Rolfing is a technique of body manipulation that changes your body so that it becomes more vertical and symmetrical. When the major segments of your body are lined up and stacked in a proper relation to one another, you will look and feel your best. Working with your guided movements, the Rolfer slowly stretches and repositions the body's supportive wrappings, called fascia. This firm and gentle directed pressure restores normal length and elasticity to the network of deep connective fibers, allowing these changes to occur.

In addition to physical manipulation, Rolfing includes education in using your realigned body properly, and exploration of the emotional issues that may arise as your body changes.

The standard 10 session series may be completed at the rate of one session per week or spread over as long as 6 months. Each session is different, and builds on the ones that have gone before. Sessions are simultaneously tailored to your specific situation, and follow a logical pattern to produce the greatest results.

Sessions last approximately 1½ hours. The results of Rolfing are not only lasting, they are progressive. You are likely to feel and look continuously better for several months after your last session.

You will not need to repeat the basic 10 sessions, though for most people an average of 3 sessions a year supports an aging process that is more comfortable, graceful and slower than we have pictured previously.

"If you can imagine how it feels to live in a fluid, light, balanced body, free of pain, stiffness and chronic stress, at ease with itself and the earth’s gravitational field; then you will understand the goals of Rolfing." Jeff Maitland

"As in all matter organized into biological units, there is a pattern, an order, in human bodies... Rolfers make a life study of relating bodies and their fields to the earth and its gravity field, and we so organize the body that the gravity field can reinforce the body’s energy field." Dr. Ida P. Rolf

"Our soul with all the streams of pure living water seems to dwell in the fascia of our body. When you deal with the fascia, you deal and do business with the branch offices of the brain, and under the general corporation law, the same as the brain itself, and why not treat it with the same degree of respect." Dr. A. T. Still (philosophy of Osteopathy, 1899)

Rolfing really works, as the experience of hundreds of thousands of people and numerous research studies have demonstrated. It produces profound and lasting results for people of all ages and at all levels of well-being.

You will sit and stand straighter and taller with less effort. You will breathe more easily and fully, and look and feel lighter.

You are likely to have less pain and tension in your body as it becomes more balanced and symmetrical, allowing bones and muscles to do their proper jobs.

You will have easier movement and a wider range of motion in the joints. Older people will appreciate the sense of youthfulness that Rolfing produces as it restores earlier movement patterns.

You may experience dramatic improvement in the effectiveness and efficiency of movement. You will use less energy for any given movement and perform that movement with more ease and power.

You may experience considerable psychological growth as the emotional history stored in your body is released. A freer more responsive and more comfortable body will support you in every part of your life.

People of all walks of life come to Rolfing not only for relief from their pain and stress, but also for improved performance in their professions and daily activities.

Men, Women, Children, & Seniors.

Dancers, Artists, Musicians, Athletes, Business people, Engineers Scientists, Carpenters, Plumbers.

People who enjoy Yoga, Meditation, Tai Chi.

The organizations that represent M.D.'s, physical therapists, nurses and so on do not take any formal positions on Rolfing, just as they do not take formal positions on other types of complementary health care. Nonetheless, the rapid expansion in popular use of Rolfing and other alternatives has been noted by conventional health practitioners who more and more have made it their business to find out what is going on.

When Rolfing is understood by M.D.'s it is generally quite well received, and more and more M.D.'s are making referrals to Rolfing and are themselves being Rolfed. One reason for this is that Rolfing is based on Western ideas of anatomy and physiology that are familiar to and accepted by Western trained physicians. Physical therapists readily embrace Rolfing because the fascial manipulation that is a key technique of Rolfing is the subject of continuing education seminars for physical therapists who learn it, not as part of a body restructuring process, but as an aid in joint mobilization.

Rolfers are trained and certified by the Rolf Institute, headquartered in Boulder, Colorado. The Rolf Institute is the only school accredited to teach Rolfing and is the sole certifying body for Rolfers. It is regulated by the Colorado State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education. Successful applicants complete a training program that usually requires 2 years of study and includes a continuing education program extending for 6 additional years. The training includes the biological sciences, the theory of Rolfing, and extensive clinical work under supervision.

