FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Repetitive Pattern Stress and Imbalance Structural integration is the best way to unwind imbalance created by poor posture, and the repetitive movements of our life experience. Awareness of these patterns within our mind-body relationship combined with hands-on therapy reduces stress and improves overall well-being and vitality. Hands-on somatic therapy: Head, neck and back pain relief Improve balance and posture Joint mobility and range of motion Reduce the effects of aging Movement education for sustainable change Adaptation strategies for increased vitality Current & Former Athletes Athletes can benefit greatly from work to help reshape and orient connective tissue. Supple fascia is more supportive, flexible, and dynamic, and can help you push yourself to your next phase of performance, or recover from a lasting injury. Structural integration is also a great way to help problems that have been resistant to traditional massage, chiropractic, acupuncture, or physical therapy. As a passionate mountain bike rider and life long competitive sailor, I can relate to the demands of sport performance, preparation and recovery. Structural Integration is an excellent modality for adapting to new or adjusted equipment, training programs in all seasons and discovering higher limits of performance and perspective of competition. For athletes, it is important to consider scheduling the SI series within an annual training plan and periodized considerations. My recommendation for ideal integration and performance improvement is for the General Training Phase. Another way to think of this is the offseason when gaining aerobic volume is the focus. Integration takes place over time during and after experiencing the series.

You do not have to receive the full series in order to work with me. I have a complete understanding of the movement systems of the body, so I can help with individual problems. The full series of work will produce longer lasting results. All parts of the body have relevance to one session or more. The plan of the series is organized around eleven sections, each of which focuses on a different part of the body. Each section builds on prior sessions to produce a cumulative effect. However, some clients do not want to commit to a series; in those cases we address the specific areas desired, but still work holistically with connections in the body.

Hellerwork is a brand name of structural integration (SI). It’s a series of 11 sessions that include deep tissue bodywork, awareness dialogue, and movement education that transforms your relationship with your body. Hellerwork is a direct descendent from the work of Ida P Rolf PhD. Click here for further information on Hellerwork. https://hellerwork.com/ Rolfing® is the original system of body restructuring and movement education. It releases the body’s segments – legs, torso, arms, etc. – from life long patterns of tension and realigns them to a more agile and effortless state. Movement becomes easier and overall personal functioning improves dramatically. Click here for further information on Rolfing. https://rolf.org/

Hellerwork is named after its founder, Joseph Heller. Joseph Heller was a structural engineer who became involved in Rolfing in the 1970’s. As a result of his unique combination of expertise in structural integration, movement education, and body awareness, in 1978 he left the Rolf Institute® and founded Hellerwork.

It is similar to massage and different. The primary intentions are for alignment and improved body awareness. Many types of massage work on the body’s muscles. Structural integration focuses on relationships within the body through myofascial structures. Fascia is the connective tissue that envelops the muscles and holds the muscles to the bones and each other. Fascia is a web like tissue that wraps all parts of the body, including nerves, blood vessels, and organs. Most people often associate tension and stiffness with their muscles; it is actually the relationships between connective tissue that accumulates much of this imbalance.

When we work on areas that hold tension, clients can feel pain that is proportional to the amount of tension in that region. I am sensitive to my clients and give them the opportunity to direct the intensity of my touch and pressure giving them ownership of the process. Deep tissue can only be accessed when the body is ready, not at my will. If pressure to access deep tissue is not required in a given area, it is not applied. We get the best results when the sensations remain at an intensity level where you can relax and breathe normally. The process of Structural Integration is uniquely focused on the individual. Each session of the series will have different significance to each client, which is guided by their posture and life experience.

Consistency is more important than frequency. Some people schedule weekly, others once a month. Most receive sessions every two or three weeks. It depends on how quickly your body adapts to change, how long it takes to integrate new postures, and a your budget. Ideally it will take 10 to 14 weeks to receive the entire series. It is recommended that Sessions #5 and #6 be received within 72 hours in most cases. For athletes, it is important to schedule the series within an annual training plan in a periodized consideration. My recommendation for ideal integration and performance improvement is for the General Training Phase. Another way to think of this is the offseason when gaining aerobic volume is the focus.

You can wear shorts and a tank top or your undergarments. I prefer whichever is comfortable for you. Tighter sports bras are difficult to work around in some cases. Draping is always a priority for my client’s safety and protection.

Yes. I understand the recovery needs of athletes post event and I am skilled in accelerating recovery after particularly strenuous training and athletic performances. I also fully comprehend the need for facilitated relaxation through massage therapy. Cranial suture work as well as other methods of manipulation of tissue are employed to release tension and assist in sleep and recovery.

Yes, you may also know SI by names such as Soma, Rolfing, Hellerwork, and Anatomy Trains and KMI.