Will Johnson "got rolfed" about 25 years ago, and hasn't looked back
since.
"It really alters our experience of ourselves," says Johnson. He is a certified
rolfer.
"Some people change physically, some emotionally. I've seen some clients
who, after 10 or 15 sessions, don't even look the same." The release
of tension can often be seen on people's faces, and in the way they carry
themselves.
"Everybody responds to this work differently."
Like many rolfers, Johnson arrived in the field from an unrelated background
-- in his case, working as an art critic and musician in New York City.
Steven Altschuler practices in the rolfing capital of the world, Boulder,
Colorado. He has a background in social work.
He, too, was introduced to the practice when he had a few sessions himself.
Altschuler has met rolfers who were bricklayers, and of course those who came
from the more traditional background of massage therapy.
While their backgrounds may be different, what each rolfer brings to the
field is a wealth of life experience -- which is necessary to cope with people
who are dealing with a myriad of problems.
"People come to you with deeply held physical tension and you help them
to navigate to the root," says rolfer Cheryl Locicero.
Injuries, job stress or emotional problems can set up holding patterns
in the body which cause pain. Rolfing connects people's bodies with their
minds to help release their tension.
The work is mentally and physically challenging. "If you're looking
for stability and security, it's not that kind of job. But if you like
learning constantly, like people, like a challenge and being self-employed,
I would encourage people to get into it," says Locicero.
Most rolfers work with adults, but for Karen Price, age is no barrier.
Price specializes in women and kids and even worked on one newborn who
was six days old. "The mother just wanted me to take a look. When the girl
was born, we figure she didn't have her regular doctor and they just
yanked the baby out. Her left arm was limp."
Price worked on the baby for three or four sessions and by the end of it,
the baby could make a fist. Unfortunately, nerve damage meant the arm was
never the same, but at least she could use it.
"It's profound," says Price. She adds that working with children is
so much easier because not only are their bodies more flexible, but so are
their minds. "The ideal age is between seven and 11, when they're really
independent, open, interested and have a good sense of self."
While rolfers get the satisfaction of working with people and seeing results,
they also have a real love of the profession. Some describe it as a spiritual
connection made with the clients.
Others say it's very intimate work -- as tensions in the body are
released, sometimes emotional issues are released as well. The experience
can be quite intense for both the rolfer and the client.
"It's not just a job where you show up for work and go home," says
Altschuler. "You have to be really willing to keep expanding yourself -- being
more genuine and authentic. It's about connecting with people."
Altschuler recommends anyone interested in rolfing try out the treatment
first. That, more than anything else, will give them a taste of what it's
like. "It's very experiential," he says. "It's not just a technique,
it's more than that."
The toughest part of the job for many rolfers is the new age label that
gets attached to the profession. Despite more than 20 years of history, the
field is still relatively unknown.
That's frustrating for people like Johnson who have spent so many
years in the field. "It's still outside the mainstream," he says.