Touching Into Presence

Today's conversation is with David Davis.

David is a Rolf Structural Integration practitioner and instructor recently relocated to Tucson, Arizona where he continues to bring the beauty that is The Work of Dr. Ida P. Rolf to his new home.  

During his first Structural Integration session he anticipated relief from chronic pain and disability due to sports injuries, physical labor, and an auto accident, but he was in awe with the new sense of comfort, relaxation, and natural mode that resulted. As his body, mind, and spirit were awakened through the holistic manipulation of fascia and alignment of the body structure, David was inspired to began a new life journey. He began his training at the Rolf Institute in 1976 – 1977, during the time when Dr. Ida P. Rolf was alive and Rolfing℠ and Structural Integration were synonymous.  

That first session would lead him to becoming the seventh Rolfer℠ in the state of Colorado, practicing The Work for 45 years, and being an instructor for 33 years. David has been one the most well respected and sought-after teachers of SI nationally and internationally. 

If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd appreciate it if you would leave a positive review of the podcast and subscribe to it through the platform of your choice. When you do this it really helps other people find us, and we greatly appreciate your support.

You can find more about Andrew at andrewrosenstock.com and rolfinginboston.com

And more about Nikki at nikkiolsen.com

Many thanks to Explorers Society for use of their song " All In" from their majestic album 'Spheres' Please check them out here https://open.spotify.com/album/1plT1lAPWEQ1oTRbWOiXm3?si=eAL08OJdT5-sJ6FwwZD50g

Today's conversation is with Michael Mathieu

Michael started struggling with low back issues in the late 80s while working as an electrical engineer at Eastman Kodak Company. Two Rolfer‘s in Rochester, New York were able to help him. He quit his job to go west and do his Rolfing training which was completed in 1993. Visceral manipulation greatly elevated his work and he dived deeply into that field of study. In 2012 Michael crashed on his mountain bike and suffered massive damage to his neck and spinal cord creating quadriplegia. That injury opened a door to take to his work energetic and eventually long distance. Michael lives in Boulder, Colorado and is actively building his practice as both a long-distance manual therapist treating clients and mentoring practitioners seeking to build their skills with hands-on manual therapy or long distance manual therapy. He also offers his skills as a health coach supporting people with chronic health issues and especially oxalate toxicity. Oxalates are a plant poison that he believes every body workers should know about since they can create significant damage to connective tissues as well as many other maladies. Michael is currently three years into his own healing journey from oxalate toxicity, which has returned some almost normal sensation to parts of his paralyzed arms.

In today's conversation we spoke about Michael's path to the world of wellness, his life altering bike accident, working from a place of quadriplegia, transition to hands-off work, about working hands off, dialoging, and where his practice is taking him and more. 

You can find more about Andrew at andrewrosenstock.com and RolfingInBoston.com

Many thanks to Explorers Society for use of their song " All In" from their majestic album 'Spheres' Please check them out here https://open.spotify.com/album/1plT1lAPWEQ1oTRbWOiXm3?si=eAL08OJdT5-sJ6FwwZD50g

Today's conversation is with Michael Shea

Michael is one of the preeminent educators and authors in the fields of somatic psychology, myofascial release and craniosacral therapy. He leads seminars throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe.

Dr. Shea received his master’s degree in Buddhist Psychology at Naropa University, and a doctorate in Somatic Psychology at The Union Institute. In 1986, he was certified as one of the first Full Instructors of CranioSacral Therapy by the Upledger Institute.

Dr. Shea has been a Florida Licensed Massage Therapist since 1976, and was an Advanced Rolfer for 20 years. He is a founding member of the International Affiliation of Biodynamic Trainings and the Massage Therapy Body of Knowledge task force (MTBOK).

Dr. Shea brings a unique cross-cultural perspective to teaching health and healing, with a teaching style grounded in a spiritual practice of developing compassion with the use of manual therapy.

He is a formal student of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and past apprentice with a medicine man on the Navajo reservation in Arizona.

Because of the influence of the Dalai Lama, Dr. Shea’s clinical focus is on treating infants and children with neurological problems and developmental delays. This also includes teaching clinical skills for adults that carry pre and perinatal trauma.

In today's conversation we spoke about metabolic and vascular health, social media on our health and perceptual awareness, his new book, working with ancient cosmological systems in modern incorporations, intentionality and more. 

You can find Michael's book Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy: The Heart of the Practice here https://www.amazon.com/Biodynamic-Craniosacral-Therapy-Heart-Practice/dp/153008184X?&_encoding=UTF8&tag=andrewrosen07-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=38c74653c1d3f60476342547f35e523d&camp=1789&creative=9325

You can learn more about Michael at www.SheaHeart.com

You can find more about Andrew at andrewrosenstock.com

Many thanks to Explorers Society for use of their song " All In" from their majestic album 'Spheres' Please check them out here https://open.spotify.com/album/1plT1lAPWEQ1oTRbWOiXm3?si=eAL08OJdT5-sJ6FwwZD50g

Today's conversation is with our previous guest Liz Stewart. Liz has just started a non profit called "Postures for Peace" and asked us to have a short conversation to help get the word out as support is needed right now.

