One thing new clients often don’t understand initially is that Rolfing is a process. Traditional massage therapy does yield cumulative effects, but it is usually done as single sessions. There isn’t any sort of flow between the sessions.
Rolfing is most definitely done as a process. That is why there is such power in the 10-Series. You could basically think of it as a one super long session. Time does play a factor in this setup: working through the whole body from the surface to the core just physically takes a long time–that’s a lot of territory to cover. Also, it is a learning time about your body. You won’t understand everything the first time–just like any new activity. It takes time to build up your skill level. You are essentially relearning the language of body sensation, and specifically your body’s unique dialect.
As I’ve mentioned before Rolfing is also about empowering you to be able to take over some of your care. You go to the Rolfer to get some external guidance and assistance, but the “heavy lifting” is still for you to do. It is like school in this regard–your teacher leads you through exercises and examples, but you have to do your own homework OUTSIDE OF CLASS. We all learn by doing, not by being told how to do something.
I recently thought of a new analogy for the Rolfing process (I do like analogies). It is like using a swing. Sure, you can do it entirely yourself–get those legs pumping and timings right and off you go. However, swing your leg not on sync or shift a rhythm, and it can be hard. The Rolfer acts like the friend helping the swinger out. You are still learning the timing and speed, but your helper gives the push at the right time, with the right power, and right angle to keep you going. At some point, you are fully able to take over the process yourself.
That is how Rolfing ideally works. The Rolfer is there to help push and guide you with the correct timing and pressure, but not do the work of swinging. Then you can later use that knowledge and guidance to keep evolving your own structure outside of and after your sessions.