Rolfing is named after the creator Dr. Ida P. Rolf. After earning her Ph.D. in biochemistry and physiology from Columbia University in 1920, Dr. Rolf (1896-1979) worked in the chemotherapy and organic chemistry departments at Rockefeller Institute. Her interest in family health problems led her to the idea of Structural Integration, now called Rolfing. Dr. Rolf’s pursuit of optimal health and human evolution led her to investigate the effects of structure on function and the role gravity played. Some of her early experiences with working with the body came from an Osteopath Doctor. In addition to teaching Rolfing worldwide for more than four decades, she established The Rolf Institute in Boulder, Colorado in 1972. Rolfing is now taught internationally.

This is probably the question most frequently asked to Rolfers.

The answer is:

1. Sometimes it does, but not the way people think;

2. Sometimes it doesn't;

3. Sometimes it feels terrific.

Most people associate "hurt" with injury. When people are being Rolfed, they have no sense of being injured. In fact, even if the work is momentarily uncomfortable, it feels appropriate, safe and, as many people put it, like a "good hurt."

One measure of a Rolfer's skill is the ability to find that unique place for each client where working more deeply creates resistance and pain and working less deeply sacrifices results. Rolfers who err in one direction may cause hurt while Rolfers who err in the other direction sacrifice results.

The movement of the Rolfer proceeds very slowly and gradually. There is ample time to relax with it. If the Rolfer feels any tightening or withdrawing, he/she stops immediately. As soon as the pressure is withdrawn, any discomfort is immediately gone.

As an additional safeguard, I instruct the person being Rolfed to say "stop" at any time that the sensation crosses the line from release to stress. Following a Rolfing session there is rarely any discomfort. In the occasional case where there is, it is usually experienced as a mild soreness to touch, similar to the sensation of an overworked muscle, and is gone in a day.

You do not need to make a commitment to the full 10 series before you are certain Rolfing will produce the results you want. I recommend that you:

2. Print the Rolfing information packet.

3. Try the first session. This will involve an hour of conversation, most of which is devoted to understanding what is going on with your body, your health history and the things you would like to accomplish with Rolfing. We then will do the first hour of table work.

4. Try the next two sessions if the first session feels right to you, in terms of your sense of its appropriateness. Sessions are normally scheduled one to two weeks apart. By the time you have completed the first three sessions you will know from your experience if Rolfing is producing the results you are after and will have a good basis for deciding whether or not the whole series is for you.

5. You may space your payments over a 10 month period if you so decide, even though you are likely to complete the Rolfing series itself in three to four months.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Don Bruce

780-432-1607

The experiences of being Rolfed, (releasing unwanted stuck facial tissue - myofacial release), are sensations that range from a pleasurable warmth to momentary discomfort, burning, biting or tingling sensation. It is often described as a "good pain" and is felt as a release. The sensation lasts only while the tightened tissue is being released. Afterwards, you may feel warmth, length, and lightness, as well as balance and stability.

Working with discomfort and pain during your Rolfing sessions (Breathe, Breathe, Breathe)

Rolfing is a highly interactive process. I work with you to stay within your comfort-zone. I do this by remaining in the place where you can stay present, and your body keeps from overly tightening or tensing up. It is your job to keep me informed about how you are doing and how my work is affecting you in relation to comfort/ discomfort, pain/ pain-relief.

The most effective way to deal with discomfort/ pain is to breath. Breathe, Breathe, Breathe! I will be asking you to bring focus and breath into the area being worked on. I recommend that you do this at all times during our work together. Breath also allows the Rolfing to go deeper and create more significant changes.

In addition, you may also be asked to make synchronized movements while being Rolfed. If your body is inspired to move while an area is being worked on, please do so. This is the intelligence of your body/system helping to bring about tissue release or change.

During or after your Rolfing sessions, you may experience emotions such as moodiness, crying, positive or negative feelings that may come and go. If emotions come up during a session, breathe, and understand that this is a natural process of letting go. Also, I am there to help you stay present and safe with whatever is occurring for you in the moment.

