Somatic Solutions
@ The Village Integrative Health Center
930 Alhambra Blvd Suite 220 Sacramento, CA 95816
Structural
Integration
in Sacramento
Hands-on, participatory manual therapy for tension, movement, posture and greater ease in gravity
What is Structural Integration?
Structural Integration is a form of manual therapy developed by Ida P. Rolf, PhD. It works with patterns of tension, movement, posture and the way the body organizes itself in gravity.
Rather than treating a painful or tight area as an isolated problem, Structural Integration looks at relationships throughout the body. A restriction in one area can influence how other parts of the body move, support weight or adapt to gravity.
In my practice, the work is hands-on and participatory. I use touch and manual therapy while asking you to notice sensations, make movements and participate in the process rather than simply receiving treatment passively.
What happens during a Structural Integration appointment?
What do people come to Structural Integration for?
Is Structural Integration the same as Rolfing®?
Is Structural Integration different from massage?
What about posture?
What if something emotional comes up?
How is Structural Integration different from an Integrative Structural & Somatic Appointment?
About my Structural Integration training and related education
A first appointment begins with a conversation about what brings you in, your relevant history and what you would like to change.
I may ask to observe you standing or performing simple movements such as walking, bending your knees or lifting your arms. I’m interested less in judging whether your posture is "good" or "bad" and more in understanding how you currently organize movement, distribute load and effort.
Most hands-on work takes place on a treatment table while you remain comfortably clothed. I may apply pressure to muscles and connective tissue, support bones or joints and invite you to make subtle movements while we work.
We may also work seated or standing so you can experience changes in the positions where you spend most of your waking hours and actually use your body.
The amount of pressure varies. More pressure is not necessarily better. The intention is to find an amount and direction of input that allows change in the tissue or creates greater possibilities for movement, adaptability and comfort.
People commonly seek Structural Integration because of experiences such as:
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recurring muscular tension
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neck, shoulder, jaw or back discomfort
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movement restrictions
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posture-related discomfort
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repetitive strain
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compensation following an injury
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feeling compressed, collapsed or effortful when standing
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athletic or occupational movement patterns
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temporary relief from massage that doesn’t seem to change the larger pattern
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wanting to move with greater ease and awareness
Structural Integration is not a substitute for medical evaluation when one is appropriate and I do not diagnose medical conditions.
Structural Integration is the broader field that grew from the work of Ida P. Rolf.
Rolfing® is a trademark of the Dr. Ida Rolf Institute® and is used by practitioners certified through that organization. People sometimes use “Rolfing” informally as though it were the generic name for Structural Integration.
A useful analogy is Sharpie and permanent marker: Rolfing® is a particular trademarked name within the broader category of Structural Integration.
My basic Structural Integration training was completed at the International Professional School of Bodywork. Although I have also taken coursework through the Dr. Ida Rolf Institute, I describe my work as Structural Integration rather than Rolfing®.
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Learn more about Structural Integration from the International Association of Structural Integrators.
There is considerable overlap. Both can involve hands-on work with muscles and connective tissue and both can feel good.
The difference is primarily one of intention and participation.
During a therapeutic massage appointment with me, you can be largely passive. You can relax, tune in, space out or simply receive the work.
Structural Integration is more participatory. I may ask you to move, notice sensation, stand, walk or experiment with how you organize yourself while we work. The focus is also broader than relaxing an individual tight muscle. We’re interested in how different parts of your body relate to one another during movement and in gravity.
Neither approach is inherently better. They have different intentions, different scopes and are different ways of working.
I work with posture but I don't believe there is a universally correct posture.
A picture of “ideal alignment” tells us relatively little about whether a person is comfortable, adaptable or able to move effectively.
If you’re interested in making particular shapes I recommend learning choreography in the movement aesthetic you find most appealing.
I'm more interested in questions such as:
Can you support yourself without unnecessary effort?
Can you shift positions easily?
Do you have options?
Can you move comfortably through the activities that matter to you?
Structural Integration can be used to explore posture through touch, movement and awareness without forcing your body into a predetermined shape.
If your primary interest is learning exercises, movement strategies and self-myofascial release techniques to work with posture independently, my Posture Lab may be a better fit.
A Structural Integration appointment begins with a structural and manual therapy intention, but people are not soft machines whose biological, psychological and social histories cease to exist when they get onto a treatment table.
Touch, movement, discomfort and changes in physical organization can sometimes be accompanied by shifts in breathing, emotion, attention or physiological state.
Ida Rolf understood Structural Integration as having implications beyond isolated muscles and tissues. Her work centered on the relationship between the whole person, physical organization and gravity. One of her best-known statements was:
"When the body gets working appropriately, the force of gravity can flow through. Then, spontaneously, the body heals itself."
— Ida P. Rolf
I don't take that statement to mean that Structural Integration cures every physical or psychological problem. I think it captures something important about the ambition of her work: she was interested in changing how the whole person functions rather than simply treating individual tight muscles. The Dr. Ida Rolf Institute still describes her central inquiry in terms of organizing and integrating the whole person in gravity.
My training in Somatic Experiencing® also informs how I respond when emotion, physiological activation or other nervous system responses emerge. Somatic Experiencing was developed by Peter Levine, PhD, whose early work included study with Ida Rolf and involvement with the Structural Integration community.
That does not mean every Structural Integration appointment turns into a Somatic Experiencing appointment.
If working explicitly with nervous system responses becomes a central goal, we may decide that a Somatic Experiencing® or Integrative Structural & Somatic Appointment is a better container for future work so that the agreement about what we're doing together remains clear.
Structural Integration keeps the primary focus on physical structure, movement, tension, biomechanics and your relationship with gravity.
The Integrative Structural & Somatic Appointment explicitly gives us more freedom to move between manual therapy and work with nervous system responses, including sensation, emotion, orientation, movement impulses and physiological state.
If you primarily want hands-on, structurally focused work, book Structural Integration.
If you are specifically interested in working at the intersection of physical structure and your responses to stress, overwhelm or trauma, the Integrative appointment provides a more suitable container.
My foundational Structural Integration training was completed at the International Professional School of Bodywork (IPSB). I was introduced to structural work through its 1,200-hour Holistic Health Practitioner program after specializing in Thai Massage, Neuromuscular Therapy and Sensory Repatterning (Tragerwork).
Once exposed to structural work, I realized this was the modality I wanted to practice. I subsequently apprenticed with Edward Maupin, PhD, which involved many hours outside the classroom both receiving Structural Integration and practicing the work under mentorship.
I have continued studying Structural Integration, manual therapy, movement and somatic approaches through additional coursework and professional education, including training through the Dr. Ida Rolf Institute and modern dance movement studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
My broader clinical work is also informed by Somatic Experiencing®, massage, biomechanics and movement education. I have completed the full Somatic Experiencing® Professional Training curriculum and I also assist in Somatic Experiencing® Professional Trainings, where I support students in experiential practice and small-group learning.
