In the beginning of my journey as a Rolfer, I was hoping to develop “special “ abilities that I had heard were often displayed by practitioner’s of the healing arts. The Chinese Chi Gung folks come to mind as well as Don Juan and Don Genaro from Castaneda’s books on the Shamans of Mexico that I read in his books in my late teens and early twenties until I lost his drift. I won’t bore you with my escapades into the different modalities that populate the realm of consciousness expanding techniques, just know they are plentiful. In the beginning of my training at the Rolf Institute, Dr. Rolf had left a few crumbs on the trail that might have been viewed as cockeyed, to the “untrained” eye. I remember vividly the burning of epsom salt in bowl for “clearing the air” in the room after performing bodywork sessions at the Rolf Institute during my training  which I had used  in a bath, after being tossed and thumped by the horses I was sharing space with.  Yet, the burning of the epsom  was considered valid then in 1989, I don’t know if its still being practiced in those hallowed halls, I only assume that some may still hold her beliefs as truth. I also remember her recommending washing my hands and lower arms with cold water using a particular mantra like vowel to clear the energy after each session according to the wisdom passed down buy our founder. Rarely do I do that, but I do catch myself occasionally following her advice, as if somehow she is mysteriously looking over my shoulder in the bathroom while I perform that ritual, reminding me of that important tradition to remove unwanted energy that I may have picked up during the session.

What I have learned, during my years of practice that seems to work for our clients, is the practice of presence, non-judgement, authenticity, and being in our own bodies fully. This allows us to hold the space for the transformation/healing that unfolds when we touch and hold the space for our clients evolutionary process, or something as simple as changing their pain paradigm. If you are grateful for them and can be compassionate with their suffering, the room fills with an energy that inexplicably assists in the the “healing” that transpires. Can I prove it, don’t even care too! Can one separate the massage practitioner’s focus from the outcome of the work?  There is something that happens when the two entities (therapist and client) merge where magic manifests. All of us who have been at this for awhile can testify to the difference in resonance that we share with some of our clients. Not every session is remotely the same. And outcomes are often wildly different with the same client between other practitioners. Why is that? I believe its the holding of a resonate field and the state of attention that Rolfers, Cranial Sacral and massage therapists all hold and project. [Read more…]