What is Personal Structural Integration? As Dr. Rolf used to say: "Anyone can take a body apart, very few know how to put it back together." The true genius of her method is the art and science of reshaping and reorganizing human structure according to clearly defined principles in a systematic and consistent manner.

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"A body is something wrapped around a breath; let the wraps flow freely like silk scarves."

Dr. Ida P. Rolf

 

My background as a structural integrator practitioner under the lineage of Dr. Ida Rolf is primarily in working with the connective tissues of the body, a.k.a. the fascia. What do I mean by fascia? The fascia, connective tissue, starts just below your skin, and it has many interwoven layers.  The first layer is literally a carpet backing for your skin.  Below this is a soft fatty layer that protects us from bumping but also protects us from getting infection from outside.  Deep to the fat is a unitard of tough fascia that really determines our shape. Below this are the various layers that surround and invest the muscles, and form walls between muscles and muscle groups—these are the layers actually called the myofascia.  Deep to the muscles are the ligaments and periosteum (the plastic wrap around the bone).  The fascia extends to other parts of the body as well: all the organs are wrapped in fascial bags and attached to the body wall, and the brain is surrounded in a unique fascial suspension system that runs from your skull to your sacrum, and out with the nerves and their myelin (also fascial) sheaths. I like to think of fascia as the “cosmic glue” that forms who we are (Segarra, 2013).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When clients come in for Personal Structural Integration, my role is to facilitate a process of inquiry of finding oneself, reclaiming, "rewilding" our center in a gravitational field of consciousness. Indeed to explore the vary essence of what it is to live a human life. I may evaluate their posture, identify postural imbalances, then using my palpation tools to invite a change in structure to realign and invite balance. In addition, my role is to educate the client and give them movement therapy tools to practice on their own to help maintain balance.

 

One of the confusions is people come to me thinking Structural Integration is a form of deep tissue massage. Although it incorporates some elements of deep tissue, it moves beyond deep tissue massage because it works with the relationship between parts of the body and integrating the whole in the living matrix.

 

Often new clients have a fear of Structural Integration because they think it will be painful. I do not work in the paradigm of causing pain in the body. In fact, you will find the opposite to be the case. Additionally, I am trained in craniosacral therapy, visceral, neural, Bioenergetics and  psycho-somatic release work. My background is in treating with an emphasis in trauma-sensitivity with regards to chronic pain, fibromyalgia, arthritis, pelvic floor dysfunction, prenatal and postpartum support in women. Much of my work is about "treating the baby within", taking my clients back to the beginning to experience wholeness in their body. I do have a full practice and accept new clients as openings arise.  I typically work with clients for several sessions (minimum 3), it is commitment to ones healing.

 

I received my training in Structural Integration through the continuing education pathway and completing my doctorate degree focusing on structural integration in my clinical practicum and thesis. In addition to my doctorate,  I am registered with IASI and have completed over 600 hours in continuing education hours in structural integration under Thomas Myers (Rolfer),  Peter Ehlers (KMI), Jonathan Martine (Rolfer), Gil Hedley, PhD (Rolfer), Ron Murray, DO (Rolfer), Mary Bond (Rolfer), Carol Agneessens, MS (Rolfer), Jill Gerber (Rolfer), David Davis (Rolfer), Hiroyoshi Tahata (Rolfer), Erik Dalton, PhD (Rolfer), Kier Schumaker (ATSI), Mela Berger (SI) and Bob Shrei (Rolfer/SourcePoint). I have over 5,000 hours of advanced continuing education as of 2023.

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I am currently co-teaching a Structural Integration program that I founded and created with David Davis, Jill Gerber and Peter Ehlers at UNM-Taos.

 

Walk with integrity, speak your truth and live in joy.