The benefits of ReSet Rolfing
like a 100,000-mile service for your body
The 10-series of Rolfing is an investment in your body that can make a significant difference in your overall well-being. By working through the fascial matrix in a systematic way over 10 sessions, as an advance, Rolfer I can help to reset your fascial system for optimum efficiency and protect your body against wear and tear problems in the future.
My goal is to help you achieve optimal health and well-being. Whether you come for a single session or commit to the 10 series program, I am here to support you on your journey to a healthier happier you.
Individual sessions and short Fixit programs
Individual sessions or short Fixit programs can help to ease all kinds of connective tissue, muscle and joint pain, including the following:
- backpain.
- Neck and shoulder pain.
- RSI, tennis and golfers elbow.
- Shinsplints.
- Planter fasciitis.
- Some types of migraine
The full ReSet program
Undergoing the full reset program of up to 12 one hour sessions is like giving your body a100,000 mile service. Improving postural alignment, muscle coordination and your sense of balance brings greater freedom of movement and increases the amount of energy available to enjoy life.
On a much deeper and more profound level, the reset program is a re-education, which teaches you:
- how you, as a unique individual respond to the world you find yourself in.
- How your responses become habits, which shape your body and the way you move.
- How the habits you have evolved can be good as well as unhelpful and so like a type of system software, they occasionally need de-bugging.
Some of the areas that are addressed during your ReSet program include:
- Postural alignment
- Movement optimisation
- Top to toe, ‘facial health check’ and adjustment
- Pain issues.
- Lifestyle advice,
- Recognition of harmful postural and movement patterns (Homework is given between each session to help change these habits.
Frequently asked questions
Not everyone is suited to Rolfing. For this reason, I like to see potential clients for one ‘evaluation” session before we commit to a schedule. It is essential that we feel comfortable with each other as therapist and client. It is also important that you have some sense of how the treatment feels. During this first session, I am keen to understand your expectations for the work thoroughly. I will not waste your time or money with further treatments if I don’t think I can help you, but I may have suggestions for other treatment avenues to explore.
Each client adapts to the work at a different rate, some change very quickly, some unwind at a more leisurely pace. It is essential to respect the body’s inherent wisdom here and neither force the pace nor unnecessarily stretch out the sessions. For this reason, I allow between 8 and 12 sessions to achieve the optimum results. The overall aim is to Reboot your body and then Future-Proof it against some of the most common posture and movement-related pain issues.
Recent scientific research has discovered that 90% of nerves which transmit pain, terminate in fascia. This means that what is often diagnosed as muscle pain, is in fact fascia pain. Treatments which focus on changing the condition of muscles are therefore often disappointing.
Fascia is an intelligent matrix of fibres which connects everything to everything in the body. In its natural, healthy state, fascia consists of fibrous sheets lubricated and separated by a fluid substrate containing a substance known as Hyaluronan
Through injury, postural holding or certain diseases, fascial layers can become dehydrated. When this happens, the Hyaluronan transforms into a super strong glue which sticks fascial layers together. Restrictions in muscle and joint mobility and trapped nerve fibres are the usual outcomes when this happens.
Tightly glued fascia is not a condition which is solved by massaging muscles or clicking joints. Separating this dry, scar-like tissue requires specific direction, depth and duration of touch. A specialised skill that Rolfers have been studying and practising for over 70 years. This type of tissue manipulation has proved more successful than many other methods in resolving pain issues because it addresses the root cause of the myofascial pain, not just the symptoms.
In addition, The Re•Set method seeks to change the movement or postural habit that caused the problem in the first place. In the majority of cases, this truly holistic approach results in a long-lasting or permanent change.
Modern day Chiropractic and Osteopathic treatment tends to focus on bone alignment and joint mobility and various methods ranging from gentle tapping to high velocity thrusts are used to manipulate and correct boney lesions. Rolfers believe that unless the tension and strain in the soft tissue is addressed and adjusted, the bones will continue to be pulled out of alignment and so will need constant re-adjustment. The Rolfing method involves slow, sustained and focussed pressure in a specific direction to affect the entire tissue bed in which the bones of the body are embedded. The Rolfer’s goal is to achieve balanced tension which enables the bones to move back naturally into their proper relationship and alignment.
In the first session we briefly go through your intake form so that we can both be clear of your goals for the treatment. I will then ask you to stand in underwear so that I can make quick postural sketches. In subsequent sessions we review what has been happening for you after the previous appointment. The work of restructuring and rehydrating the muscle and connective tissue network is done by applying various degrees of pressure and direction. This is done mostly on a couch or sometimes seated with you covered if you wish.
One of the most often reported side-effects of Rolfing is relief from long term pain. Releasing nerve fibres which are being stretched, distorted and irritated because they are trapped in fibroses or sticky fascial layers requires that I apply specific, slow pressure and precise direction to various parts of your body. At all times throughout the treatment there is close communication and moment by moment permission to stay well within each individuals pain tolerance.
But, Yes there can be some brief, initial discomfort as the fascia releases and rehydrates. This is generally followed by a feeling of warm, spreading relief in and around the area worked on. Most clients finally released from long term suffering describe the sensation as ‘Good Pain’
I want you to feel comfortable, but equally, it is essential that I can see and work on your skin, so the following options are suggested:
- Underwear
- loose-fitting cotton vest & shorts
- two-piece swimwear
- Please DO NOT WEAR Bicycle shorts, panty girdles, and other garments containing heavy elastic or lycra as they are impossible to work through. Sports bras fall into this category as they are challenging to navigate around the mid-back
All Rolfers certified to practice in the UK are listed here on the official UKRolfers website. Just go to the ‘Find a Rolfer’ page and type in your address to find your nearest practitioner. There are only 52 certified Rolfers in the UK so you may have to travel a little to find a practitioner.