Structural Integration – Vol. 43 – Nº 2

Note from Anne Hoff: This interview was conducted In October 2014. Gael Rosewood taught a class “Uncoiling the Spirals: Back to the Basics of Working with Connective Tissue with Tactile and Visual Assessments” in Seattle, and Sharon Wheeler and I participated. The idea inevitably arose of getting these two luminaries together to talk about Rolfing® Structural Integration (SI) and their histories with Ida Rolf, and fortunately they both agreed to sit down for a conversation one evening after class. Allan Kaplan was also present.

Editor’s Note: Metaphor was the subject of Dr. Merlino’s PhD thesis, “Metáforas do corpo em transformação: Experiência, Percepção, Postura e as relações com a Integração Estrutural Rolfing,” which translates as Metaphors of the Body in Transformation: Experience, Perception, and Posture and Their Relationship to Rolfing® Structural Integration.”

Trauma is a part of human existence and leaves a lasting mark on the body, mind, and spirit of those who have suffered from it. In this article, we will look at the progression of how trauma reprograms the autonomic nervous system (ANS), how this affects our capacity for orientation, and how our capacity for orientation organizes both our movement patterns and our structure. Some tools for addressing trauma within the context and scope of a Rolfing Structural Integration (SI) practice will also be discussed.