After going to see a chiropractor without success
(a bunch of mumbo jumbo that my IT band needed strengthening and my psoas was
weak?!?!?!), I decided to make an appointment with a Rolfer. What is
Rolfing®? It is a kind
of myofascial massage, but Rolfers prefer to call it "movement
education." Whatever you call it, Rolfing involves touching the skin,
feeling around for "imbalances" in tissue texture, and separating fascial
layers that adhere and muscles that have been pulled out of position by strain
or injury. It is also a kind of energy medicine. Rolfers consider their unique contribution to
be "to balance the body in gravity." Deep massage or other forms of
soft tissue manipulation can't do that. Unlike some forms of energy medicine, however,
Rolfing is hands-on and no doubt that contributes to its attractiveness. It is
therapeutic when you have a hands-on treatment – soothing for both the mind and
the body.
Rolfing was developed by Ida P. Rolf, a biochemist
turned physical therapist. She spent a good part her career studying
osteopathy, homeopathy, chiropractic, yoga, the Alexander technique and
Korzybski’s work on states of consciousness. Dr. Rolf claimed she found a
correlation between muscular tension and pent-up emotions. Rolfing® is the name given to Dr. Rolf's method of massage, which transcends
chiropractic in that it is based on the notion that physical and emotional health
depend on parts of the body being properly "aligned." In Rolfing,
unlike some forms of chiropractic, more than just the spine must be aligned. To
be healthy, according to Rolfers, you must align your head, ankles, hips,
thorax, pelvis, knees, shoulders, ears, etc., in just the right way or else the
evils of gravity will be felt.
Well, back to me – I guess what I was feeling was
the evils of gravity. I sought help from
a Rolfer in Rockville Centre that I had gone to once in the past. Christina fit me in as soon as she could and
I was ushered into her quiet and soothing sanctuary of a treatment room. She first started off by making me walk in my
underwear back and forth a few times.
She was checking my alignment and noting inconsistencies (of which I had
multiple at that moment). The treatment
is similar to a massage but MUCH deeper – at times she used her elbow to get as
deep as possible. She chased the pain
right out of my body – I could feel it exiting from my feet. I guess I love her energy and we connect so
well that the treatment works in an amazing way because I am open to receive
(very important with these modalities).
She asked me to walk a few more times during the two hour session and each time my alignment was getting
better and better. My session was only
supposed to be an hour, but Christina is such a consummate professional that she could only feel satisfied when I reached my maximum potential.
When I finally left, I felt exhausted.
I could barely drive home. It was
like a pack of wild horses had run over my body. I dragged myself into my apartment and ran a
hot Epsom Salt bath to rid my body of whatever toxins were left. The next day I felt AMAZING and totally at
peace.
If you are questioning what is happening in your
body for any reason, I would highly recommend a Rolfing® treatment to help get to the bottom of what is ailing you. Remember that taking a pill to reduce pain because
you want to keep going is only a quick fix for right now. As soon as that medication wears off, the
problem will still be there. So you want
to get to the root of the problem and sometimes massage does not quite cut
it. Rolfing® will get you there.
To find one in your area go to:
If you pull up 11570 which is Rockville
Centre, you will find Christina Tufano’s contact information. Life
is a journey and you need to make it a pleasant one. Good luck on yours J
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