Editing Rolfing (section)

== Conceptual basis ==
Professor of Complementary Medicine [[Edzard Ernst]] has offered this definition: "Rolfing is a system of bodywork invented by Ida Pauline Rolf (1896–1979) employing deep manipulation of the body's soft tissue allegedly to realign and balance the body's myofascial structures."<ref name=ee150>{{cite book |author=Ernst E |author-link=Edzard Ernst |publisher=Springer |title=Alternative Medicine&nbsp;&ndash; A Critical Assessment of 150 Modalities |isbn=978-3-030-12600-1 |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-12601-8 |year=2019 |pages=192–193|s2cid=34148480 }}</ref> Rolfing is based on the unproven belief that such alignment results in improved movement,<ref name="Jones">{{cite journal |last1=Jones |first1=Tracey A. |title=Rolfing |journal=Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of North America |date=2004 |volume=15 |issue=4 |pages=799–809, vi |doi=10.1016/j.pmr.2004.03.008 |pmid=15458753}}</ref> breathing,<ref name="ee150" /><ref name="Houglum" /><ref name="Gale Mental" /> pain reduction,<ref name="ee150" /><ref name="acs" /> stress reduction,<ref name="ee150" /><ref name="acs" /> and emotional changes.<ref name="ee150" /><ref name="carroll" /><ref name="Jones" />

Rolf described the body as organized around an axis perpendicular to the earth, pulled downward by gravity, and she believed the function of the body was optimal when it was aligned with that pull. In her view, gravity tends to shorten [[fascia]], leading to disorder of the body's arrangement around its axis and creating imbalance, inefficiency in movement, and pain.<ref name="Houglum">{{Cite book |title=Therapeutic Exercise for Musculoskeletal Injuries |last=Houglum |first=Peggy |publisher=Human Kinetics |year=2016 |isbn=978-0736075954 |edition=4th|pages=432–34 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WVcvDAAAQBAJ |quote=Dr. Rolf based her techniques on the realization that fascia surrounded all tissue and body structures, so it also influenced those tissues and structures when it is modified. She observed that the body centers on a vertical line of pull created by gravity. It was her theory that the body is most efficient and healthy when it can function in an aligned and balanced arrangement. With gravity's continuing pull, stresses and injuries occur to pull the body out of its normal alignment; imbalance occurs and causes the body to become painful, malaligned, and inefficient. Rolf's philosophy and techniques focus on improving the body's posture so all functions including breathing, flexibility, strength, and coordination are optimally efficient.}}</ref> Rolfers aim to lengthen the fascia in order to restore the body's arrangement around its axis and facilitate improved movement.<ref name="Houglum"/> Rolf also discussed this in terms of "[[Energy (esotericism)|energy]]" and said:

<blockquote>Rolfers make a life study of relating bodies and their fields to the earth and its gravity field, and we so organize the body that the gravity field can reinforce the body's energy field. This is our primary concept.<ref name=rolf1976>{{cite book|last=Rolf|first=Ida P.|title=Rolfing and Physical Reality|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sndnAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA86|year=1990|orig-year=1978|publisher=Healing Arts Press|isbn=978-1-62055-338-1|page=86}}</ref><ref name=carroll/><ref name=ee150/></blockquote>

The manipulation is sometimes referred to as a type of [[bodywork (alternative medicine)|bodywork]], or as a type of [[massage]].<ref name="Sherman"/><ref name= "Levine">{{cite book |last= Levine |first= Andrew |year= 1998 |title= The Bodywork and Massage Sourcebook |url= https://archive.org/details/unset0000unse_k8j9 |url-access= registration |publisher= [[Lowell House]] |pages= [https://archive.org/details/unset0000unse_k8j9/page/209 209–34] |isbn= 978-0737300987}}</ref><ref name= "Cassar">{{cite book |last= Cassar |first= Mario-Paul |year= 2004 |title= Handbook of Clinical Massage: A Complete Guide for Students and Practitioners |url= https://archive.org/details/handbookclinical00cass |url-access= limited |edition= 2nd |publisher= [[Churchill Livingstone]] |pages= [https://archive.org/details/handbookclinical00cass/page/n55 48]–49 |isbn= 978-0443073496 }}</ref><ref name="Gale Mental">{{cite book|url=http://librarum.org/book/22665/154|title=The Gale Encyclopedia Of Mental Disorders|publisher=[[Gale (publisher)|Gale]]|year=2003|isbn=978-0787657697|editor1-last=Thackery|editor1-first=Ellyn|page=[http://librarum.org/book/22665/154 153–57]|editor2-last=Harris|editor2-first=Madeline|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808050455/http://librarum.org/book/22665/154|archive-date=8 August 2014}}</ref> Some osteopaths were influenced by Rolf,<ref name=riggs>{{cite book |editor= Stillerman E |date= 2016 |edition= 2nd |title= Modalities for Massage and Bodywork |publisher=Elsevier |pages= 152, 370 |isbn= 978-0323239318|author=Riggs A |chapter=Myofascial Release|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pi9yBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA152}}</ref> and some of her students became teachers of massage, including one of the founders of [[myofascial release]].<ref name= "Knaster">{{cite book |last= Knaster |first= Mirka |year= 1996 |title= Discovering the Body's Wisdom: A Comprehensive Guide to More Than Fifty Mind-Body Practices |url= https://archive.org/details/discoveringbodys00knas |url-access= limited |publisher= [[Bantam Books|Bantam]] |pages= [https://archive.org/details/discoveringbodys00knas/page/195 188, 195]–208 |isbn= 978-0307575500}}</ref>

Rolf claimed to have found an association between emotions and the soft tissue: "Rolfing is not primarily a psychotherapeutic approach to the problems of humans, but [...] many people insist on so regarding it. Rolfing is an approach to the personality through the myofascial collagen components of the physical body."<ref name=ipr>Ida Rolf ''quoted in'' {{cite book |editor=Rosemary Feitis |title=Rolfing and Physical Reality |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-7mtgps33gEC&pg=PA27 |year=1990 |publisher=Inner Traditions / Bear & Co |isbn=978-0-89281-380-3 |pages=26–27 |chapter=Introduction}}</ref> She claimed Rolfing could balance the mental and emotional aspects of subjects and that "the amazing psychological changes that appeared in Rolfed individuals were completely unexpected."<ref name=ipr/> Rolfers suggest their manipulations can cause the release of painful repressed memories.<ref name="contro" /> Rolfers also hold that by manipulating the body they can bring about changes in personality; for example, teaching somebody to walk with confidence will make them a more confident person.<ref name=elpsy>{{cite book |author=Roeckelein JE |title=Elsevier's Dictionary of Psychological Theories |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1Yn6NZgxvssC&pg=PA530 |year=2006 |publisher=Elsevier |isbn=978-0-08-046064-2 |page=530 |chapter=Rolfing}}</ref> The connection between physical structure and psychology has not been proven by scientific studies.<ref name=carroll>{{cite book |title= The Skeptic's Dictionary |chapter= Rolfing |chapter-url= http://www.skepdic.com/rolfing |year=2014 |last= Carroll |first= Robert Todd |publisher= Wiley |author-link= Robert Todd Carroll |edition= Online |access-date= 2014-03-03 |isbn= 978-0471272427}}</ref>