City Rolfing | Jason DeFilippis

IDA ROLF

Structural Integration came to presence during the Human Potential Movement in the 1950’s-70’s. Dr. Rolf noticed that despite the authentic spiritual, mental and emotional growth that was happening at this time, people’s bodies were not quite along for the ride. {I see this in my own practice. The body will bring attention to itself in order to resolve this imbalance. This can look like disease, pain, discomfort…..}. She saw the dynamic sets of relationships, which we call body, or “Structure” as the context of who we are and how we behave as physical beings in physical reality. What she observed was that most bodies are in conflict with themselves and thus in conflict with gravity. This situation creates conflict with respect to ones relationship to herself, and her relationship to other. Dr. Rolf did not seem all too concerned with some of the other ramifications, i.e., pain, discomfort etc…. which she thought were symptoms of the deeper reality; that our bodies inhibit us from relationship. I think there’s a quote from her that goes something like: “If your symptoms get better, that’s your own tough luck” She was primarily concerned with the evolution and potential of our species, which she thought had to do with the degree to which we can be in clear relationship to ourselves and to the people and things which make up our environment. She saw deeply into the ways that bodies defend against inner conflicts and perceived outer threat, and that this is what keeps us out of relationship. It was her life’s work to develop a way to help people let go of defense and find relationship.

The emphasis on the body as the context for who we are, and the source of limitation, was revolutionary in the West. Moreover, the notion that the body can be systematically changed in favor of increasing order, and function, and that these changes would affect the mind, was also revolutionary. Dr. Rolf’s insight was that Fascia (a form of connective tissue) creates the relationships in the body. For instance, relationships between bones, muscles, organs etc…. Rolfers work with the fascial system of the body in order to re-shape it to establish clearer, more appropriate relationships, within the body, among the segments of the body, and between the individual and gravity.