You may feel energized or tired. In either case it can be very helpful to take a leisurely, wind-down walk to give your mind/body a chance to integrate the session. If emotions arise after a session, understand that this is a part of the process. You can call a friend or feel free to call me if you are scared or confused. I am not, however, a psychotherapist and will not attempt to resolve issues that arise. If you are interested, I can refer you to someone who is trained in this area.

If you feel sore after a session you can do one or all of the following:

Take a brisk walk to stimulate your immune system.

Take a detox bath made of epsom salt and baking soda that relaxes the mind/body/muscles and pulls out the toxins that have been released during the session (see sheet "bath mixtures"). You can do half an hour of yoga or simple stretching. You can also take CO-Q10, (found in capsule form), or Glucosamine Sulfate, which is good for reducing inflammation, rejuvenating joints, and repairing connective tissues.

It is also a good idea to treat your body with more awareness and precaution after your Rolfing session because you may be able to move your body in ways it never has before.

It is very helpful to exercise, stretch, and/or do yoga. It is important to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water, and by eating hydrating food. Eat a healthy diet and your tissues will be healthy as well.

Postural / movement / performance analysis and Rehabilitation training: Learn how to walk, run, stand, work, and/or do your sport more effectively/ efficiently.

Homework: You can receive homework after each session to aid reaching your goals/recovery.

Your Breath: Learn how to breathe more effectively; bring awareness to a specific spot, to areas in the body, or throughout the entire body more fully and with more ease. Literally, breath brings oxygen to every cell in the body. You will experience that the breath brings relaxation, a sense of vitality, wholeness, solidity, and connectedness to your being.

Trauma held in the body: Discover how trauma may be held in your body and how together we can release it. The body has the ability to store or internalize negative experiences from the past such as; an accident, an emotional or physical trauma. When the body is being Rolfed or worked in a deep and specific way, these experiences can be released, and to some degree be reexperienced. The tissues that have been affected can hold experiences, emotions, and states of being that have been traumatized or injured. This is our Body-Mind Connection. Together, we can learn more about how the body is the storehouse for your life and your lineage’s unresolved experiences.

Bodywork – this involves resolving relatively minor problems in the body.

Rolfing – this involves going through the Rolfing 10 series recipe that will address your body from the ground up.

Rolfing Plus – this is for those interested in continuing the Rolfing process and fine-tuning.

I look forward to working towards your health-care goals. If anything comes up that concerns you, please feel free to give me a call.

Don Bruce

780-432-1607

Carolyn Mills
Massage Therapist/Bodyworker
4500 19th Street #145
Boulder, CO 80304

Christy Snapp
Florist
P.O. Box 21475
Boulder, CO 80308

Ed Self
Software Engineer
980 McIntire Street
Boulder, CO 80303

Paul Dhanoa
Restaurant Owner / Manager / Chef Tanadoori Grill
619 Broadway
Boulder, CO 80303

Bart Windrum
Educator
3855 Telluride
Boulder, CO 80303

Angie Burnham
Owns House Cleaning Business
Boulder, CO

Catherine Johnston
Psychotherapist
2885 E. Aurora Ave., Suite 18
Boulder, CO 80303

Rory Enright
Retired, IBM Management
2101 Jonathon Place
Boulder, CO 80304

Mary Grace Fahoury
Mother of three children
2570 Clayton Cir.
Superior, CO 80027

Matt Van Wormer
Health Care Professional (Electro-Acupuncture)
315 Evergreen Ave.
Boulder, CO 80304

Sharon Harvel
Retired
P.O. Box 814
Boulder, CO 80306

Jane Doe
(She would like to keep her real name and address anonymous)

Sharen Smith
Flight Attendant
133 W. Monarch Ct.
Louisville, CO 80027

Dale Ebel
Retired Carpenter
1050 Arapahoe #502
Boulder, CO 80302

Deborah Fink
Public Information Librarian
University Libraries Campus Box 184
University of Colorado at Boulder
Boulder, CO 80309

Jennifer Workman
Nutritionist
1025 Maxwell Ave. #2
Boulder, CO 80304

There are web links to articles on Rolfing and related subjects by visiting the Rolf Institute web site: