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So, You think That Deep Tissue Massage is Deep?

The world views Rolfers as the Marquis de Sade of the massage profession. It has been interesting as Rolfer, who has been a part of that community for 26 years, to observe a tug of war between those who believe the technique shouldn’t be painful and those who who think painful touch is a part of the process. Much like the martial arts tradition of hard and soft styles. Each often scoffs at the other in condescendence. Its the Peter Melchior versus Emmet Hutchins syndrome. Rolfers who have been plying the trade for awhile know exactly what I am talking about. Some love it light and some love it hard to the point of masochistically brutal. Its a strange species and a strange world I inhabit. I would have to say being a practitioner of Cranial Sacral therapy for almost 21 years in tandem with my Rolfing work, that I tend to live more in the soft style. That being said, I do bring my client/patients to their edge from time to time Rolfing them, but I believe they would say Rolfing Structural Integration is not a painful process…just a wee bit intense on occasion.

I think that if you meet hard tissue with hard force you aren’t connecting to the person and the tissue pattern that you are trying to unveil, will elude you. Minimum touch at the most effective point, which I am sure would probably correspond with an acupuncture point, sets in motion a wave of beneficial effects. Because all connective tissue is connected as we now know, much like a geodesic dome, we can effect deeper tissue with a lighter focused touch. Banging away at hard connective tissue will ultimately cause problems to the practitioner and probably not achieve the desired result. I like to “push” wait for a response, potentially push a wee bit harder, but then aim the tool in a slightly different direction and listen carefully for the response. Sometimes I will softly touch the resistant tissue and wait, oftentimes the tissue responds to my passive attitude and relaxes. The body has the innate wisdom and knows way more what it needs then a hard external force being applied by a practitioner of the massage genre. Our touch only awakens the homeostatic response which their body is capable of mustering at that moment. [Read more…]

Change Your Life, Learn To Ride The Cranial Sacral Wave

Many of you in your journey of healing have heard about the discipline of Cranial Sacral Therapy. Some of you may have even had a rudimentary exposure in your massage school training. Let’s talk a bit about about the origins of this splendid work. Cranial Osteopathy was first introduced by William Garner Sutherland D.O. (1873-1954) over a century ago. His journey began when he noticed that the cranial sutures of the temporal bones were “beveled like the gills of a fish” indicating the ability to allow for expanding and contracting movements with the parietal bones. His conversations about this discovery with his mentor, Dr. Andrew Stills, the founder of the first osteopathic school in America, began the odyssey that we now call craniosacral therapy. Both men believed the system was “designed to breath”. He called this breathing movement, the primary respiratory mechanism. The idea that the bones of the skull could move, was contrary to contemporary anatomical belief then, as it is today by some scientists and medical practitioners. Dr. Sutherland was a deeply spiritual man and later described the origin of the wave inherent in the cranial sacral system, the “Breath of Life”, from the Book of Genesis 2:7. This was an acknowledgement of the vital force as a fundamental aspect of osteopathic philosophy.

The cranial system is a semi-closed, hydraulic system comprised of the spine, the skull, its cranial sutures, diaphragms, fascia of the body and the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) which flows through the spinal cord and then exists the foramina of the vertebrae and into the interstitial fluid. By coming into contact and awareness in a reflective manner, the therapist is able to create a homeostatic response within their client’s nervous systems. [Read more…]

Why So Many Hip Replacements?

I have been asked recently in one of my massage continuing education classes if I have many clients who have had a hip replacement. I answered plenty, and some with both hips replaced. I marvel at our trauma medicine and what it has been able to accomplish in the past 100 years!

The illiofemoral joint is a deeply cupped ball and socket joint with very strong muscles and ligaments attached to it. Consequently, many of the impacts and pulls that are placed upon can create pain and dysfunction Dr. Ida Rolf, the founder of Structural Integration commonly known as Rolfing, believed that the hip joint was the greatest determining factor in postural symmetry.

For any massage therapist who is pursuing insights in the hip and lower back pain in a massage continuing equation courses, they should explore methodologies and approaches that bring balance into the joint because of the long term wear and tear that usually leads to the necessity of a replacement. Often times when I ask my clients if there was anything that precipitated their painful condition that necessitated the surgery, there was no determining factor that could be addressed that could be considered responsible for the replacement…only conjecture. So, its extremely important for the therapist to begin to educate their clients to the necessity of focused work in the hip as a preventative measure. [Read more…]

The Journey of Compassion: Raising the Bar on Your Skill Level.

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…]

Cranial Sacral Therapy: Practicing from the Center

Craniosacral therapy is a powerful and effective discipline. Just ask the thousands who have experienced its benefits! But, unlike many of the other disciplines like Rolfing, myo-fascial release, trigger point therapy, and a myriad of others where your hands are placed where you and your patient can see and feel the results of your tactile expression, craniosacral therapy demands a subtlety and focus like no other discipline I have experienced. Oh there a few naysayers on the internet and one MD, whose name I won’t mention, that croaks from his pulpit like a frog in a pond, totally unaware of the whale who swims in the sea. But, those of us who have had the great fortune of being called to the work, know its wide range of benefits in dealing with a vast array of painful and annoying complaints that are brought to our tables. [Read more…]