Does Rolfing® hurt?
No. Rolfing is about feeling great in your body. The hands-on work is always adjusted to fit each person’s individual needs. Clients may describe it as intense, but not painful. This is because the Rolfing method is constantly being modified in favor of gentler techniques that produce the same results by including the autonomic nervous system in the work.
Rolfing® often addresses very deep layers of holding and tension. These denser layers of tissue can be released without creating pain by working slowly and matching the direction of the tissue. It is counterproductive to work on someone who is wincing and tensing up. Often tissue does not really need much pressure to change. At times clients say that my work is just on the border of pleasure and pain but that it is nothing compared to their chronic pain. Only a few areas of the body that are being addressed in a session are usually sensitive. People who like deeper work often need deeper work to change; others will change with less pressure.
Yes, there can be times in the beginning before the tissue releases when there can be a sensation of pain. As that area and the entire body learn to release and relax, the discomfort is often transformed into pleasure. The majority of the time, a first-time client will say, “I thought this would hurt but it didn’t.
