Hands of Integration

One of the most common, one-word answer questions in today’s society often turns into a lengthly conversation in my world.

“What do you do for work?”….and when I give my answer…that person’s seemingly inevitable reply, “Ohhh really….I heard that hurts…”

Don’t get me wrong, I love talking about my profession. I could chat for hours, literally, about Structural Integration, bodywork in general, the body, different healing modalities, and anything else related to the topic. And I am grateful that some people are already familiar with Rolfing and its benefits. However, even many of these people have the misconception that it has to hurt to “work”.

I believe this thought is credited to an “old school” set of assumptions that Rolfing operated from and practitioners utilized in the first decades of the work. One of these ideas was the Gel-Sol theory, which maintained that the fascia(connective tissue of the body) would respond to immense pressure and heat by moving from a solid (gel) state to a more fluid state (sol), thus allowing great malleability and change. During that time it was believed this change was likened to an ice cube turning into water when pressure or heat was applied. Mistranslation occured: the more perceived change was needed, the more pressure was applied.

Ida Rolf started the technique in the 1940s. That was the decade of the Second World War, color television, Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls and movies like The Maltese Falcon and Citizen Cane. Many things have changed since then…(hopefully) including the manifestation of the work she created.

The Gel-Sol theory has been scientifically disregarded as the reason of why and how Rolfing works and replaced with more of a neurobiological explanation. Sensitive mechanoreceptors in the fascia are contacted and this causes change in the body’s autonomic nervous system, or the self-regulating systems(which are mostly subconscious). How does this translate? Far less pressure is needed for the desired change.

Still, the perception of touch is relative. In a session, intensity can definitely occur(as long as the client is okay with that), but pain should never be present. A client should not be clenching fists, grinding teeth, or stifling breath. These are all signs that the body is resisting the work on at least one level. The most important thing is that the client know that he or she is always in control, and can and should let the practitioner know if the tolerance level for pain is being surpassed.

Sometimes there can be what clients tend to call a “good pain”. This is normally a sign that restriction is being released or old patterns of holding are being let go. This is what Ida Rolf called the “key to the work”…finding pleasure in releasing the pain, instead of hanging on to it.

Ida Rolf was unquestionably ahead of her time; a true trailblazer. But the times have changed…technology itself has gone from color television to a digital world of internet, texting and social media. I would like to think we, as practitioners of the Rolf Method, have changed with the times as well. And I also personally think Ida would be proud.

Have you ever heard of Leon Fleisher?  If you are interested in contemporary symphony music, chances are you have.  He is known for his famous right hand, that ironically did not work for 30 years.  That’s right, he played with only his left hand. Well, as of 1995, his right hand is working again…and you might be interested how and why…

Music aficionados will know Leon Fleisher from his brilliant 15 year career in the 1950s and early 60s when he was hailed as “the pianistic find of the century.” About his debut with the New York Philharmonic, New York Times critic Olin Downs wrote, “Leon Fleisher at once established himself as one of the most gifted of the younger generation of keyboard artists.”

Ten years later, Fleisher could barely write his name, a victim of what has since become known as repetitive stress injury resulting from his obsessive hours of practice. Fleisher consulted doctor after doctor for a diagnosis of his mysteriously deteriorating hand, but they didn’t seem interested, he says, when they were unable to find something specific to medicate or surgically repair.

Fleisher’s debilitation began in 1962 and he responded by practicing harder and longer. When my body, through the mechanism of pain, told me to stop, I didn’t listen,” he says. He was 37 years old when he was forced to retire from the stage and for one of the greatest pianists of the time, his whole life seemed to disintegrate.

But he never gave up on the idea of playing again with both hands. Over the 30 years since he left the stage in 1965 he tried seemingly every medical and psychiatric treatment that held a glimmer of hope: acupuncture, hypnosis, a deep-tissue massage called myotherapy, L-dopa, steroid injections, biofeedback, even surgery. He all but gave up.

Then in March 1995 his wife introduced him to a Rolfer in Baltimore named Tessy Brungardt. Rolfing is a form of therapy that structurally changes connective tissues restoring their pliability and range of motion. A Rolfer works out the patterns of strain by using fingers, knuckles, even elbows to soften connective tissue and realign the injured areas. The technique also seems to reprogram affected parts of the nervous system.

Mere weeks after beginning to work with Brungardt, he performed a two-handed concert with the Cleveland Orchestra and later in the summer he played two handed Mozart to standing ovations at the Tanglewood Music Center. Longtime friend Andre Previn heard Fleisher playing at Tanglewood and the conductor invited him to play at Carnegie Hall which he did on January 13, 1996 to triumphant reviews. The New York Times lauded “his pianism, not just his courage”.

For more information on Rolfing or The Ruscombe Mansion Community Health Center, call 410-367-7300 and ask for a brochure. Or visit them on the web at http://members.aol.com/ruscombe