specific I remembered):  

• Client supine
• Practitioner stands at side of table and anteriorly abducts the arm to a point where it is around 90-ish degrees from the torso
• Practitioner medial rotates the clients palm and places the palm on the table near the clients ipsilateral ear, so that the finger tips are pointed toward the head end of the table
• Now the clients palm is on the table, the clients elbow is up in space and the practitioner can (for lack of a better term) strip out the triceps region.  Intense comes to mind!  

(I will try to add in one movement that was interesting to me on each subsequent session, so you can get a feel of what happens.)Much of the rest of the session was upper body (rib cage) with some lower body and the back worked on, as well as some pretty deep head work, near my parietal regions.  I can't recall specifics, but I can tell you I slept quite well!Note:  My rolfer has what is known as a rolfing bench... it is a wooden bench about 2 and 1/2 feet tall and about 35" wide (my guess-timation ... and they have a board in it which can be fitted into "notches" within the "bench" to raise or lower the client.  In my particular case, I sat on the bench, with my feet flat on the floor, my body slightly forward and not sitting directly on my "tushie cheeks" and my rolfer worked my traps bilaterally.  Next, my rolfer used both of her elbows, asking me to slowly bend all the way forward (neck first and back to follow) while her elbows slid all the way down my paraspinals.  Very deep, very beneficial.

 

[Sadg A]

Ahh, yes the rolfing bench... forgot to mention that.  Goes back to edit my Session 1 post.

 

[kokopelli9090]

My Rolfing Experience

Session 2 - ("Opening")Once again, my rolfer assessed me, undressed to the b&p, the same as mentioned in Session 1.  My breath after to Session 1 was rising about one rib level higher, so she decided to do some more "rib cage" work. Again, we started face up.  The first part of the session was the rib cage work and we later moved into the anterior feet and legs, with movement work of the legs to get even deeper.  There was also some arm, neck and head work performed.  Somewhere along the way, I ended up face-down and we did a lot of work on the legs and feet again, with more of the movement work.  In addition, when I was face up again, there was psoas work and a "sacral" move.We ended the session on the rolfing bench again, with the same trap and paraspinal work being done.It was an excellent session.  A sample of the "movement work"

• Client prone with feet hanging off the bottom edge of the table
• Practitioner stands at end of the table, facing toward the clients soles.
• Practitioner somehow blocks the muscular portion of the calf in small incriments and then asks client to raise the anterior surface of the foot (shins still on table) while actually pulling the heel of the foot "downward from the clients body" toward the practitioner, in order to lengthen the leg.  
• Clients foot is watched meticulously in order to make sure the proceedure is occuring as need be for the client (in my case, I have a tendency to roll to the outer edge of my feet, so I had to pull my foot "up" at the lateral side in order to make it more of a planar surface rising, while I pushed the heel down. Once again, intense and this time, also mentally challenging... comes to mind!  

 

[Jules]

My Rolfing Experience

Wow, TG, great topic! I always wondered about the procedures, your reporting is tops. Thanks.

 

[The Lemur]

My Rolfing Experience

Session 3 - ("Lengthening")Once again, my rolfer assessed me prior to the session, however, we did it fully clothed, which she said she can do, only because we were both a little limited on time, needed to get started and she wanted to do a few things and then assess me mid-way through again, in which I would be down to b&p anyway. It was basically a non-issue, but I want to mention it, in case someone gets a rolfer who doesn't make you dress all the way down, or in the case of someone who is nervous on their first visit, I did find out that they really can assess with clothing on too, it just may not be quite as simple.My breath after to Session 2 was rising to about the 2nd rib.  Which, BTW is a really nice feeling.Are you wondering if I have been sore after the sessions? Amazingly, No!  It is nothing like regular deep tissue work, where you are sore the next day. I have yet to have soreness to follow the work... and yes, it is still deep and makes your body parts under the area of contact get "tense", "tight" and try to "hold" in a "twisted pattern" sometimes.  When this happens, you let your therapist know if it is too much and they can control what they are doing, just like in deep tissue work, however, it definitely is not the same sort of work... I can just describe it as "different".  Maybe words will come later, as I go along.  Change in plans today... this time we started with my left side down. I already knew this was going to be an "ut-oh"! The first part of the session was the rib cage and iliac crest work - mainly meant for lengthening the torso.  Then it was on to the hips and TFL regions... can you say Wow!  Yes, another "intense" from the peanut gallery!  Both sides were done like this.  I'd say about 45 mins per side.  Yowzaa!We later moved face up, into the hands and feet. There was also some upper chest and clavicular work, a good amount of psoas, neck and head work performed. I actually almost dozed off during the neck work, probably due to the fact that I really was quite worn out after the bilateral side work and I think my body was a bit overwhelmed. On the table, we ended with the final "sacral" move was done again.And the finale of the session, with me on the edge of the table (just like on the rolfing bench), with the same trap and paraspinal work being done.This was an intense session, not one that I personally felt was "shattering or mind altering", but it definitely made me feel better and more loose and as though I had "worked"... it also removed some neck, hand and foot pain I had been experiencing from a recent day or tow or three of "apartment moving".A sample of the "psoas work"

• Client supine (on the spine) with knees bent and soles of feet flat on the table
• Practitioner stands at side of client facing toward the clients head
• Practitioner places the fingers (hands in a knife edge type hold - lateral edge of hand is perpendicular to the floor and fingers are pointed toward the clients head) into the psoas region, firm but not so deep, and the client is asked to raise the sacrum/pelvis toward the ceiling.  As the client does this, the therapist is able to go deeper with the fingers into the bilateral psoas and apply pressure.  Client lets sacrum down as best possible, which is somewhat prohibited by the locking in of the fingers.  (I felt an immediate sense of improvement in my psoas areas.)  Practitioner removes fingers by "jiggling" them side to side as they come away from the tissue.The session was quite intense and this time, and I really felt like I had to mentally work more than the prior two sessions... This session was more "different" than the first two.

 

[kammy]

What a great topic.  I had an independent session done a long time ago, and it was intense!  My mom has a lung disease, and even though she'd been in remission for a while, she'd lost 40% of her lung capacity before she met her Rolfer.  After the 10 sessions, my mom had regained a signifigant portion of her lung capacity.  It quite literally changed her life!Katykangaroo

 

[sweet_sunshine]

My Rolfing Experience

Session 4 - ("Core") Once again, my rolfer assessed me prior to the session, in b&p. After my as.s.essment, a lot of walking around the table so she could see my gait, and a little more assessing, it was time to get after it! Again, this visit, we started with my left side down. I knew this was going to be another "ut-oh"! Almost the entire session was bilateral inner legs.  Deep inner legs.  She started by positioning me with a pillow between my legs and my top (right leg) bent.  The lower (left leg) was left long.  She did work all along the inner left leg, from the calf all the way up to the adductor insertions.  Obviously the work was done from "behind" the client (me!).After the left leg was completed, I was asked to stand up so that I could be assessed again, and then I was asked to lay down on the other side, so we could get me positioned for the right side leg work.  Of course, all the time, I was properly draped.  This goes without saying, but at the same time, I don't want anyone to forget that there is still draping, even with the side-lying work.Next was a whole lot of very deep foot work.  It felt good and at the same time, right on the edge of being "more than footwork".  Wow.There was some minimalpsoas/ribcage work that followed (client supine).Last came some neck work; deep but not at all painful.Again, I almost dozed off during the neck work.She ended with the final "sacral" move again, while I was still on the table.Next, I sat up with me on the edge of the table (just like on the rolfing bench), with the same trap and paraspinal work being done.This was a very intense session for me, and when I got up off the table I felt "really good".  My legs felt much "lighter", and I felt like my feet had actually changed to be more flat on the gound, instead of everting like they normally do.  The funny thing was that the next day, when I was at work, I kept noticing my shoes "didn't fit quite right" and that I kept having an actual consciousness of needing to turn my foot back in from the wear pattern that has developed in the soles.The day after that I was so impressed with my feet, I had to go to my mom's home to show her the difference.  I think she thought I was a little crazy, but she has all my life anyway.  An almost 40 y.o. coming to show you her feet!  *chuckles*Anyway, I need to buy some new shoes now.  Don't know when I am going to find the time to do that, but I sure need to!  So, I'd say prepare for this, if you have any type of foot issues and old shoes, if you take the 10 sessions!A sample of the "medial calf work" (We'll use left side for the example.)

