Quote:
Originally Posted by stoymonkey
. i obviously was asking the question to hear personal responses (isnt that what a forum is about??), if i wanted a generic answer i would've looked it up.  |
If you were to walk into my office (we would have made an appointment over phone or email) I would have you fill out a form and talk to you about any accidents, surgeries, or other major issues you have. I would be particularly interested in abdominal or joint surgeries, car accidents, and falls (even the on purpose ones).
Some Rolfers work with people fully clothed, but I don't have the knack of that, so I ask folks to show up with briefs, a swim suit, (bikini for gals) or just decent underwear they don't mind being seen in (the office is private).
I'd analyze posture and movement, ask for some knee bends and maybe arm raises, and watch you walk around.
We would talk about what's working, and not, and I would probably explain what I was seeing and what we can do about it.
Then I would have you get on the table (like a massage table) usually face up or on your side, and put a blanket over whatever I'm not working on if you are cold. We work a lot on the area between your ribs and hips, and on the outside of your hip where your leg fits in. In the 10 sessions, your whole body gets some work!
I would use my hands, knuckles, elbows with JUST as much pressure as needed, sometimes asking you to move a little against the pressure (or with it) to open up restrictions in your fascial net. You will notice that your joints & hinges feel looser and more mobile. It's not "squishy" and while I may use a little beeswax or cocoa butter to get a grip on dry skin, it's a very precise, intensive contact. It's very rarely actually painful, because we ARE so precise. That's one of the ways the art/science has improved.
I usually do physical work like that for most of the session, and then have people sit on a bench or even a physio-ball for some more proprioceptive work. It doesn't do as much good to change the hardware, if you don't change the software too! We would work on things like getting you to quit breathing with your shoulders and breathe with your rib cage and core instead.
Other Rolfers may do it differently, but that's how I work.
Some do more movement, some do more table work.
There's various flavors of Structural Integration out there: Rolfing, of course, The Guild, Hellerwork, Aston Patterning, KMI, etc. Just make sure your practicioner is listed with the organization they claim certification by, to be sure you are getting qualified work.
HTH,
Edge
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What a session is like
