Rolfing 3. (Dec. 9th 2010)

It is amazing to experience the connections between lifelong tensions in my arms and legs and the feelings when I’m stuck during the birth process. How the brain in an effort to make the fetus survive created tensions and anesthesia which still is working. (My arms and legs are relatively seen considerably shorter than the arms and legs of those who have the same trunk size as I have.) 

Certain habits, for example, how I tend to lift my left arm are old reminiscences from long ago. In a normal, healthy person, the arm is lifted from the fingers and hand and the trunk and shoulder don’t move. However, I lift my left arm by tensing the arm and pulling my shoulder as the main method. Jordi, my Rolfer, changes with simple instructions and advice my habits. 

Suddenly, I can understand why it hurts to see people move in a tense and awkward way. I have, for example, for some years suffered when I see the Spanish Prime minister Zapatero walk in a very jerky fashion. By the way, he speaks (in a similar jerky way) in staccato. Funny enough I mentioned this to Jordi, and he then told me that he had written to Zapatero and offered him a Rolfing treatment... We also talked about some sport stars who have an extremely relaxed posture and facial expression. One outstanding example is Andres Iniesta, favorite to win the prize as the best soccer player in the World 2010. It is a pleasure to see him move on a soccer lawn with full coordination. No wonder that he is the darling of many European soccer enthusiasts.

In stead of keeping my head upright and take in sounds by my ears I have a tendency to bend my back forward and to bow my head and to close my ears. If I try to put down and extend my heals, let the floor/ground come to my feet followed by my toes and feel the contact all the way up to my stomach, to walk straight with my head uplifted and feel the weight of my hands and move both arms and legs when I walk, then I walk as a free man. It is a very nice and liberating feeling, and my brain can start to unlearn its tensing habits and let me relax. When Jordi did relatively painful (positively) restructuring of my muscles in my upper arms and thighs, I felt so relaxed that I fell asleep.

I am curios what kind of mental changes I will experience when I succeed to let my body and extremities relax and the imprinted cramps in my muscles and fascia are gone. Without any specific decision l have surprised myself by taking a more relaxed and emphatic attitude towards Isabel. My earlier rigid attitude has been connected to my tensions in my fascia and my muscles.

Jan Johnsson  http://epilepticjourney.blogspot.com/

Arthur Janov said...

My reply to Jan's email:
Rolfing may help but I am not for it because it pushes the muscles to release tension without proper connection to the brain. The brain should first give instructions and then the muscles release as a result of a memory or imprint. It is mindless and I am not for that. art janov