Is rolfing painful?
“Is Rolfing painful? I have heard it is.” That’s how many of my conversations start when someone finds out I am a Certified Rolfer. “Is Rolfing painful?” I cringe a little when I hear that question because, under the wrong circumstances, it can be true, just like a deep tissue massage. While the goal of Rolfing is to address chronic pain and improve body alignment, it can very easily be a pleasant experience with the right Rolfing Practitioner. To understand why people start asking the question “Is Rolfing painful,” we have to first look at and understand what Rolfing is, the history of Rolfing and how it was developed.
Rolfing was created by Dr. Ida Rolf, who was born in New York City in 1896. She received her Ph.D. in biological chemistry in 1920. Throughout her life, she was very passionate about healing the human body and alternative medicine. She studied different modalities such as osteopathy and yoga. Rolf recognized that the human body should be in good alignment to have the best relationship with gravity, a force that influences us all. Dr. Ida Rolf was quoted saying, “Some individuals may perceive their losing fight with gravity as a sharp pain in their back, others as constant fatigue, yet others as an unrelentingly threatening environment. Those over forty may call it old age. And yet all these signals may be pointing to a single problem so prominent in their own structure, as well as others, that it has been ignored. They are off balance; they are at war with gravity.” She knew that body disorganization meant working against gravity instead of with it. From that, she developed the concept of Rolfing structural integration to organize a body into alignment.
The Rolf Institute of Structural Integration was established in 1971. The intention was to teach students how to reorganize fascia, a connective tissue. Dr. Rolf implemented a holistic approach as she saw that fascia encases and supports other parts of the body such as muscles, nerves, and bones. She knew that influencing connective tissue can help the body align itself into patterns that work with gravity instead of against it. She looked at a systematic approach to myofascial release. This process is known as the Ten Series.
So here is where things get tricky, as there are many reasons why people can think Rolfing is painful. I am going to cover two. First, Rolfing can make a person become more body aware. Many individuals live life with the idea that their neck, shoulder, back, hips, or knees hurt, but they have been living with the pain so long that they kind of pushed it aside in their mind. The pain can become background noise to everyday life. When someone starts the Rolfing process, they are more than likely to get more involved with their bodies and start to become more body awake. The pain they were pushing down has a possibility to be moved to the front of the line during Rolfing sessions. The goal is to eliminate pain, but first, the brain has to register where body parts are in space. This can bring awareness to areas that were once silenced. Rolfing can create proprioception, which can ultimately lead to less body pain, but the initial part of rediscovering pain can be found difficult for some.
The second reason why people may think Rolfing is painful is due to a lack of communication between the practitioner and client. A good Rolfer will have a conversation with an individual about how and when to tell them the pressure is too much and not beneficial. Some people may believe that mashing fascia as hard as possible is the best way to get release, and this is not true. It is the Rolfer’s responsibility to educate people on what is beneficial pressure. I always like to say if you have to meditate out of the situation, then it is too much. In order for the brain to develop a good body-mind connection, the mind has to be present. Too much pressure will also cause the body to tense up. The goal is not to create more trauma but to release it. Creating excessive pain does not create a good environment for the body to let go. People may also have multiple layers of fascia that need to be addressed. Understanding which layers are available to access is also the Rolfer’s responsibility. A client may come in wanting to get into the deepest layer, but the top layer may need attention first. Blasting through top layers that need less pressure to get to the deepest can cause them to respond negatively to the experience. A good Rolfer will understand which fascia levels are available for treatment and work that deep. Once they are addressed, they can move onto the next available layer.
Everyone’s Rolfing journey is different. We all have unique body structures and patterns, along with lives we live them in. My ultimate goal is to make the Rolfing process a beautiful and life-changing experience. The process may be considered difficult at times, but through communication and trust, I believe the healing journey can be an enjoyable one. It all comes down to education and awareness of the process. If you are interested in getting started with Rolfing, contact me today!
