The Hundredth Monkey Revisited
THE STORY OF “The Hundredth Monkey” has recently become popular in our culture as a strategy for social change. Lyall Watson first told it in Lifetide (pp 147 – 148), but its most widely known version is the opening to the book The Hundredth Monkey, by Ken Keyes. (See box.) The story is based on […]
Tensegrity Concept Examined
It is the privilege of the newcomer to a field to question the basic concepts that all others have already accepted as self-evident. In my perception the tensegrity model as put forward by David L. Robbie (Orthopedic Review, Vol. VI, No. 11, November 1977) has become such a concept. During my preparation to become a […]
Rolfing – This Body Therapy Has Gotten Gentler, More Subtle
Clay is just platelets of silica and alumina. Bodies are infinitely complex. But When Garrett Whitney Rolls a client, his fingers move through certain connective body tissue in a fashion that’s somewhat similar to how his hands once worked at a potter’s wheel. “You don’t poke. You move slowly and steadily through a substance, which […]
The Art of Rolfing
When it was first introduced in the early ’60s, structural integration – or rolfing, as it is more commonly known was considered a revolutionary method of aligning the body with gravity through direct, hands-on manipulation. Gradually developed and refined over several decades by Dr. Ida Rolf, a biochemical researcher at the Rockefeller Institute, rolfing quickly […]
Rolfing the Female Body
ADVANTAGES OF ROLFING FOR PREGNANCY – IMPROVED BODY ALIGNMENT An increasing number of women contemplating pregnancy are choosing to have their bodies “Rolfed” before conception. The advantages this process of structural alignment offers are evident if one considers the predictable strains placed by an enlarging uterus, an altered center of gravity, hormonal changes, and accumulating […]
Holism in the Helping Professions: Not a Matter of Choice
Our assigned task was to write about holism in the helping professions. Much has been written about holism since the 1970’s. Traditional approaches to change have labeled it radical, not clear or understandably different from current practices, and “New Age” dribble from those who hallucinated in the Sixties. All of these charges are true. Historically, […]
Realigning Sacrum to Ilia
I would like to share a simple technique which is very effective in realigning the relationship of the sacrum to the ilia. The technique takes about fifteen seconds and uses a light touch as in craniosacral therapy. I include it often in my sessions and find it a very quick way to balance right and […]
Conservative Therapy for Low Back Pain
Criteria Several authors have recently suggested criteria for critical readers or investigators to use to evaluate the validity and applicability of therapeutic trials. Following are the criteria chosen for this analysis and a brief rationale for each. Criteria for Validity 1. Randomization.-This is the best way to eliminate many of the biases that can lead […]
Requieum pour une Grande Dame
New York City, October 1972. The wide stage ob Carnegie Hall. A packed house here to see a white-haired lady, affectionately known as “the elbow,” give a lecture. Stout and small, imperious in her gait and demeanor, she struts up and down the aisles, gesturing broadly in annoyance of the poor organization of the event. […]
Gary Gibbs Discusses Technique
Dear Colleagues, Oven the last year I have been experimenting with different methods of body work. I’d like to share these with you. The basic principles underlying these methods are: 1. Centering the practitioner’s weight over the client. 2. Using gravity (body weight) as the therapist. 3. Using prestretched positions. I believe that using gravity […]