• Client on left side with left leg straight, a pillow placed between the leg and right knee bent forward
• Practitioner stands behind client facing toward the clients posterior left leg
• Practitioner works up the medial left leg, slowly, moderatly and then gets deeper and deeper along the medial region of the tibiaThe session was a lot of mental work and on the edge of being painful for me... But, just on the edge.  The practitioner lightned up whenever needed. Whew!

(Later, during Session 6, I found out that many people have uncontrolled bursts of anger after Session 4.  Luckily for me, I didn't.  I think my husband would have really stressed if I had!   )

 

[answers smartass]

My Rolfing Experience

Shortly after Session 4, I set up my work-out bench.  Now, you know it has been entirely too long since you have worked out, when you havew a problem remembering how three pieces go together!  *grins*And, I got all the weights out and back in place... mentally preparing to "get with it".  Of course, that is ALL I did!

 

[Nick M]

My Rolfing Experience

Session 5 - ("Core") Once again, my rolfer assessed me prior to the session, in b&p. After my as.s.essment, a lot of walking around the table so she could see my gait.  Then it was on the table supine.This visit began with arms.  It was a lot of arm work.  I was face up and I did notice that my arms were not as sensitive as they were on my first visit when we did this type of work.Next, a good amount of anterior thigh work was performed (very deep) and while I was still supine, some fairly deep posterior knee work was performed, which felt really good, even though it was deep.  It was a bit like the neck work I experienced which was so deep and yet it took me off into another space.Next, came some deep psoas and high abdominal work (see example below).Then it was chest (I noticed it was not as tender as in Session 1), neck, and the sitting work which I have described previously.The one thing I was supposed to work on at home after this visit, was to think of legs as being attached to my body above my center of gravity (ie. higher than my navel), and as I walk, to try to walk from up there, instead of at the thigh region.A sample of the deep abdominal work:

• Client supine
• Practitioner stands  at side of client facing toward the clients head
• Practitioner preses palm into the abdominal musculature  just at and below the inverted "v" of the ribcage.  
• Client is asked to raise the pelvic floor and the practitioner pushes in a little deeper to the region.  Client is then asked to lower the pelvic floor.  (Very hard to do, as the muscles feel pinned in place).

It was deep work and defnitely loosened the area.The session was intense in it's own way, but, I didn't feel any major changes.This session took almost 2 hours (if not that) to complete.

 

[harrry]

My Rolfing Experience

Session 6 - ("Lengthening") Today, my rolfer looked at me with clothing on, prior to the session. Next, I was asked to walk around the table and she worked on challenging my movements by pushing my sacrum down while I walked. We started with my feet hanging off of the table and in a prone position for posterior calf work.  Next was the back work.  All of this felt like a very deep tissue massage.  I actually went off into a nice space and felt like my body was happily humming. That was until we got to the posterior arm work.  Deep!  I can say it felt like: "Yo!  Forgot about us arms, didn't you!"Then we were on to supine neck work and supine pelvic bone and ischial tuberosity work with some leg movement (see explanation below).Last was the sitting work which I have described previously.A sample of the supine leg work:

• Client supine
• Practitioner stands  at side of client facing toward the clients head
• Practitioner presses fingers into the musculature regions near the anterior hip
• Client is asked to bend knee, so that the foot rests on the table, then lift the foot up off the table, then lower leg all the way back down on the table, press heel away from body to lengthen the leg and then bring knee back up slightly, before lowering it back on the table to rest again.
• The entire time, the practitioner is holding this area of tissue tight and deep

The session was really nice, except fot the posterior arm work, which was definitely "intense". As always, "intense" shows up again as a description!This session took 2 hours to complete.

