Rolfing 8. (Febr. 3rd, 2011)

The first time I went to Rolfing 30 years ago I knew nothing about it. Two things triggered me. Rolfing was kind of taboo at the old Primal Institute in Santa Monica, and I had got the tip from a cult person in a competing therapy in Boulder. I was impressed by the label “Structural Integration” and by the fact that this was something about a deep holistic system of soft tissue manipulation that organized the body in relation to gravity. I had no idea of the dramatic changes which would be the consequences of the ruthless, compressed manipulation of my fascia and my muscles which I had asked for and as a consequence was subjected to in Boulder, Col., Dec., 1979.

It certainly broke up all my gates and defenses to my imprints, all the way back to when my birth process became too much pain and horror to resist during a fight between life and death. These imprints which were laid down during these hours, later stress and provocations turned into epileptic seizures of different magnitudes in my late teens.

So why do I go back to do Rolfing? Because the more I have been aware of and understood my mental blockages the better I have been able to feel the mental pain which have caused my neurotic lifestyle. I am becoming increasingly conscious of that there exist an equivalent tension in my body, fascia, joints and my physical well being is lacking a naturalness when I move and manage my body. A body which for decades has been carrying around imprinted tensions in all vital parts due to the 48 hour mistreatment during my birth process.

Ida Rolf wrote: “The more you watch people change in front of your eyes, the more sure you are about how people can get stuck in childish incidents, or birth incidents, or for all I know prebirth incidents. You see it right in front of your eyes. And then changes happen through Rolfing, and it begins to be possible for a body to take on what we consider appropriate adult form. Then the person continues on psychologically, and develops.”

So with the same logic as I put efforts into maintaining my knowledge of Spanish, English and Danish, I want to put an equivalent amount of energy into my body to achieve length and separation of the joints. I have actually too much contraction of the joint surfaces. Something else is needed to loosen my imprinted tensions. The only way you can straighten a body in Rolfing is by lengthening it.

This time I have all the experience from the dramatic treatment in Boluder, I know very much of my epilepsy, my birth and my neurotic lifestyle, which has been decoded through Primal Therapy is no longer a survival need. Furthermore, I have studied how Ida Rolf interpreted Rolfing and understand the basic principles for her philosophy, and it fits into my holistic lifestyle and like when I do something I try to follow the device: Love what you are doing.

During today’s three hour session, we worked a lot with my arms and shoulders. My shoulders shall hang like a loose horse saddle on my thorax, with my arms hanging straight and lose along the flanks. No more strained shoulders that are holding together the chest, preventing breathing with the aid of tense hand- and arm muscles will be possible. 

Over time, I will change my posture and my movements from being will commanded habits to being an automatic process by my fascia. It will take time to build this new confidence, especially for a person like me who is driven by much willpower. A fascinating task.

Another task over the coming months will be to change my flex filled training program to be more stretch oriented.

Jan Johnsson