This article begins by outlining what Rolfing Structural Integration is and then goes into detail about this woman’s personal experience of receiving the work. She has a great general description of the work and I would encourage anyone interested to follow the link below to read the whole piece. I will include an excerpt here where she delves into her personal experience with going through the traditional 10 series of sessions.
“My experience: Sessions 1-6
Rolfing isn’t like any other bodywork modality I have experienced before. The sensations are totally new, interesting, strange, and enjoyably intense. It is amazing how my Rolfer, local Practitioner Ms. Laura Barnes here in Naples, FL, (239) 825-8555 can feel old injuries within my body, sometimes in spots from so long ago I had forgotten about them.
I originally decided to do the series of sessions in order to correct an old shoulder/collar bone injury that healed incorrectly from a car accident 24 years ago as it has become troublesome and painful.
Visually I can see my shoulders evening out over the weeks. I can also feel my body shifting at times. When I am finished with each session I walk out of the office feeling like a million bucks and as if I am floating on a cloud. By the next day the adjustments begin to set in and I become achy, almost in the same way your body has to readjust after a hard work out. I am also finding that stretching and moving produces lots and lots of creeks and pops. I sound a little like I am filled with rice crispies.
Week after week I am feeling more even and more balanced. Additional to my shoulders beginning to correct – I have been pigeon toed my whole life (toes pointed in). This is no longer the case. It has been completely corrected.
Sitting at work 2 days after my second rolfing session, I heard a very loud crack come from my jaw. I just sat there for a minute afraid to move, as I wasn’t sure what just happened. When I did I was amazed to find that my mouth felt like it opened significantly wider! Over the years singing teachers had said to me time and time again “Open your mouth wider” – I always responded the same “That is as wide as it goes”. They were clearly seeing something I had never seen – a restriction in movement.
During session #8 she adjusted the inside of my sinus cavity and jaw. This is a unique experience. Done safely with latex gloves the nasal cavity is stretched a bit. It is a very strange feeling. Not comfortable at all, but not painful. I have seemed to have less allergy issues since that session.
Session’s 9 and 10: Because of my particular issues we worked extensively on my shoulders. The session was intense and I could feel movement that had not been there in eons. Exactly one week to the day after this session as I am sleeping, my shoulders feel stiff and I feel like I need to stretch and move them. Putting my left hand on my right shoulder, I pushed downwards. Crunch! I stopped instantly. Again I was a little afraid to move as that was loud enough to have been a broken bone. As I did move, it crunched some more, only more quietly. The snaps moved up my neck and over to my left shoulder, which gave a respectable clunk itself.
Then, as I lay there something amazing happened. For the first time in 24 years…….. my shoulders felt completely relaxed. No tension, no knot that wouldn’t go away – just blissful nothingness.
I highly recommend this form of bodywork to anyone who has had an injury. I also think that when everyone reaches the age of 30 or so it is a super good idea…. Think about it like this…”
Read the rest of the article [here]