Testimonials – Rolfing Children

Testimonials about Rolfing from children and adults

Karen S. Price

Certified Advanced Rolfer

650-324-8863

Palo Alto, CAandMcKinleyville, Humboldt County, CA

[email protected]

From the first Stanford University School of Medicine Research Project:

"He is such a happier boy, he is almost a different child." - Mother of subject 002

"She gained a lot of confidence." -- Mother of subject 005

"He always asks when he can come for the next appointment." -- Father of subject 008

"I was stunned. It is the most dramatic, quick improvement we have had with anything we have tried... It made me look at body work in a new way; as something for long-term improvement."-- Mother of subject 009

"He went through developmental stages he never experienced before and continues to do so -- like he's catching up with his age... The hardest part about it was [leaving] the last session because you see all this progress and you don't want it to go away." -- Mother of subject 010

"I wish we had done it earlier." -- Father of subject 011

"It was only 10 sessions and we have seen a lot of improvement." -- Mother of subject 013

From Other Children and Adults

My (4 year old) son had dramatic improvement after 4 or 5 sessions with Karen. Importantly, he really enjoyed it. He still asks to go back for his "special massage". He usually is cautious around strangers, but with Karen he was calm and trusting. He would sit or lie quietly and relax. She connected to him. He had various eating, sleeping and sensory issues. We had tried all sorts of things- chiropractic, accupuncture, and diets without much effect. After rolfing, we noticed he seemed calmer emotionally. Also, physically he had a dramatic growth spurt just after the sessions. He grew 2 clothing sizes and went from being under weight to the 60th percentile. We had to buy new clothes, and he was proud of getting big and strong.

Max C

Karen is my massage person. i go because my legs ache. i have fun. it feels nice and my legs feel better afterwards. i read books and get massage.

Ella

Age 5

It felt really good and it helped my back a lot. I would always feel all wiggly and giggly afterwards.

Ava

Age 8

i've had rolfing for many years, and years before I had my daughter, my rolfer at the time said something that really stuck with me. he commented that if we were to have rolfing as children, we could avoid some of the ingrained postural issues we have as adults. years later, when my daughter was 2, i decided to take her to see karen. i didn't have much hope for the one hour session as two year olds never sit still! i brought a bunch of books and was completely amazed when my daughter was still on the table for 45 minutes! she didn't seem to react at all but karen seemed quite pleased with the session. the next morning, as i was helping my daughter get dressed, i was completely shocked to see her posture completely straight and, in my eyes, perfect. it was astounding to see such a dramatically noticeable difference immediately. and the changes were not just physical, we also saw more calm and at the same time, more focused energy. she also slept more soundly. rolfing on children is very gentle, my daughter loves it and calls it "massage" and the effects are really remarkable. karen is excellent with children, she is very patient but at the same time full of energy and fun, and my daughter adores her. she knows how to work with a child, taking breaks and changing positions as needed. i have continued to take ella on a regular basis to see karen. we often go after she has had a fall, a bad cold/cough or when she complains of "growing pains". after our experiences, i see children every day who would benefit from rolfing. all the changes they go through, from being in the womb to wearing bulky diapers to all the tumbles and bumps they have, affects their posture and consequently their well-being. there is no doubt in my mind that all children would benefit from having rolfing and karen is truly the best there is.

Linda

I have been Rolfed for over 30 years. My grown children have been Rolfed for many many years. When my grandson was five years old, almost eight years ago, I had the privilage of having him here with me on vacation with his parents. I contacted Karen Price for a Rolfing for him. He was born with a congenital colon disease and underwent 2 hard surgeries before 10 months. I was hoping that Karen could address this. I was privilaged to be in the room with him during his session. I was moved to tears watching Karen relate to him. He trusted her and they chatted the whole time while she did her magic. As a result, my grandson has continued to be Rolfed in Anchorage where he lives. Karen Price is an amazing woman in so many ways that Rolfing is just one of them. I am grateful for Karen's professionalism and especially for her large heart.

Lily Anne Hillis

Rolfing: a blessing, not a strange food To some, Rolfing may be akin to a strange food, so strange sounding they don’t even want to give it a try. I will try to make the idea of Rolfing into a more manageable and imaginable idea because Rolfing has done wonders for me. I started seeing Karen Price for Rolfing when I was seven years old and I am now nearing twenty- one; that alone should tell you how much I trust Karen and believe in Rolfing.

I’ll start with a question that many Rolfers get asked and that I get asked when I tell people I have a Rolfer, “What’s Rolfing?” It’s as if it even tastes funny on their tongue when they say the word. First, I tell them the physicality of it; I say something like, “Well, it’s sort of like deep tissue massage but she goes deeper and she can do more than just massage tissue.” Next, I tell them that while it does hurt and you might be sore afterwards the pain doesn’t last long, but the benefits do! Finally, and most importantly, I tell them about the specific benefits.

When I first came to Karen she called me her little flamingo because I stood on one foot, that is one thing, physically, that has changed. Another physical thing that she helped with was my chronic nausea due to internal problems and multiple surgeries. Last December, 2007, she helped my nausea greatly! I had been waking up nauseated every single morning for quite some time and in one Rolfing session on my mouth Karen was able to stop that for months! I also like my face better after she Rolfs my mouth because it is fuller looking. She has also helped me breathe better, by loosening the muscles in my chest, when I have felt really tight. She also helped my breathing by Rolfing my nose and the effects lasted for months! In addition, she has help relieve physical aches and pains and one time she even moved an organ back into its rightful place, well, my body moved back into alignment, but she helped it along.

Aside from the numerous physical benefits, Karen has helped my sense of body image because she knows what is and isn’t a healthy weight. When she mentioned that I was looking a little too skinny it didn’t feel as judgmental as when doctors would make such comments.

I also did Rolfing in effort to see if it helped my body work better together. I was having trouble in school because of specific learning disabilities. I also have tremors. There is no way to no for sure in what way Rolfing did and didn’t help me in school, since we had tried several alternative methods, but at the end of the year my mom asked me, “What do you think helped you the most?” and I said, “The Rolfing.” One thing is clear, though, Rolfing certainly wasn’t a waste of our money. Even now, as I approach twenty-one, I firmly believe in Rolfing. I even found a Rolfer in Arizona, whom I went to once, who helped me with my tremors; I’m now completely off of my tremor medication, which is really a blessing to me!

As you can hopefully now see, Rolfing is not a strange food or some bizarre treatment; it is a way of working with your body to heal it and it is a very natural process. As to Karen Price herself, not only has she helped me a lot as my Rolfer, she has also become a friend who truly cares about me and I about her. My Rolfing sessions are always fun too! Our favorite game to play while I am being Rolfed is Eye Spy! If you are be shy or scared, I encourage you to try your best to work past that because Rolfing has so many benefits and it can be fun too!

Written by Pefy Fraser

January 2009

Rolfing had dramatic results for my baby. I took him in at around 3.5 months and within the Rolfing session itself, he sat up much straighter and his neck lifted off the floor noticeably higher. Afterwards, he stopped spitting up his milk during feeding. Because the results were so good, I took him again around 6 months. A few days after his session, he slept through the night for the first time! Thank you so much!

Anita

Sofia is doing well. She got home, woke up and began bumbling around the house. She's like a new girl. Pat jokes that she's grown two years in one weekend. Very adventurous and much more confident - she's been teaching her teddy all sorts of new tricks - like how to ride her scooter & new dance moves. Sofia's feet sound different on the hard wood and she has so many more dance moves, she does a shimmy, a lunge move and this little head bop as she taps her feet. Plus she cut two new top teeth. Oh, any she's more interested in putting on her shoes - like her rain boots.

M.F.

San Francisco

I am so glad I brought my little boy to see Karen for rolfing. My baby was born 11 weeks premature and we spent 8 weeks in the NICU. It was a very scary and stressful time for all of us. Although the staff that cared for him was exceptional I am sure the entire experience was very traumatic for him. The first 6 weeks of his life he was fed through a feeding tube. Eventually we worked up to bottle feeds, and some attempts at breastfeeding. Unfortunately his palette was very small and his ability to suck while nursing would exhaust him and he would fall asleep after a few minutes. I was determined to breast feed my child and so I brought him to see Karen hoping she could help us. In just 2 visits my little boy is latching on significantly better and we are up to nursing 4 times a day.

Karen also worked on things I hadn't even thought were problems. It seems he had a preference to have his head always resting on his right side. Just a little work and she relieved what must have been neck pain. Now he has no problem turning his head to the left. She also worked on his back and I watched as his entire body lengthened in front of my eyes. He loved every minute of the massage, he was incredibly responsive and so content. Not once did he fuss or resist her magical touch.

I know we still have a long road ahead of us but in my heart I am sure these 2 sessions have made an enormous impact on my little one. I can't say enough wonderful things about this experience and would recommend Karen to anyone whose child has been through a trauma. She truly has the most amazing way with children. It is her gift and any child would be blessed to have her work on them.

Karen, I honestly mean every word I have jumbled together here. I believe you are an incredibly gifted healer. I hope this will be helpful to others. I know it just goes on and on. Also, as I am a huge believer in rolfing feel free to use me as a reference should you ever need one.

Wishing you the most lovely holiday season.

Warmly,

Dianna and Miles

I met lee just a short time before she came to you. she was suffering from migraine headaches for which she saw a chiropractor. i remember the time she came back from her first rolfing appointment because i didn't recognize the person flowing toward me with such grace. she was beaming as if she were trying out a new body and she didn't have a migraine. i don't think she ever returned to the chiropractor and from then on she never mentioned a migraine. there was no question that she would undertake the ten sessions.

In later years lee battled breast cancer and it was in remission for awhile but when it came back it was pervasive. when she entered the hospital for the last time one of her best friends from davis organized for at least one friend to be with her around the clock and it was kept up until she passed a couple weeks later, a testament to the devotion of the friends she had. (the nurses at stanford hospital said they had never seen anything like it)

When she and i talked of the turning points in her life, meeting you and beginning her bodywork were among the high ones. she would say again, thank you.

love and peace,

walter

Took my daughter in to see Karen for the sleep issues that began for her when she was about 6 months old. We had tried sleep plans and elimination diets (we discovered some of her poor sleep was related to food sensitivities) and had moderate success. When she was about 18 months old, though, the improvements had plateaued at 2-3 wakings on a good night (her longest sleep stretch was 3.5 hours) and hourly wakings on a "bad" night, and we sought another route to help improve her sleep further. We had a total of three sessions with Karen. At the first session, my daughter, normally paralyzed with fear in the presence of strangers, took to Karen very quickly. She seemed to thoroughly enjoy her "rub," as she calls it. At the end of the session, I noticed immediately that she seemed taller and her legs seemed straighter (I hadn't noticed her legs looking crooked before, but they looked markedly straighter afterward). She ran around the room, clearly more confident and comfortable in her body. When my husband arrived home, he also noticed, without my mentioning it, that our daughter's legs looked straighter and she seemed more comfortable in her movements. After the second session, she went down the stairs outside Karen's office all by herself (backwards on her tummy) for the first time ever. She'd always been very timid about physical challenges, and she had never shown any interest at all in traversing stairs without her hand in mine. Immediately after the "rub", she started trying to climb the cushions in Karen's office. Outside, she climbed parking barriers and just ran about with a glee and confidence I hadn't seen in her before. After the third session, the changes were not so dramatic, but I still noticed increased confidence in her interactions with her peers, particularly at the parent-participation preschool she and I attend. When I mention Karen's name, she smiles and says, "Rub!" She also asks me and my husband to rub her at home. These things together indicate to me that she really enjoyed the sessions with Karen.

As far as sleep goes, although Rolfing hasn't been a cure-all, we have seen a definite improvement in her sleep. She now goes three or more nights in a row sleeping a 6-8 hour stretch, waking once before falling back to sleep until morning (she sleeps a total of about 10-12 hours a night). On her off nights, it's like the "good" nights used to be...2-3 wakings before morning. We'll have 2-4 days of that and then go back to the longer stretches again. She's also gotten into a much more predictable nap schedule. Although she still awakens every 40 minutes during naps, she sleeps at the same time every day, and she is usually easy enough to get back to sleep after each sleep cycle. She naps a total of about 1.5-2 hours (one nap a day). This is up from a single nap of about 30-40 minutes, which was clearly not enough for her, but I couldn't get her to sleep any more than that until she saw Karen. I perceive that the biggest difference I see is an improvement in our daughter's ability to relax and let herself fall asleep. She's still not a champ at this, but this seems much easier for her than it once did.

I realize that this end-result might not seem that impressive to people whose babies sleep well, but for us, this is a huge change and a dramatic improvement from what we were dealing with before seeing Karen.

