My journey with Rolfing* Structural Integration began over 45 years ago.  I had become interested in the mind/body connection (I now understand them to be indivisible) and was reading the book Powers of Mind during the summer before my freshman year in college.  One chapter quickly caught my attention:  "The Grandma and Grandpa of Gravity."  The Grandma of gravity was Dr. Ida P. Rolf (Ph.D.) and the Grandpa was Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais (D.Sc.).

I was instantly engrossed in what I was reading about Rolfing and Feldenkrais work.  I knew that someday I wanted to experience what Rolfing seemed to offer.  However, I didn't know at the time I would be able to have that experience in Bloomington where I would be attending school (Indiana University).

I remained in Bloomington after college and started to work at a bookstore.  Nearby, there was a convenience store where I became acquainted with the manager, Simeon.  One day, while in the store speaking with him, a customer walked in, turned away from us, and walked down an aisle.  He had an unusual structural and movement pattern which caused me to blurt out "Wow, that guy needs to be Rolfed."  Simeon immediately wanted to know how and what I knew about Rolfing, so I told him I'd read about it years before and had always wanted to try it.  With a large grin on his face, he told me he had recently returned from Boulder, Colorado where he had trained at the Rolf Institute, and was now a Rolfer! 

This led to my first session in 1986 and eventual completion of the entire series.  My first session was quite extraordinary and the series resulted in amazing changes.  Over the time working with Simeon he often suggested I would make a good Rolfer.  Although we discussed the idea of me training, it did not seem like the time was right.

In 1995 I left Bloomington and moved to Madison, Wisconsin.  A few years after moving to Madison I found another Rolfer, David Laden, and went through a 10-series with him (it had been a decade since my first series).  Again the conversation turned to my long-standing interest in Rolfing and whether I had any desire to become a Rolfer.  It still didn't seem to be the right time. 

Finally, in 2004, the decision was made.  It was time to pursue training in Structural Integration.  I chose to train at the Guild for Structural Integration instead of the Rolf Institute because Peter Melchior and Emmitt Hutchins, the first two teachers ever appointed by Dr. Rolf and the co-creators of the Advanced Series, had left the Rolf Institute and re-formed the original Guild.

I completed my Rolf Structural Integration training in February 2005 and am now beginning my 20th year in practice at Body in Balance Somatic Health & Wellness in Bloomington.  In 2007 I became the first and only Board Certified Structural Integrator in the state of Indiana.   

 

*Rolfing, Rolfer, and Rolf Institute are  registered service marks of the Dr. Ida Rolf Institute.