After working almost solely within the paradigm of Rolfing Structural Integration® since 2003, Ray Allen’s personal evolution has led him to shift to a hybrid therapeutic approach. While he will continue to incorporate the direct release of fascial restrictions associated with Rolfing®, his practice is now grounded in a modality called Craniosacral Therapy (CST).
The Unfolding of a Session
Although each session is designed in response to a client’s perceived needs, all sessions begin with a discussion about the client’s concerns and a visual assessment supported by palpation. To protect the client’s privacy yet maximize visual and tactile access, clients remain in their underwear throughout each session. This means underwear for men and underwear and bras for women (please no sport bras, cross straps or high backs).
If an initial assessment reveals soft tissue restrictions and skeletal joint fixations, they are treated through hands-on work, most often utilizing a process called Muscle Energy Technique (MET). MET strategically and gently enlists a client’s resistance in order to lengthen and relax tissue and unlock joint fixations (see below).
This initial work is followed by Craniosacral Therapy, which generally begins with the neck and cranium and progresses through the body. Since each session is attuned to the individual client’s needs, there is no predetermined pattern to this process. Rather, as the session unfolds, it creates a deep connection to the inner world of each client’s living anatomy and physiology.