My awesome rolfer Karen Price, who did the ten-session rolfing for me after I had my first-born son and helped me through my pregnancy of my second baby, rolfed my daughter's legs (my second baby) when she was three months old. My daughter has been enjoying her strong legs! She started walking when she was 10 months old. And she was able to walk up (not crawl up) the stairs one step at a time since she was 20 months old. Now she is 23 months old and she can jump already! I have been so happy with the result of the rolfing; the benefits rolfing brings to infants really gives them a head start. Like one of the Chinese proverbs says, "A good start is half way to success!"

Sincerely,

Nina Hsiao Shaw

I took my oldest daughter to Karen Price when she was in sixth grade. She¹d been struggling with a variety of sports related strains and stresses, as a gifted, but not always graceful, athlete. The changes we saw were both immediate and rewarding this talented but gangly girl transformed into someone who actually lived within her own body - someone who felt comfortable and capable with how she experienced the world.

My second daughter started to visit Karen not long after her sister was through. Initially, I¹d just planned to offer her the same opportunity to feel at home in her body - but the timing turned out to be extremely fortuitous, and very dramatic. Just before she started her sessions with Karen, she was diagnosed with a developing scoliosis by her pediatrician and told that she should be ³tracked² by an orthopedic specialist - but by the time this specialist¹s partner took her measurements six months later, he seemed very confused about why my daughter was even there. He laughed, of course, when I mentioned how it seemed that Rolfing had helped, but he nonetheless released her from their tracking list, saying ³if we managed to make someone as symmetrical as she is after any number of braces or surgeries, we would be very pleased with our success².

My son who is almost six years old has been working with Karen Price since birth. At first Karen would just give him a little "tune-up" for five or ten minutes after one of his sister¹s appointments, but now he looks forward to his own full hour appointments two or three times a year. He says he is so much ³faster² after Karen has worked on his ankles and that it is so much "easier to poop² after she¹s worked on his tummy.

My three kids are all very different from each other, but they have all benefited greatly from their Rolfing sessions with Karen Price. I would recommend Karen¹s intuitive wisdom and gentle touch to any parent who wants their child be as comfortable with the body they were given as it is humanly possible to be!

Pam Law, Menlo Park, CA

8/24/06

I am blessed with two healthy, happy children and a husband with an incredibly open mind. I've been working with Karen Price since the birth of my first daughter to regain the alignment of my body postpartum, preparing for a second pregnancy, and maintaining overall health.

My first daughter began seeing Karen at 31/2 when I noticed how her shoes were wearing and the overlap of two of her toes. A convert at a later age (41), I'm hopeful that we can stop some of the wear on her body before she becomes accustomed to mis-alignment. After a few sessions with Karen, I'm noticing that the toes are relaxing more and her feet are flatter than before. We come and go, as her interest in "smage" (read, preschool for massage) waxes and wanes.

My second child, now 7 months old, enjoyed her first alignment session at just a few weeks. She was straining in her bowel production, and when she did go, the results were at time explosive. Karen noticed her tailbone was out and brought her immediate comfort. A few additional times, and we noticed progress at physical milestones. For a child that is only 35% on the charts for her physical size, she crawls and pulls up at just shy of 7 months. Her care providers are amazed at what she is able to do at her age. She is more confident and at peace in her body than my first child, and I think the results are showing her willingness to experiment.

It's hard to say what's nature or nurture, what we're given in terms of physicality and what we make of it, but I have definitely seen the results of a few hands on, powerful, loving, and supportive sessions with my children.

Kathleen Palmer

Proud mama of Helena Sheridan and Sonia Rose Shapiro

Dear Karen,

I want to let you know how much we appreciate all that you have done for my 3 yr old daughter.

After having much success with rolfing as an adult, I decided to bring my daughter to see you when she was about 2 1/2. Although hopeful, I did have serious doubts about whether she would stay still long enough for anything to be done. To my surprise, she stayed still for over 45 minutes. When she got up at the end, she was bursting with energy and ran happily around the room. I'll admit, I did not see anything different right then. But the following morning, when she was getting dressed, I looked at her and could not believe my eyes. Her entire posture was completely different. She was standing perfectly straight and upright; it looked like she had grown a couple of inches overnight! But even more than her physical changes, I noticed over the next few days and weeks that she had really come into herself. She was showing much more independence and decisiveness, as if straightening her body had straightened her will. I had heard that rolfing could help a person find direction, but it was nevertheless surprising to see it happening to my daughter at such a young age.

