ABSTRACT For this third installment of The Philosophical Touch column, Rolfer® Andrew Rosenstock explores the philosophical origins and deeper meaning of the term ‘somatics’. It emphasizes that somatics, coined by Thomas Hanna in 1976, refers to the body as experienced from within, rather than as an external object. The modern usage of the word somatics can at times be reduced to a buzzword, referring to slow or gentle practices, which overlooks its philosophical depth. For Rolfers, reclaiming the somatic perspective shifts their work from technical interventions to relational and perceptual offerings centered around the client’s lived experiences.

ABSTRACT Rolfer™, podcaster, and author Andrew Rosenstock continues his exploration into philosophy and touch by contrasting phenomenology and somatic bodywork. The body is not merely a biomechanical structure, but an active medium shaping our lived experience. Through touch, movement, and guided inquiry, practitioners help clients develop embodied awareness, shifting from seeing their body as an object to experiencing it as an integrated whole.

ABSTRACT To launch The Philosophical Touch column, Rolfer™ Andrew Rosenstock shares his passion – the philosophy of somatic therapies – inspired by Advanced Rolfing® Instructor Jeffrey Maitland, PhD (1943-2023). Rosenstock spotlights Austrian Philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951), offering some context of Wittgenstein’s life story and his links between the cognition of language with the physical interactions we have with the world.

ABSTRACT Professor Mark Johnson has spent his career investigating the philosophy of human embodiment and how it relates to meaning-making. In this article, Rolfers® Andrew Rosenstock and Nikki Olsen interview Johnson about the role of the body in human meaning. Johnson has authored many books about how metaphors are grounded in aspects of our bodily experience. The conversation touches on bodymind duality and the liberation of non-duality – that humans are complex animals to be explained from the bottom up.

ABSTRACT During the COVID-19 shutdown, Rolfer Andrew Rosenstock started a podcast called Touching into Presence. In this part of the transcript, Rosenstock and his cohost, Rolfer Nikki Olsen, discuss the insight they’ve gained from doing the podcast interviews with structural integration specialists and somatic education practitioners.