I feel truly blessed and honored in my life that Rolfing® showed up for me when I was twenty-two years old. I was fresh out of college, finding my way and reading everything written on body-mind-spirit. In my second of the ten sessions of Rolfing® something profound took place. I was told to become a Rolfer by an omniscient auditory presence. Wow.
The Wisdom of Your Inner Voice
Having listened to that voice, here I am, in my forty-fifth year of my Rolfing® practice. I quit graduate school and proceeded to fulfill my prerequisites for entry to the Dr. Ida Rolf Institute® in Boulder, Colorado. I knew I would do this work for the rest of my life. I was taught to look at structure and see how natural order matters, and it has kept me fascinated all these years.
I am never bored in my practice. Each person has their own issues, their own trauma, their own history of injuries that knock them out of whack. They feel disconnected and blocked. It’s my job to help each client go back to neutral through direct hands-on manipulation and movement re-education, opening the tight and thickened tissue and letting it reintegrate, which allows for more effortless movement and support.
People come to see me after they have tried other things or seen doctors for conditions that are less medical and more about disconnection with associated chronic pain. If I had never been Rolfed, I would never have believed half of what happens in my practice. People change – sometimes dramatically. Here is my own miracle story that has stretched over the last several years.
My Miracle
Seven and a half years ago, I fell down the stairs. Besides landing on both knees, I also popped two of the four tendons of the right shoulder off the bone. Hearing a “splosh” sound, I knew I was in deep trouble. My Rolfer friend, Anne, had just moved to Texas, ending our years-long Rolfing® session trade. I had to start over, building a new care team, but I was terribly broken.
I needed surgery to reattach the two tendons in my rotator cuff. Having lived with extreme pain for the six weeks before the surgery and then for at least eight weeks afterward, I was humbled, fragile, and needed help. My legs ached constantly, but I first had to attend to the immediate issues of my shoulder. After the surgery and during movement therapy (my own and some physical therapy), I finally had to deal with the trauma to my lower body.
My legs steadily improved with different treatments, and I was once again able to hike and jog with my dogs. Then, about two years ago, I started to have right hip pain that became a daily issue, waking me when I slept and changing position or causing weakness and instability. Knowing a lot about my body and its structure, I replayed that fall from five years before and realized my hip was twisted from the way I fell. The puzzle pieces fit together.
I sought physical therapy to help me when frequent massages could not address the imbalance issues. The PT was not as effective as I hoped, so it was time to get into action and rid my body of the pain, weakness, and isolation occurring in my right hip. I needed Rolfing®, but I was the only one around.
I saw the doctor with whom I had consulted when I first hurt my shoulder. He also helped me with the healing of my knees. We spoke the same language, and he agreed with my assumptions. I had a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection this past June, and it helped to break the cycle of pain. Within the first several days, my pain lessened, and my strength and stability began to return.
Two months after the PRP, I had a wonderful Rolfing® session with a colleague and also saw an osteopath. One session with each provider turned my world around even more. The aches and pains I had experienced throughout my torqued body in the last couple of years have lessened or ceased altogether since my most recent Rolfing® session. Why did I wait so long to seek the help I knew I needed? Rolfing® is amazing work.
Lessons Learned
One of the significant lessons learned from this ordeal is that time knows no limit for injuries. Something from childhood can resurface as a compensatory pattern that needs to be addressed years later. That is what structural bodywork is all about. That is why I love my work as a Rolfer – we release these old patterns, layer by layer, piece by piece. People overcome chronic issues when the body has a chance to reorganize and establish flow and stability.
Another lesson was that I needed to trust myself, my knowledge, and my experience. I had the drive to push myself to regain my body. Many people think pain is a “normal” part of aging. No, I see it is more a symptom of imbalance. We need to reclaim what is ours when we have injuries. We need to be wise and not succumb to the immobility of imbalance. We need to rechannel ourselves to refresh, reorganize, and move forward in our health.
Find the right people for your wellness team and use their expertise. We all deserve the natural, energetic, flowing bodies we had before trauma took over. It takes a village in so many ways. Could Rolfing® be a part of your healing journey? It has been a part of mine for close to fifty years.
Sharon Sklar is in her 45th year of private practice as a Certified Advanced Rolfer. She has been voted one of Natural Nutmeg’s 10BEST Bodyworkers for the last six years and is very grateful for the support. Sharon works with direct manipulation of the soft tissue of the body and movement re-education over a ten-session series to help her clients feel freer, get more balanced, and reduce chronic pain. Great for athletes, children, and adults recovering from the stress, injuries, or traumas of life. Inquiries are encouraged! State Licensed. Call 860.561.4337 for more info or to schedule a consultation.