I also want to thank you for developing such a special relationship with my daughter. We have been to see you several times now and she is always happy to go (and unwilling to leave!) You clearly have a gift for working with children that goes beyond your kindness, patience and gentleness with them. You connect so well with my daughter in that honest and joyful way that is the domain of children. My daughter talks about her "massages with Karen" and the other day when I said that my back was bothering me, she told me, "it's okay Mommy, tomorrow you can get a massage from Karen." It makes me very happy and pleased that she understands how it is you help her and that she feels so comfortable going to you for that.

I find myself these days watching other children and thinking how much they could benefit from rolfing. I honestly think every child could benefit from rolfing. I don't think people realize how many of our physical issues as adults can be traced back to childhood. I wish people knew how easy it is to correct those patterns in children; it is truly a gift that can change and last a lifetime.

Warm regards,

Linda A. in Menlo Park

My son Luke showed signs of strabismus at an early age (2-3 months), suffered from colics and overly strong reactions to otherwise normal stimuli. One of his leg looked internally rotated, while the other looked staight. This sure made our lives as new parents more difficult than anticipated. We longed for better health and sleep for our son, and more rest and joy as parents for ourselves, without worries of future complicated medical interventions. After discussing my son's difficulty with Karen, we brought our son to Karen for an assessment and first Rolfing session. We were present thorought this and two more brief and gentle session. Our son Luc, usually very sensitive and reactive to new environements, really calmed down and showed positive results in all areas of problems. His pediatrician noted that the eyes didn't exhibit signs of strabismus, nor of orthopeadic leg problems. His colics quieted down and his behavior/reactions improved. He is now a healthy, active and spirited child whom enjoys home and new adventures. We plan to bring Luke back for alignments as to solidify his strenght and prevent problems related to his very active physical and emotional development.

Grateful parents,

LD and PB

Through 14 years of Rolfing and many phases of life there has been one constant: The balance, calmness and strength I feel when I leave the Rolfing studio.

I began Rolfing sessions at age 8 with one of my best friends at the time. We did double sessions with Karen, our Rolfer, which was a great, nonthreatening way to be introduced to a new practice and a new person. Rolfing at age 8, was time to spend with my friend in an environment that felt safe, warm and inviting. I only knew that I enjoyed my time there with special people and that when I left, I always left felt a little bit happier and a little bit healthier than when I entered. Although I didn't know it at the time, Karen and Rolfing would remain an important part of my life for many years to come.

My friend did not stay with Rolfing for long and when my parents gave me the option to continue sessions or to stop, like my friend, I knew that I wanted to continue. I wanted to build my friendship with Karen who had become a kind, caring and accepting presence in my life. I also wanted to continue to feel the balance that Rolfing created in me. As I grew older my interest in Rolfing developed and I became curious about the changes that Karen could affect in my body. Karen happily and openly educated me on the bits and pieces of Rolfing practice that I could understand.

Karen explained to me that when I first visited her, unknown to me and my parents, I had a curve in my spine. Karen watched and corrected my growth and progress through puberty and to all of our joy and satisfaction scoliosis never developed in my back. Over the years I have come to Karen for various physical ailments such as an adult tooth that never grew in and whiplash from a car accident I had while driving home from work. She always approached my problems with calmness and confidence which affected great and positive changes in my body in each of my situations.

Society views massage as a way to make physical changes. Yet,Rolfing makes inner changes as well. Through the years Karen has affected great change in my body but she has also influenced great change in my inner being. As I grew older and more comfortable with Karen our Rolfing sessions turned into cleansing hours of massage and talk where I would release the worries and dilemmas. Rolfing can be an emotional experience and although I cannot explain why it happens, the therapeutic result of Rolfing sessions is undeniable. Within the studio and without through adolescents and into adulthood she has always been a welcoming and accepting presence in my life.

Rolfing is an incredible practice that I've been lucky enough to have in my life for 12 years. At this point, I see Karen for Rolfing sessions when I come home to California for visits twice a year. When I was younger I was Rolfed much more frequently. However, Karen has been able to teach me how to maintain the changes she influenced in my body which helps me preserve the balance and strength I gain during Rolfing sessions. I strive to keep these qualities in my life and it is nice to know that Karen and Rolfing are there to help me along the way.

HM, Age 22