 

[Krystal]

General update.  I have been having some dreams about being in excellent physical condition, since the last session.  A bit strange, since I am not and never was in as good of shape as what I have been dreaming about.My rolfer tells me that sometimes this happens, where the internal thoughts start to work with what is happening to the muscle tissue.I hope it means I am going to get my act together and start working out soon!I still don't have the patience for it right now.Also,  I noticed today I had a strange feeling that my left leg was longer and thinner than the right.  I am sure it is some sort of structural re-balancing going on.  My left sacral tuberosity also felt like it had too much "energy" in it.  Almost a deep achy burn, but in "energy" not in pain.  Strange, huh?I had someone do about ten mins. of deep work in the area, and it calmed it down for about 4 hours... but it is slowly creeping back in again.  Hmmm.Changes are on the way!

 

[Pierra]

Session 7 - "Removing the Mask/Getting the Head on Straight"So, of course this one started with walking around, and as.sessment of the body in b&p.Started prone with calf work which moved on up to glut and sacral work.  Then the backs of the arms and entire spine were addressed.  Supine was arms, neck, head, face and abdomen.  So, I have to tell you about the face work.  This session was internal mouth and internal nasal passage work.She gloved and pulled across the upper palate in an outward motion for each half.  Then she worked between the posterior teeth and gums with me biting down slowly once the finge was positioned to pin the musculature in the mouth.  Very, very taut and tender.Next was the internal nasal work.  She put a little glycerine on her pinky (fifth digit) and slowly pushed it into the nasal passage toward the back of the head... not upward.  I was instructed to let my belly go soft and my occiput to relax and as I did, her finger just slid right in.  It didn't hurt, as much as it felt like my nose was "full".  And of course.. it was!  The work for the nose, is when the finger is pulled back out.  But, let me tell you, I'd have my rolfer do it again in a heartbeat.  I felt fantastic after this session and apparantly the head work really helped loosen my neck too.  Stitting - as previous.  She also added some movement work in a rotation type movement, where she worked the paraspinals as I turned right or left (depending on the side she wanted to work with.  Right paraspinals got a turn of the neck and body to the right.  Left -- the same for their side.  The idea was to get to a point where I could feel the vertebrae moving down to the lower back.  I did!I went into this session feeling very solid in my stance. آ I left feeling like "breakfast" (like I was refreshed and new, like you are when you are a little kid and get to go out to eat breakfast on a Saturday morning as some sort of special treat!  Oh, and I was still solid in my stance. Great session.  I'd definitely like to repeat this one!

 

[Johan]

My Rolfing Experience

Session 8/9/10 -

Session 8 was a bit "much".

To be sure, I am going to have to really think about what all my rolfer did and get back to you with it.

It was so intense, I left feeling very "airy" and couldn't remember much of the session.  I do know all the things she did, but I am just going to have to slow down my thoughts a little to get it all out.  

This was not one I'd want to repeat... but it is probably the one I needed the most.  


Update: 05/08/06 -- I apologize for not posting immediately after the last three sessions I had, and therfore can't talk in detail about exactly what all we did in those sessions. I honestly have forgotten. However... I have continued to have some advanced rolfing sessions and recently we've been working on the internal nose work again. My rolfer told me about three or four sessions would be about all the body really needed. So we'll see.

I do still have running neck issues and though it is not normal to go through the whole 10 in their proper format (it's not necessarily what many rolfers believe in) I am seriously thinking about doing the ten again. My rolfer believes it may well be exactly what I need to get my body more or less finally on track. I asked and we discussed it and are leaning toward this. We'll see.

If I do it, I'll try to document the sessions again and what effects they have on me.

