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ABOUT RICHARD

Why I became a Rolfer™...

My first career was teaching and performing classical guitar. I taught in the junior colleges in the Dallas /Ft. Worth area for 13 years and first encountered  Rolfing in 1985. Playing guitar 4-6 hours a day is very demanding on your hands. In some ways it can create the same type of problems as working at a computer or working on an assembly line. Repetitive motion of any type will develop internal thickening  of tissue around stress points that is similar to developing calluses on your hands from yard work. This thick tissue can trap nerves, cause swelling and pain and reduce motion in joints- you feel tight and it hurts.
 

I had developed a problem with one of my fingers and  I took anti-inflammatory pills and put a splint on my swollen finger and  after 10 days I felt better. But then I was stupid and moved some furniture and re-injured my finger. I got up the next day to go play a  gig and my left ring finger wouldn't move at all. The nerve had become inflamed and suddenly I was unable to play the guitar.
 

As luck would have it, I just happened to be talking to my brother about my problem and he suggested going to a Rolfer. I didn't know any thing about Rolfing but I had a gut feeling that  this is what I needed. Three sessions later my hands were better that new .  The entrapment of the nerve had been released as well as the general tightness in my forearms and shoulders and chest. Not only could I play better but I  could also breath easier. That was an unexpected bonus . I hadn't realized my rib cage was tight till the Rolfer released all the years of hunching over a guitar . If we don't have pain we  often think everything is OK. But suddenly I realized that years of playing guitar had left their mark on my body- rounded shoulders and  my head hanging out in front of my body. I was now out of pain and I could play easier and I could breath better . What a deal. I was happy  and had gotten more that I had bargained for and went on my way.
 

About a year later, I picked my wife's grandmother out of a wheelchair and something popped it my low back. I had no pain but the more activities I did the tighter I got and stretching seemed to make it worse. I tried a variety of things -including chiropractic and acupuncture - but nothing made a difference. Finally I decided to go through a series of Rolfing sessions and for me it was like a religious experience. Different parts of my body were beginning to wake up as if they had been asleep or numb for a very long time. I told the Rolfer that I felt like a worn out battery that had just been plugged into a re-charger. I really felt alive.  By the end of the second session I felt great- I had regained all my flexibility and could now bend over and put my palm on the floor- I had never been able to do that . I was very excited.
 

I could have stopped there but I began to wonder  what my true potential might be. How much more alive could I feel?  Often people going through the process are satisfied when they feel a moderate reduction in their discomfort level and will stop the process. But this is when it starts to get interesting. When the barriers of discomfort and pain are reduced or resolved, the real potential for a major change is there to be tapped. I wondered if there was a great athlete underneath my unassuming facade. Or would I somehow be transformed into a world class guitarist and recording star? I was very optimistic. So I decided--' Let's go exploring'.  There can be a big change if your perspective of  yourself and the world around you when some of your  chronic physical barriers are removed. Sometimes people will re-evaluate their life and come to the conclusion that their job isn't good enough for them  or decide that they need make one of their dreams come true.

 
  One of the first questions I ask a client when starting a series of Rolfing is  ' If the sky is the limit -what is our goal-- what do you want to get out of this work? ' Some people think I'm being silly but others jump right in and start making a list.  How are you going to get what you want out of life if you don't ask? What do you think is possible and what is your belief system?  Too many times I've found that the limitations in my life are the ones that I 'vet created. Hmmmm, why would I want to do that ? That's a whole  'nother story.

I watched my wife go through the Rolfing process after getting whiplash from a few car accidents . Then I took my 2 year old daughter to a Rolfer because one of her legs was rotated medially  and her foot turned in. This was a problem I had as a kid and the solution was to make me wear corrective shoes. This did not correct the problem. It simply pushed the torsion further up my leg and into my low back where it stayed till I saw a  Rolfer some 30 years latter.  That was a long time to wait for a correction.  Maybe that's why I sometimes get impatient -- I've done all the waiting I care to do !!!  So after seeing the changes in my wife and daughter and experiencing the work myself  I decided I wanted to learn what this 'Rolfing ' was all about. I backed off of music and began to study anatomy and physiology and the relationships between the different parts of our body . I 've studied how to help a person move towards a better alignment  and balance  and a sense of connection within their own body. I have traveled around the country and to Spain and Germany to study with teachers who've enlightened and inspired me in this never ending journey.
 

Dr. Ida Rolf use to say that once you begin to get the body balanced it will begin to heal itself.  To be balanced with gravity is a very good thing. We realize this truth with our homes as the foundations shift and cause problems with doors and windows and cracks in walls. Now I can help people realize this truth in their own body. I continue to realize my potential and I'd like to do the same for you.  Are you ready?
 

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