Rolf Method of
Structural Integration
Work with your body, not in spite of it
What is Structural Integration?
Structural integration is the answer for people who are tired of looking for temporary or reactive solutions to their chronic pain or sustained injuries. Structural integration works with your body’s fascia, a highly adaptive and responsive web of connective tissue that connects every part of your body to every other part of your body. . Think of fascia as the movement memory of your body. Our everyday actions and patterns leave an imprint on this web of tissue, creating lines of tension that if not addressed can start to form rigid and limited movement pathways (think that ache in your low back, or that stiff shoulder that you can’t move as well in the morning). Structural integration works to dissolve those lines of tension by working directly with your fascia, so that instead of just feeling temporary relief, we’re reeducating the body for more adaptive and integrated movement. So that “stiff neck”, “bad back”, or “weak knees” can melt away and move in the ways you’ve always wanted.
As opposed to other modalities, which force change through either excessive pressure or fast and repetitive strokes, Structural Integration moves with slow intention and precision, listening to the body’s first barrier of resistance to create change that doesn’t overwhelm the nervous system. This means a less painful experience with more enduring results. Clients are often surprised when they realize the relief they feel in one session not only stays with them days or even weeks later, but often time continues to improve long after they receive the work. While there are still moments of intensity, I am always guided by the individual’s threshold for receiving treatment, and work to ensure all bodies feel safe and supported on their journey.
“What surprised me about Structural Integration was how gentle it was and how long it lasted. It’s been two weeks since our session and I still feel a difference throughout my neck and collarbone.”
-Kirsten Gerding
What I Treat
While I could provide a cut and dry list of medical diagnoses, leaving you to guess which clinical terms most aligns with your experience, I often find that the treatment people come to me for is more nuanced than a specific ache. They come to me with a “weird pain” that’s not related to a specific activity, and they’re worried about what it will develop into. Or maybe it's because they notice a change in their overall energy that feels related to their posture- they can never quite get comfortable or relax no matter what position they’re in. Sometimes it's a discomfort that seems to move all over the body, so that when they find relief in one area it just makes another area flare up and keep them from keeping the movement routine they desire. Other patients come to me because they have an old injury that the doctors and PTs say they’ve recovered from, but they are still feeling limitations.
To put it simply: I treat the experience of moving in your body. I take my clients on a journey to broaden their understanding of that experience, and create enough space for the limitations they are feeling to not only dissipate, but to make sense as to why they show up, so they are empowered to keep those from returning. Sure I treat the obvious red flag symptoms too, (shooting sciatic nerve pain, frozen shoulder, stiff neck/back, recovery from injury/surgery, to name a few) but I also help optimize movement so that those red flags don’t keep coming back.
Chronic Pain
Chronic pain can show up in many ways, from the subtle discomfort that shows up when getting out of bed, to the more debilitating aches that affect your whole day. I help treat both sides of that spectrum, including sciatic nerve pain, frozen shoulder, hip impingement, knee pain, tennis elbow, bunions, pins and needles, tension headaches, or the sense of being “stuck” in the body.
Lingering Injury/ Surgery Recovery
Whether it’s that misstep in a dance class that has got you walking funny, or whiplash from a car accident, injuries often have a longer effect on our body than we anticipate. My work has helped with ankle sprains, meniscus tears, shoulder injury or replacement, thrown out ribs, falls, blunt force trauma, pre/post top surgery, scar tissue or surgical adhesions that restrict movement or sensation.
Mobility & Ease of Movement
At some point we’ve all been told that the stiffness and aches in your body is all part of “getting older”. But if you’re looking for other options to keep you moving at your best, I work to address stiff thoracic spine, “tech neck,” tight lower back, aching hips, shallow breathing, or a desire to move with greater fluidity and connection.
The Ten Series
The 10 Series is the most comprehensive way of creating long-lasting change, Originally conceived by Ida Rolf, and refined by decades of brilliant practitioners, the 10 series is structured to systematically go through the body to expand, differentiate, and integrate your fascial network layer by layer to relieve chronic pain and transform the way you move in your body. The 10 series is much more than just a block of sessions, it’s a step by step process designed to reorganize your body to your most natural alignment, while simultaneously building fluidity and adaptability in your movement to prevent you from injuring yourself again in the future.
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These initial sessions free the superficial layer of fascia, creating space in all directions. After the first three sessions you’ll be breathing deeper, feeling more grounded through your feet, and enjoying and ease and swing through your arms, shoulders, and hips.
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Sessions 4-7 organize deeper core layers of tissue, un-gluing areas between muscles to restore a sense of glide between layers,. This is where we dive deep into freeing up stubborn chronic pain patterns– whether that be an ache in the low back, recurring frozen shoulder symptoms, or tension headaches that keep you up at night. In these sessions we find length and spaciousness through our deeper structures that are often the culprit for keeping you in pain.
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These integrative sessions balance all layers to create a better functioning whole. This is where we apply the work to your everyday action and movement practices so that the strain you always feel in that backbend in yoga or that high leg extension becomes easeful and connected to your center. These final sessions give you the tools to move your body with more agility and adaptability, so you can handle whatever new curveball comes your way.
“Since working with Derek, I've noticed a significant reduction in hip and neck pain. Along with a reduction in chronic pain, I've had significant increases to my hamstring flexibility and upper back mobility.”
-Nina Sawant, photographed above before and after 10 sessions