I was teaching a structural integration course in the beautiful hills of Tennessee a couple of months ago in a very well run school as part of their massage continuing education program. And a very insightful student asked how does Rolfing work? “Well, Rolfing attempts to change the structure and improve function”, was my short answer. “No”, she said, “how does it actually work”, meaning what happens physiology.

Well, that was a question that caught me off guard for someone who had literally just been exposed to the concept of Structural Integration 2 hours ago!. There are two theories, and I made it clear they were theories. Because I am not sure really why someone’s structure changes through the application of a Rolfing technique and another doesn’t from the same application.

Dr. Rolf had the believe, and she had a Ph.D in Biochemistry, that when pressure was applied to the fascial network change took place because the tissue was essentially never ending state of flux…always changing.This change is possible by the nature of fascia and water metabolic characteristics of collagen, which is embedded in our ground substance. Collagen is in contact with every living cell, and the application of pressure creates a communication input to the entire matrix simultaneously. It is essentially the input of energy though pressure. It has been hypothesized from a physics standpoint, that energy can effect and change the colloidal material from a solid to a gel state. Then once the pressure has been removed, the tissue reorganizes back to a more solid state.

Now, there is also the concept of intention as we interact through various techniques and tools..(the sculptor in us as Rolfers), that also may energetically begin to change the fascia into a more integrated form by the energy of that intention which also moves through the collagen liquid crystalline  matrix at lightning speeds conveying our sense of structural integrity into the watery medium. Remember there is and electromagnetic conductive property of connective tissue which communicates down to the cellular level, effecting essentially all life function. Some of Dr. Bruce Lipton’s information on the biology of our beliefs, and how that creates change in the cell membrane, is incredibly informative and fascinating! 

Then I went on to describe to the student about origin and insertion work and the effect of over riding the golgi tendons and the stretch reflex, which allowed us to begin to soften hardened, dense, restrictive muscle movement before moving on to the fascial networks. In Rolfing we work both with the postural changes and the structural changes. If I can get a client to relax their muscles though direct work around the attachments, these changes can have immediate effects on their posture. If I communicate clearly with the the fascial networks, it is my belief that I can have long term effects on the structure of the body, the latter being a more neurological “victory”.

 In the next article I will go a bit more in depth into my understanding of the chemistry of connective tissue and why Rolfing/Structural Integration works as well as it does. Stay tuned.