Starting from the outside, and in different sections of the body, we move each group of muscles into a larger, looser form that becomes better and better organized in its muscle-bone and joint system.  It's also more flexible and more thoroughly relaxed. As the sessions continue, the treatment on a second, third or fourth area releases that local tightness, and also releases its muscular "holding," so there's less and less pulling on muscles all over the rest of the body as well.

          When this happens, more and more layers of old tension and tightness in the whole body are released, and the "body-suit" literally gets bigger. Right from the first session, people notice they feel significantly more relaxed, and at the same time, they say they have more energy, more flexibility and move around easier.

           We treat muscle group after muscle group, in a logically defined order. We're doing that re-organization.  First, of course, even tightness that accumulated even decades ago is removed and gone forever. We clear up whatever is there. This also corrects the misaligned positions of bones and joints. They are actually re-aligned toward their proper positions.  This obviously makes the body work better. But it also stays in a more tensionless and flexible condition as well; and that lasts for weeks, months and even years afterward.

            Back pain, and other pains, can get better and stay better because we are removing the years of accumulated tightness it took to create the pain to begin with. For most people, it will take a lot of time to get so tight again, especially because this healthier tissue will stretch out easier. And because we have improved the body’s proper alignment, the everyday pattern of tensing just to stand and sit upright won’t happen as much either.
            From my 20 years experience, the excessive curves of the spine, especially in the lower back, can be made a lot less for almost everybody. So vertebra and disk problems, and a lot of lower back pain, can become less.
          Further, we now have a better interconnected operation of all the bones, joints and muscles.  This allows us to do more activity without accumulating as much bunch-up.

          But we aren't just re-lengthening a few tight muscles.  We are doing a process, over a series of sessions, that purposely straightens out the whole set of our muscles and bones, one area after another.

           In Part 1, I mentioned the overall tight pattern we develop.  It's the zig-zagging shape of legs leaning forward and back leaning backward to compensate, the one that causes so many people back problems.  This is the same tight shape that causes many knee, groin, ankle, shoulder and neck pains, too.
           Looking at the person sideways, we see the thighs and lower legs lean forward but the calves are bulging backward.  The torso leans backward in the lower and middle back, and the upper back, shoulders, neck and head are leaning forward. This shape is held fixed by the hardened, short fascia. And it stays that way, even getting worse, because we have to keep making our muscles tight to hold us up in this form. One part of the body, and gravity, are always pulling against the other part.

          To reflect, the reason other kinds of treatments don’t fix a lot of tightness and back pain, or they just loosen it for a few hours or a few days, is because they are approaching the condition in a localized way instead. So I keep repeating, that the true cause of most people’s chronic back pain, and their chronic muscular tightness and many other pains, is because a lot of different muscles and fascia in different parts of the body, are keeping the whole system tight.

          Therefore, with this Structural Integration approach, we release a certain amount of the tightness in one area after the other.  And then we go over the whole body again, at a deeper and more inter-connecting level.
          When we do this, something else happens that's also very good.  We are doing more than releasing tightness and pain, more than creating relaxation and flexibility. We are "uncovering" the "integrated way" that all the parts of the body are designed to work together. This is the way our nervous system is designed to make the muscles move.  After we allow the muscles to move around in the full, and unrestricted way they're designed to move, the whole neuro-muscular operation now works better than it's probably worked our entire adult lives.  That's why I say our bodies operate more like they're designed to work.
          And of course, THIS is a totally different purpose from massage, acupuncture and chiropractic.

          Each phase of the treatment, from outside to the deeper inside structures, takes a few hours.  And as I keep saying, each step in a new area produces greater benefits in all the areas.
        Right from the beginning, people feel they’re getting freer, more flexible and less tense.  As the treatments continue, even whole sections of the body become freer.
         You can see that the old patterns of restricted behavior and tense movement loosen up, and the range of each of the muscles' movement not only gets longer, their muscular power increases.  Obviously, when a muscle can move through a longer distance, it does more. And now, we also have more muscles working together to accomplish a movement.  This coordinated activity increases the power of the activity.

         This coordinated muscle activity is another way we are designed to "operate."  And it helps in other ways besides making movements.  Not only do people notice they're standing straighter and taller with less effort, but they’re also standing with greater stability. This is another feature of our naturally designed shape.  The muscle and bone structure are really designed to work well with the force of gravity. it is only when we're bunched up that we relate to gravity as a force trying to pull us down.   So people get a better sense of balance, that balance is felt deep in the body, and they even feel "better connected" to their physical surroundings.

        The arms, legs and torso obviously become longer, because all their muscles got longer and the zig-zagging of the bones got more straightened out. So they all function better as parts of the body.  They work more freely on their own with less tense holding from other parts, and they also work more together with the body's other parts when we want to do a whole body movement. And to repeat, at each step of the process, people's tissues become softer and more deeply relaxed, and they become mentally calmer and clearer, and are less bothered by stress.

