Rolfing: Stories of Personal Empowerment captures a side of Rolfing that has mostly been ignored. The voices of 104 people whose lives have been transformed by the Rolfing®- structural integration process echo through the pages of this book.
These first person accounts, from babies to seniors in their nineties, provide a unique insight into the immediate healing powers of Rolfing, it's part in creating long -term wellness and it's place in the continuum of the body-mind connection.
This book furnishes the reader with a unique insight into the healing powers of Rolfing, providing equal parts of information and inspiration.
Parents will learn how Rolfing can help their children, even infants. Athletes, dancers and performing artists will discover how Rolfing can help them increase performance levels. The elderly and those in chronic pain will find helpful healing alternatives to traditional medical and surgical practices. And readers will benefit from the concise, insightful discussion of the healing link between the body and the mind.
One of the most striking aspects of Rolfing: Stories of Personal Empowerment is the wide array of photographs. Many of the stories are accompanied by "Before and After" photographs which present clear evidence of Rolfing. Remarkable changes are evident in the photographs of children, teenagers and adults. The improvement in body alignment and posture and the obvious evidence of well-being in the subjects is heartening.
The book features a unique and interesting chapter on using Rolfing to rehabilitate injured, performing and wild animals.
Chapters include:
1. Mothers, babies and children
2. Teenagers tell their stories
3. Mothers discuss how Rolfing® affected the whole family
4. Is Rolfing too late when you are over fifty?
5. Learning to ask for help
6. In search of wholeness
7. Rolfing and chronic pain
8. Rolfing and TMJ
9. Health professionals and their personal stories
10. How can Rolfing® help people release problems stemming from physical and sexual abuse?
11. Rolfing and recovery
12. Performing artists and other creative people
13. Can Rolfing® enhance athletic performance?
14. Can Rolfing® help rehabilitate injured animals?
15. Putting it together: The body/mind connection
16. Your personal Rolfing® journey
About the Author:
Throughout Briah Anson's life she has been a leader and an innovator. Her key strength is her breadth of experience with integrated care modalities coupled with her commitment to enriching every client, be it a person or animal with whom she works.
This calling began in Costa Rica where Briah grew up pursuing and becoming a highly trained athlete, ballet dancer, member of the national swim team, tennis player, and golfer (four-time Junior National Golf Champion of Costa Rica). At age seventeen, she set the Costa Rican women's Olympic javelin record. In college, Briah continued to compete in swimming and tennis, playing on the men's varsity tennis team.
Briah received her BA degree from Oakland University and an MA in Counseling and College Student Personnel from Penn State University. She was a member of the Dean of Students' staff at Penn State University, Colorado College, and the University of Minnesota, Morris.
Today, Briah is a Certified Advanced Rolfer® and a Certified Rolf Movement® Practitioner with over forty years of experience. She is the author of Rolfing®: Stories of Personal Empowerment (1991) and its second edition, Indie published by Heartland Personal Growth Press in 2023. She also published Animal Healing: The Power of Rolfing® Structural Integration (2011), and produced a children's video, Growing Right with Rolfing® (1996).
Continuing her evolution as a healer, Briah completed her academic training in Classical Homeopathy at the Northwestern Academy of Homeopathy in Minnesota (2019). This homeopathic training deeply informs her Rolfing work. Briah also incorporates a variety of other healing modalities including Rolfing scar tissue work, Frequencies of Brilliance energetic work, and the Erchonia® Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) into her practice. Briah has also been a mentor for new Rolfers. She is a member of the Dr. Ida Rolf Institute® and the International Association of Structural Integrators®.
Briah has a private practice in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Endorsements:
"A much-needed addition to the literature for understanding ourselves." - Anne Wilson-Schaef, Ph.D. author of Escape from Intimacy, The Addictive Organization, and Co-Dependence: Misunderstood, Mistreated
"Briah Anson's book and insights once again confirm that all healing ultimately occurs at the level of consciousness. Healing involves the restoration of the memory of wholeness. For anyone interested in an approach that is more than asymptomatic magic bullet, Briah's work will open up a new world." - Deepak Chopra, M.D. author of Unconditional Life and Perfect Health
"There is one major reason to take Rolfing seriously. It works. Not only can it dramatically change people's bodies, it can transform their lives as well. The verdict from these stories? Rolfing is powerful stuff. This book should carry a warning label: READ WITH CARE – THIS COULD CHANGE YOUR LIFE!" - Larry Dossey, M.D. author of Meaning & Medicine, Recovering the Soul, and Space, Time & Medicine
"The nice thing about Rolfing is that you can expand. Artistic and creative growth comes from within. After Rolfing, you are able to follow through with an idea. I definitely had more range of motion, flexibility and extension. The one thing that turned me on to Rolfing was the freedom I felt – the lightness." - Brian Orser, O.C. Canadian figure skater and coach. 1984 and1988 Olympic silver medalist, 1987 World champion, and eight-time Canadian national champion
"Briah Anson presents concrete evidence that the technique of Rolfing expands the dimensions of thought. It empowers us to tap into our full mental and physical potential — to extend life and improve its quality. We are given the ability to change and adapt our entire structure and movement into biomechanically efficient patterns. Briah documents that Rolfing is powerful in its simplicity and universal in its application." - Helen James, M.A., P.T., D.Sc. h.c. Professor Emerita of Physical Therapy, Certified Advanced Rolfer®
