Rolfing Bellevue: Holistic Approach

By Christopher Horan, CR, CFNC May 16, 2012 General

Online dictionaries define Holism as, “the treatment of any subject as a whole integrated system, esp., in medicine, the consideration of the complete person, physically and psychologically, in the treatment of a disease”. I take this concept seriously while working with clients in my Rolfing practice in Bellevue, WA.

A large portion of clients that come to see me come because they have pain showing up somewhere in their body and want me to help them get rid of it. One thing that’s always important to point out is that nobody ever heals your body for you. They help facilitate your body being in a healthier place so that it can heal itself.

Pain can be a pretty funny thing. Pain is pretty reliable at telling you that something is wrong somewhere in the body. But it’s often not a very good indicator of where the source of the issue is. I often find that the source of the issue is not only not where the client feels the pain but is often not even close to the real culprit. Pain can show up in your low back because of a toe injury that is forcing you to limp (even just slightly). Pain can show up in your neck because of an old fall onto your tailbone that is just slightly changing your alignment, which in turn forces the rest of your spine to compensate. You can develop bunions because of organs in your abdomen that are adhered to tissue that they’re not supposed to be adhered to. The list can go on and on and almost every scenario involves multiple parts of the body that need to be addressed in order to completely get better.

Rolfing is designed not only to look at the complete body to see where changes can be made, but also how the client is using their body/mind in their everyday life in ways that might be contributing to their discomfort. Taking a holistic approach to the healing process helps ensure that the client sees results that are permanent and not just temporary.

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Clients receive Rolfing from me for a holistic approach to pain resolution from all over the Puget Sound, including: Bellevue, Seattle, Renton, Redmond, Mercer Island, Kirkland, Lynnwood, Issaquah, Tacoma, Puyallup, Newcastle, Gig Harbor, Fircrest, & University Place.

Rolfing Bellevue: Does Rolfing Hurt?

By Christopher Horan, CR, CFNC April 25, 2012 General, Rolfing Tips

The short answer to that questions is no, at least not in my office.

Rolfing® Structural Integration has a bit of a reputation for being painful and there are practitioners out there that contribute to that belief. Even though all of the Rolfers go through the same basic training, we all have our own personalities and belief systems and as such, work differently. I believe, and my experience has shown me, that it is much more productive to work WITH the person’s nervous system to help facilitate change in their body in lieu of working the clients tissue to mold it how I want it with disregard to the client’s comfort level. If I’m working too deep, too fast your body will naturally tense up to try to protect itself and we’ll be fighting against each other. I try to work at the appropriate depth and allow the tissue to open up at its own pace. With that said, we are trying to facilitate change in your body so we will be pushing your system some. But the idea is to work at a level so that you’re not tensing your whole body up on the table. The more you can stay relaxed and focus on the sensations, the more change will happen in your body.

Overall, there will be a broad spectrum to how the session feels. When I work with your organs or free entrapped nerves, the work will feel incredibly gentle. On the other hand, you might have patterns in your body that have been held for a very long time and the tissue might be sensitive to accepting change. Persistence and communication will be important in these cases.

At my Rolfing practice servicing Bellevue, Seattle, & Tacoma, WA it is always important that we communicate with each other throughout the sessions. I encourage every client to notify me when something is getting too intense. Every client’s sensitivity thresholds are different, so I need you to be my guide as I do my best to read what’s going on in your body. As long as we communicate, there should be no issues.

To Schedule a Session, Click Here

Clients receive Rolfing from me from all over the Puget Sound, including: Bellevue, Seattle, Renton, Redmond, Mercer Island, Kirkland, Lynnwood, Issaquah, Tacoma, Puyallup, Newcastle, Gig Harbor, Fircrest, & University Place.