          There are 10 "steps" in the basic Structural Integration recipe, which take 12-15 sessions for the average person. Additional sessions improve upon this and help with chronic pain conditions, especially long-term back problems. With most practitioners, people have sessions once every week or two, but once a month for 2-4 hours also works.  As I said above, in my approach, I have a special hands-on technique combined with other practices that enables people to do 4-6 hrs a week, and even do 10 or more hours in the first week.

           Relaxation and looseness improvements are felt by almost everybody, immediately in the first session, but chronic pain doesn't get much better until a number of hours into the process. It might get less intense and more localized fairly soon, and after a while, it also might not show up until the person makes a greater range of movement than before.

          For acute pain conditions, just a few sessions can sometimes release the problem, without the need for integrating the whole structure. Some people have 4-10 hours, or more, in the first week, for a faster fix.

          To say what I said before about the different parts of the body holding each other tight, what is unique and especially effective about this treatment is that the related muscle groups that are causing the pain are treated as well as where you are conscious of the sensation of the pain. This is a very important concept of why the Structural "Integration" approach gets such very good, long lasting results.  Pain is often a local "symptom" of the bigger problem of overall tightness that you don't feel.

          For tension and stiffness release, people feel better immediately, starting from the first session and I recommend four 2-hr sessions for the first significant change. This does a lot, and if you don't also have a major physical problem, lasts a long time. To remove recurring tightness, some people have regular tune-up treatments of these manipulations instead of massage

          Clients are often taught how to use their new physical freedom in a more effective way that also creates less tension than their usual way of moving around, or even just sitting down. We call this Integrated Movement education, and I have found it is easier to do, and also easier to comprehend, after we get the Structural Integration series, because our bodies are now organized to function this better way.
          . The most commonly used Integrated Movement techniques are from Rolfing Movement and Aston Patterning (which are similar). Some people do the Alexander Technique and Feldenkreis movement practices. I’m not an expert in these fields, but I give a bunch of great, key techniques that have helped people immediately in daily life.
          Your practitioner may have been schooled in these, or in the system called Movement Enhancement which combines the Bodywork and Movement Training, or even in something called "Embodiment" created by Rolfer Grant Ramey.  Hellerwork practitioners have also used a short checklist of "letting go" and body positioning techniques.

          Some Bodywork systems, such as Postural Integration (in which I was trained) employ body-oriented psychological techniques. These help remove the energies of old traumas, negative emotions and self-limiting patterns that got embedded within the physical tightness during times of stress.  I, myself do this for clients who want this kind of "wholistic" approach.  And, I find that the physical improvements created in the "fascial form" last longer when the underlying, "unconscious"  neuro-muscular tendency to re-tighten, is also removed.
          Besides the P.I. training, I have also been trained in another, complementary method that can make the release of old energies even easier, more thorough, and more comfortable than with only the Reichian, Bioenergetic and energy methods that are used in the Postural Integration system.  This is called the Netherton method, and I describe something about all these techniques in the Body-Mind articles listed on the home page and the Free Booklets page.
          These body-oriented verbal and breathing processes also help us become more aware of our bodies and the different parts of our personalities and past "patterns." They are excellent for uncovering the details of adult traumas and even very early childhood events we may not remember.  This increase in our own, mental awareness occurs at the same time that we are removing the negative charge and overwhelm our bodies had gotten from the old events.  We see the events clearer and yet they effect us almost not at all anymore.
           These benefits are a wonderful aid to psychotherapy and people say their therapy goes faster and easier. At the risk of sounding egotistical, I have a lot of experience in this area and my talents give people very good results rather quickly.  Testimonials are on site.

          I have a BS in Electronic Engineering from Syracuse University and years of experience in engineering design, problem solving and management. Now I do "People Engineering," and apply the same approach to helping people.
          I have over 2000 hours specialized education and 20 years experience in bodywork, movement, body-psychology, nutrition and energy healing. I'm certified as a Postural Integrator, Master Level, by the International School of Release & Integration in Mill Valley, CA, and also as an acupressurist from the Ryoho School in Los Angeles.

          I've worked in two college training rooms and two chiropractic offices, and have had patients referred to me by medical doctors, psychotherapists, college coaches, an acupuncturist and a physical therapist. I have worked on almost two dozen Olympic Level athletes and college coaches, plus serious recreational athletes, and a number of health professionals. I have years of experience treating runners and jumpers, very effectively and efficiently. I also have over 20 years intensive meditation training.
More details of my training
 

        My attentive work is characterized by

• very broad and in-depth knowledge,
• excellent analysis,
• fine technical skills,
• clear explanations of what I am doing, and why,
• a loving heart,
• and, people say: "great hands."
  
   

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