BTW, I am starting back up with the karate. And this is a good thing.

 

[$D@VI3$]

I ran across this thread when I was searching for something else. It's such a great post, that I decided to bump it so other new members could read/contribute if interested. Texas-Gal put so much into this board! I miss her.

 

[Eat shyt and die]

My Rolfing Experience

I'm going through the Rolfing series for the first time myself, and thought I'd revive this thread, adding my experience as a contrast/comparison with Texas-Gal's.

Motivation/Goals:
I never thought I'd go through the Rolfing series, actually. I thought it seemed to be forcing change, when change is best formed from within. However, in my own work on health & posture (yoga, somatic patterning, various self-care techniques) I discovered limits, imbalances & restrictions I couldn't release on my own. I'm also noticing that as I age (I'm approaching 40) I'm having more trouble with my knees. This is a hereditary condition in my family, but I also share a family posture. I'm hoping that if I correct the posture, I can release the strain on my knees.

Baseline:
I've always seen the before & after Rolfing pictures, and they look impressive. But the cynical part of me wondered if it was just that the client didn't try to use good posture for the first picture and were maybe given postural cues in the second picture. So, I decided to have my husband take "before" and "after" pictures of me. Without any direction from him, and without a mirror to judge, I stood in a way that felt straight, yet relaxed: feet parallel, spine & head lifted & aligned, shoulders back & down. I looked at the pictures and saw the following imbalances:
1. Head crooked on the neck. (Massage therapists always have to straighten my head when they start massaging my neck.)
2. Both shoulders rolled forward.
3. Internal rotation of the legs.
4. Left shoulder, hip & knee are all higher than the right.
I was really surprised. I knew I had bad posture when I wasn't paying attention; I had no idea I had so many imbalances when I actually felt straight. For curiosity, I had my husband "straighten" me out, and when he was done, I felt crooked and strained. There are definitely a lot of pulls on my body right now.

Choosing a Rolfer:
Like Texas-Gal, I chose an Advanced Rolfer. This means they have at least 3 years experience and have also completed hundreds of hours of advanced training, in addition to the core rolfing curriculum. The practitioner I chose has 9 years experience and advanced training in rolfing, visceral manipulation & craniosacral therapy.

Draping:
Texas-Gal mentioned that Rolfers ask clients to wear only a bra & underwear during sessions, so they can see the structural changes to the body as they work. This often means standing up and facing different directions at the start, middle & end of the rolfing session. My Rolfer didn't use any draping. I knew this in advance & was comfortable. However, anyone who is more shy might choose to wear a bathing suit to sessions instead.

Rolfing Series:
Like Texas-Gal mentioned you can get 1 Rolfing session to "try it out." You can do the first 3 session of the series, which releases restrictions in the the fascial "sleeve" of the body. Or you can complete the 10 sessions, which includes release of the fascial sleeve & core, as well as techniques to integrate the changes in your body. Although there is a recipe for each session, many Rolfers make changes to the recipe to best suit the needs of the client. This is definitely true for my Rolfer. My husband is going through the series as well, and our bodies are literally the opposite in terms of restrictions and therefore our sessions are very different.

Visceral Manipulation:
Although Rolfing includes training in releasing the abdomen, my understanding is that Rolfing in this area is more general in nature. Visceral Manipulation does specific release to restrictions in the mesentary, the ileocecal valve & the duodenojejunal junction, as well as connective tissue of the organs. I chose my Rolfer specifically because he had expertise in Visceral work. My intuition told me that I had a lot of restrictions in my abdomen.

Old & New Rolfing:
Rolfing has a reputation for being very painful. It turns out that is considered "old school" rolfing where the approach is very direct and often uncomfortable. New rolfing embraces a wide variety of pressures, effecting change with the least amount of discomfort possible. They still teach both methods, so practitioners really vary in their approach. My rolfer is "new school". I've only had one session so far, but there were no painful techniques used in that session. Pressure varied from light to deep, but never felt too intense.

