The Rolfer’s Touch
By Craig Ellis, Certified Rolfer
www.HoustonRolfer.com

I often talk to people who, when they find out I am a Rolfer, say, That’s really painful, isn’t it?”  Rolfing® has been associated with invasive and painful bodywork since the 1960’s and by some accounts, that reputation was at one time well earned.  Apparently some early Rolfers mistook Ida Rolf’s encouragement to “go deeper” with “go harder”.  The two are in no way synonymous, and the results were unpleasant for some.  Times change, however, and the vast majority of Rolfers working today do not subject their clients to intense pain.  We have learned that effective bodywork involves working with the client, not on them.  Receiving bodywork from a Rolfer is a unique experience, and is typified by what some have called “the Rolfer’s touch.”

Rolfing is many things; it is unfair and inaccurate to describe it in terms of heavy pressure only.  Rolfers serve as a kind of midwife, assisting clients as they naturally seek the next highest level of order, verticality, and integration in their bodies.  To accomplish this, their touch can be heavy or light, superficial or deep, physical or energetic, broad or focused, direct or indirect, leading or following.  Ideally, it is whatever the inherent wisdom of the client’s body is seeking in the present moment.  What is always involved is a deep two-way communication between practitioner and client.  This communication is sometimes verbal, but often is not.  The Rolfer communicates with his or her presence, intention, and hands; the client communicates with their body – their breathing, heart rate, movements, and tissue changes.  The contact feels as if it is taking place on a deeper level than many people have experienced before.  

Here are a few examples of matching the quality of touch to a person’s unique physiology and structure:

Systemic Work:  When a person’s nervous system is over-activated by stress so that their tissues are contracted and holding, a gentle and supportive quality of touch is needed to soothe, comfort, and reassure the person’s system (conscious and unconscious) that it is safe to release the tension.  Heavy pressure here would only cause the person to reflexively hold on more tightly. 

Direct Work:  A person suffering from chronic low back pain may have an imbalance in their pelvis; one hip is pulled higher than the other.  It may be desirable to directly work between the hip and the ribs on the high side, lengthening and loosening the shortened, thickened fascia in that area.  If the imbalance is old, several minutes of sustained and firm pressure may be required to restore span and health to the tissue.  Firm pressure does not mean excruciating pain.  If the tissue is distressed, some discomfort may be involved.  The contact should always feel like something good is happening, however, and afterwards the area usually feels much better.

Indirect Work:  At times, following the inherent motion present in all living tissue is helpful in unwinding strain patterns and restoring lost health and mobility.  The quality of this touch involves dropping in, listening attentively, and allowing the client’s body to initiate the change while gently following and supporting the process as necessary. 

As you can see, the quality of the Rolfer’s touch varies widely depending on the unique qualities of the individual and the path towards healing that is available in the present moment.  Good bodywork is like a good conversation, with both parties listening attentively and speaking honestly.  It need not be a lecture.  Input is received, processed, and returned; both the practitioner and the client learn something from this exchange.  Through touch, movement, and awareness, the ultimate goal of the work is to assist clients in evolving towards a new, more enhanced way of being in their bodies and in the world.

So the next time someone tells you Rolfing is horribly painful and you must be some sort of masochist to be considering it, ask if they have actually received the work.  Chances are they have only heard the echo of a story that originated some 30 years ago, a story that no longer rings true.  Rolfing is an empowering and transformative bodywork modality that is much more than its reputation.