What is Structural Integration bodywork, anyway?
Planet earth is full of stressful situations. It could be anything from a constant low-level stress felt at the office, or an acutely traumatic event such as a car crash or taking a fall. In the body, stress manifests as chronic pain, tension, or inflammation. After an injury we tend to habitually compensate for the injured area in order to recuperate but over time that compensation leads to problems in other areas that may have nothing to do with the original area affected. After a traumatic event the body tenses up in order to protect itself. However, unless the trauma is properly treated or processed, unnecessary muscle tension accumulates in the body which leads to low-level inflammation which leads to chronic pain and soreness. If this is you, you are not alone. The good news is that this is all preventable, and reversible through this comprehensive modality. Structural Integration looks at the whole being. It follows the premise that "function follows form." So, to address the functioning of the body, we must re-align the form in gravity. To do so we look at how the body holds itself in gravity and how the seemingly disparate parts interact with each other. When we understand that we can begin to bring these relationships back into balance until the body no longer struggles against gravity and can be at ease. This means your pain diminishes, you move better, and you feel a greater sense of freedom and joy. If you are not familiar with Structural Integration, you may be familiar with Deep Tissue Massage. Although the aim of both Structural Integration and Deep Tissue are to target the deeper muscle and fascial components of the body, and can feel similar, the intent is different. Deep Tissue Massage is specific at targeting deep muscles, but the intent is many times vague and occasionally invasive or painful. Whereas with Structural Integration, the intent is to stretch, elongate, and release muscle and fascia by gripping the tissue and allowing it to respond. Many people who have come to me asking for "Deep Tissue Massage" then experience Structural Integration and are instantly amazed and delighted. This is work that is deep, but never hard. This is similar to the sensation of a good stretch - enjoyable and delicious if you respect the "edge." Bodywork is a safe and effective alternative to the typical symptom management strategy of conventional medicine which brings about no long-lasting or permanent change in the being. The effects of Structural Integration can not only be felt immediately, but they are long-lasting and progressive, which means the therapy continues to work long after you leave the table, up to six months or a year, and after that point the changes are permanent. This type of therapy is successful in treating all kinds of conditions like: Sciatica Migraines Neck pain Back pain Shoulder pain Carpal tunnel Adhesions Injuries Chronic fatigue Migraines Jaw pain (TMJ) Headaches Knee pain Movement restrictions Tennis-elbow Self-limiting beliefs This work can help with all of these conditions and others but it's much more than that - it's about putting you more in touch with your body and showing you how you can inhabit it more fully. During the course of this work, I will ask you if you would like to explore ways in which you can take the work home with you and allow it to sink more deeply and rapidly with exercises and awareness practices. This will give you a doorway into your body's innate and natural capacity to heal and bring about homeostasis as a way toward growth and transformation. You may want to experience a complete freeing up of your fascial system. This may lead you to do the entire 10 session series. This is the most profound way to experience this work, and will likely change your orientation toward yourself and your world as you begin to feel yourself gaining a deep understanding in all corners of your body. Afterward you will find it easy to move with grace, ease, and freedom like never before. I speak from having this experience myself. Allow me to thank you for considering receiving a structural approach to freeing your body, and thereby your whole being! This work has released me, personally, from stress, chronic aches and pains, constricted holding patterns and attitudes, and has made my body a comfortable place to call home. I now hold myself more gracefully and feel that movement is a joy. After doing this work for so long, I have seen so many people's faces
of amazement after getting up off the table and feeling their bodies in new and dramatic ways. Change is possible! Bodywork is a profound tool of healing and it continues to inspire and motivate the minds of some of the most brilliant researchers in the field.