Price:
Texas-Gal traded for her series, but I'm paying cash for mine. $100/session, with session length averaging 90 minutes.

Session One:
My first session was very different from Texas-Gal's. Half the time was spent on visceral manipulation. Then, he "touched base" with the primary areas of restriction in my body (ribcage, shoulders, back and thighs). The only "tender" spots were my ileocecal valve & liver, but only mildly so.

My two favorite "feel-good" techniques were Intercostals & the Rolfing Bench. For the intercostal technique, he placed his fingers in the rib spaces, at the sternal edge, and then did a deep, slow fascial stretch laterally to the side of the ribcage. He used very little lubrication, so there was grip to the glide, and I felt like the fascia was stretching under the skin. Afterward, I felt the energy flow strongly throughout the ribcage in a tingly sensation. It felt wonderful!

The Rolfing Bench looks like this:

The techniques my rolfer used here are identical to the one Texas-Gal describes above. I sat on the bench & he stood behind me and placed his forearms on my shoulders, pushing down and laterally, in slow, deep movements. Yum!! Then, he had me slowly curl forward, while he used a deep, gliding stroke down either side of my spine.

After-Effects:
After session one, I felt taller and straighter already. I found it easier to sit up in a chair, with less temptation to slouch. And I felt like my chest was higher and my shoulders were rolled back. I noticed a little soreness/pull where my right leg attaches to the anterior pelvis. This soreness went away within two days. My knees also feel a little bit stronger. I'd say overall, the changes after Session One are subtle, but they are there.

 

[Atheist.]

Session 2:
Again, this session was very different from Texas-Gal's, but also very different from my first appointment. This session felt more like a direct Rolfing session. There was no warm-up, no gentle approach, just assessment for restrictions and techniques to release those restrictions. Although some techniques feel similar to deep tissue therapy (slow, deep, gliding knuckle strokes), the work is done to specific areas and can jump from one area to another, without any connecting strokes. My rolfer alternated between rolfing techniques, and assessment for release/restrictions along fascial lines, which then guided his next technique. These assessments included palpation along the surface, and rocking motions to the joints. Many of the techniques were somewhat painful and I needed to consciously breathe through it.

Most of this second session focused on my legs. Techniques included static pressure that reminded me of trigger point therapy, only the pressure was on tendons/ligaments, instead of muscle bellies. He used finger pressure at certain points around the ankle joint, and elbow pressure on the superior quadriceps tendons. There was a lot of deep, slow, gliding pressure, around the joints & over the muscles. Again, very little lubricant is used, so you really feel a fascial stretch under the skin. One unusual technique: he sat on the edge of the table, next to my hip, facing me. He asked me to draw my knee to chest, and then he lifted the ankle up so it rested on his shoulder. He then did deep elbow/knuckle gliding movements down the hamstrings. (This was my husband’s favorite technique in his session.) My favorite work was the ankle: a combination of static finger pressure, deep gliding finger pressure and sharp traction. I felt like my ankles were much freer afterward. I also felt more grounded through my legs overall. My least favorite technique was done at the end of the session. He did some strong fascial stretching to my anterior neck. The pressure on my throat made me feel a little suffocated. I had to really concentrate to breathe.

After-Effects:
After my first session, I felt peaceful, happy, relaxed. After this session, I felt cranky, probably a direct result of the unpleasant technique to the neck. As far as long-term effects, I'm not feeling any yet. The easy, improved posture I felt in my upper back after Session 1 is already gone. Since most of my restrictions are at the core level of fascia, which gets addressed in sessions 4-10, I'm hoping that will institute more permanent changes.

 

[KAL]

Wow, what a gem of a thread from you, Bliss, and Texas-Gal! It makes me feel a little less ignorant when people talk about Rolfing and I sort of want to go ahead and experience some sessions. But I'm busy/chicken still (I'm scared of intense work, I don't even like intense deep tissue) so I'll just keep living vicariously through your journaling. Thank you for this!