What is Structural Integration?
Research has shown that Structural Integration significantly reduces chronic stress and changes the body structure in gravity, often resulting in reduced pain symptoms and dependence on medication.
These manual therapy sessions can be delivered as a one-off session, a 3 series or a full 12 series. The recipe is based on the Anatomy Trains Myofascial meridians concepts.
ATSI consists of a multi-session protocol (our full series has 12 sessions) of deep, slow fascial and myofascial manipulation and movement re-education. The design of ATSI is to unwind the strain patterns residing in your body’s locomotor system, restoring it to its natural balance, alignment, length, and ease.
Most of us have collected extra tension throughout our lives, either from injury or surgery, imitation of our parents or heroes, repetitive activities, or attitudes we’ve acquired during our lives.
These injuries and tensions form a pattern in our bodies.
These patterns become written into our muscular tensions, or skeletal form, and into the tissues that go between: the connective tissues. The Anatomy Trains SI approach is to free the binding and shortening in these connective tissues, what we refer to as the “fascial network”, and to re-educate the body in efficient and energy-sustaining patterns.
Anatomy Trains Structural Integration (ATSI) springs from the pioneering work of Dr Ida Rolf and has been developed by Thomas Myers. The ATSI recipe is based on the Anatomy Trains Myofascial Meridians concepts, explored in the book written by Thomas Myers and are now used worldwide to teach many forms of bodywork and movement.
It is an evidence-informed method and treats postural patterns, chronic pain and movement dysfunction with soft tissue treatment specific to the individual based on detailed evaluations and assessments, often resulting in greater vitality and resilience.
Structural Integration is a project with a clear beginning, middle and end for clients. We use visual/ structural assessments to plan an individual strategy for the client.
Although the series follows a pattern, Ida Rolf referred to this as ‘The Recipe’ as with any recipe, it is changed to suit individual clients.
What does it involve?
Anatomy Trains Structural Integration takes place over 12 progressive sessions. Times may vary, but a session can take up to 1 1⁄2 hours. Each session is a hands-on treatment with a postural/movement assessment at the beginning and during each session. Although the series follows a pattern, Ida Rolf referred to this as ‘The Recipe’ as with any recipe, it is changed to suit individual clients.
Assessments and treatments are done in underwear or swimwear, whichever you are most comfortable in.
The first 4 sessions are known as the sleeve sessions
The first 4 sessions aim to free up the front, back, and sides, freeing the shoulders from the trunk, freeing the breath and finding support through the feet.
The middle four sessions are known as the core sessions
The middle four sessions address the ‘core’ of the body, working into the central stabilisation muscles closer to the spine helping to unwind hidden rotations to find support from within.
The final four sessions integrate the core and the sleeve to improve coordination and posture.
This new alignment simply becomes part of who you are, not something you have to work at or repeatedly see a practitioner to maintain. It will leave you with a lasting and progressive change that will echo throughout the rest of your life.
The most common question is, how often do I have the sessions?
This is a difficult question to answer as it depends on the individual. How you respond to the session, how your tissue responds and listening to your body will indicate what is right for you. If the sessions are too close, your body does not have time to process and adapt to the new information. If they are too far apart, you lose the process’s momentum.
Photographs can be taken at the beginning and end and sometimes during the series.
This is so we can view any changes in your structure or pattern, but not so we can try and get the perfect posture, as this is not what the series is about. We do not want to put a forced posture on you; posture is and should be dynamic, and we want your body to be the best it can be. Giving you a feeling of length, ease and balance in your body (a sense of being comfortable in your own skin).
Much of the session work is done on a treatment table,
though some moves are done on a stool or standing.
The practitioner will contact tissues and ask you to move, thus freeing old restrictions and encouraging the tissues back to a freer place called for by your body’s inherent design. You and your practitioner can work out how deep or gentle you want the progression to be.
or for further information call Julie: 0416864841 or email: bodyworkevolution@gmail.com
Structural Integration price
3 or 12-session series – 60-90 mins/session – $130 per session.
You must be logged in to post a comment.