FAQ's Will my body become perfectly aligned? We are not aspiring to that, we use the design to clarify the direction we need to go towards, knowing we will never get there, but knowing too that the closer we get, usually, the better we feel. In general, the body becomes more optimised. Many people come because of pain and if the pain does disappear that is enough. Others will want to come back every few years in order to go a little further in that process of optimisation, because they feel a little bit better every step of the way.
Can RSI guarantee that my pain will go away? Unfortunately, there is no physical therapy that can do that. The body is incredibly complicated and each person and issue is unique. Ida Rolf stressed that RSI is not a therapy that chases a particular symptom to eliminate it but rather a process of optimisation of the body in a much and more holistic way, and thankfully, our experience is that many uncomfortable symptoms do frequently disappear during that process. Rolfing SI is not for someone looking for a quick fix for a particular pain but for someone looking to take stock of where their body is after a lifetime of challenges, and deciding to let go of as much chronic tension as the body will allow at this time.
Does it hurt? If it does, how can that be good? Wherever there is long-held tension, there is likely to be soreness in response to pressure, however, there is a big difference between what you might call "good pain" and "bad pain". Good pain is when someone puts a thumb into a sore shoulder and you say: Yes! That's the right place! Bad pain is when you want to get up and run. We absolutely do not want you to be experiencing bad pain. The soreness should only ever be manageable, as we want to release tension, not increase it. It is a big part of the responsibility of the client to keep expressing what their experience is, so that the work proceeds within a margin of comfort in which the client can relax.
Do the beneficial effects of RSI stay, and if so why? We are aiming to allow for more stability in general, so that the body as a whole is more balanced. The more holistic change is, the longer lasting the effects are likely to be.
A metaphor for this might be: Supposing you have a house that is suffering from subsidence, after a while you find that the front door won't shut properly as the angles of the frame have shifted, and now the door hinges bend and start to tear. Chasing the symptom might mean changing the hinges and filing some slivers of wood off the corners of the door. This will offer you instant relief in using the door, but not really a long-term solution.
The equivalent to Rolfing would be to notice the issues with the door, take a step back and understand the bigger picture, do as much as possible to correct the subsidence, and then work on the door.
Does it feel like massage? Hmm, not really. Yes, it is a hands-on therapy, in the way that massage is, but in massage you are mostly expected to lay back and relax. In Rolfing the contact is much more specific, using contact to identify particular threads of connective tissue that are compromised in some way and unravelling fibres that have become knotted. The client is often asked to do movements or stretches, always be attentive to the sensations they experience and offer feedback, so that it is a two way process between the Rolfing Practitioner and client.
What do I wear? Most people wear underwear and the best is stretchy underwear. Boxer shorts are not ideal. In some cases, people do not feel comfortable in underwear and prefer to use lycra sports shorts of the type used in cycling.
What's the best age to receive RSI? Any age is good. The youngest I have worked with, was my son, when he was a newborn. He was born with a patch of scalp that had matted down onto his cranium before birth (it's possible that he had been leaning on that spot for some time inside the womb). The younger someone is, the less time the connective tissue has had to matt, so only a tiny amount of pressure is needed.
I have worked with many children of all ages and it is often extremely useful, but the only proviso I would give is that the child must be motivated rather than obliged by the parent to receive the work.
For young children, the parent will need to be present.
The oldest person I have worked with was 83. At this age it is also useful to use only light pressure, but at this age any changes can mean large gains in comfort.
The majority of clients are between 25 - 65.
For many of us, patterns that were present and comfortable as a child, gradually become more challenging, and at some point start creating symptoms and the desire to change.
"Anna Orren fixed my back. She is warm, welcoming and a kind person who helped me to fix my feet. I can now walk straight and make a pair of shoes last more than six months."
Ben Scott(age19)