To donate online please visit  https://givebutter.com/8MpvpG

A proper website is being developed as I type this, details to come.

From the givebutter site.  "This project will help a group of Healthcare practitioners,  Rolfers® and Structural Integration Practitioners (SIPs) in Central and Eastern Europe and their communities that are in need of more skills while living in a high stress region due to war in Ukraine.

Resources will go towards providing self care skills for practitioners in this region and teaching them specific skills they need to treat their clients in these affected communities." 

If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd appreciate it if you would leave a positive review of the podcast and subscribe to it through the platform of your choice. When you do this it really helps other people find us, and we greatly appreciate your support.

To get the link, make a direct donation or find out more email Liz at: 

You can find more about Andrew at andrewrosenstock.com and rolfinginboston.com

And more about Nikki at nikkiolsen.com

Many thanks to Explorers Society for use of their song " All In" from their majestic album 'Spheres' Please check them out here https://open.spotify.com/album/1plT1lAPWEQ1oTRbWOiXm3?si=eAL08OJdT5-sJ6FwwZD50g

Today's conversation is with Kevin McCarthy.

Kevin is a Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner, Advanced Rolfer™ and Rolf Movement Practitioner™ specializing in the effects of trauma and chronic pain on the body. 

Fascinated with the interplay in the body between emotional patterns and physiological adaptations that commonly emerge in response to traumatic events, Kevin was led to study Somatic Experiencing after 10 years as a manual and movement therapist. He views the integration of somatic approaches into the wider field of trauma work as a crucial and necessary element in the healing process of those suffering from the effects of trauma.

In 2017 Kevin co-founded Mend Therapy, a thriving private practice in Minneapolis, Minnesota with his wife Carrie Miller, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist specifically to address this relationship between somatic and psychotherapeutic approaches to trauma. Mend Therapy offers an integrated model of care alongside a commitment to compassion and hope for all those who have been affected by trauma. He regularly consults with and educates health providers, manual therapists and psychotherapists on the importance and role of somatic intervention in the effective management of trauma. 

In today's conversation we spoke about Kevin's experience as a Rolfer and Somatic Experience Practitioner, what we may be doing as Rolfers (and/or other bodywork modalities) outside of normative models of touch and manual manipulations, social media on the bodily experience, working with trauma, enhancing agency in clients, reframing, and much more.

To learn more about Kevin, visit here: www.mendmn.com

If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd appreciate it if you would leave a positive review of the podcast and subscribe to it through the platform of your choice. When you do this it really helps other people find us, and we greatly appreciate your support.

You can find more about Andrew at andrewrosenstock.com and rolfinginboston.com

And more about Nikki at nikkiolsen.com

Many thanks to Explorers Society for use of their song " All In" from their majestic album 'Spheres' Please check them out here https://open.spotify.com/album/1plT1lAPWEQ1oTRbWOiXm3?si=eAL08OJdT5-sJ6FwwZD50g

Today's conversation is with Dr. Kirstie Segarra.

Kirstie Segarra, PhD BCSI RMTI E-RYT C-IAYT is a Doctor of Integrative Medicine and Structural Integrator in Taos, New Mexico. She has been practicing in the healing arts since 1996. She began her inquiry to study of the integration of the arts and spiritual practice in her Master’s degree in Whole System Design focusing on second order biological systems at Antioch University-Seattle in the mid 90’s. In affect, how to create change in biological systems. She studied a traditional form of bodywork in Bali then went on to get her massage therapy license to practice, which led her to study Anatomy Trains Structural Integration with Peter Ehlers through KMI. She focused her doctorate thesis on structural integration series protocol in treatment of Fibromyalgia. She has been a full time faculty at the University of New Mexico-Taos since 2007 where she taught and served as Chair of Integrative Health and Medical Massage, Holistic Healing Arts, created the Medical Massage, Yoga Teacher Training and Structural Integration programs. 

In today's conversation we spoke about the school of SI at Taos which Kirstie helped to start, Kirstie path to SI and starting this school,  bridging ideologies across SI schools, what her school is offering, being a university program and more.

If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd appreciate it if you would leave a positive review of the podcast and subscribe to it through the platform of your choice. When you do this it really helps other people find us, and we greatly appreciate your support.

You can find more about Andrew at andrewrosenstock.com and rolfinginboston.com

And more about Nikki at nikkiolsen.com

Many thanks to Explorers Society for use of their song " All In" from their majestic album 'Spheres' Please check them out here https://open.spotify.com/album/1plT1lAPWEQ1oTRbWOiXm3?si=eAL08OJdT5-sJ6FwwZD50g

Today's conversation is with Caryn McHose.

Caryn McHose has taught perceptual approaches to movement education for over 50 years. Caryn is a Movement Artist, a Certified Advanced Rolfer™ and Rolf Movement® Practitioner, as well as a Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner and Certified Biodynamic Cranial Practitioner. She is the collaborator for Bodystories, A Guide to Experiential Anatomy and The Place of Dance, by Andrea Olsen, and is the co-author (with Kevin Frank) of How Life Moves, Explorations in Meaning and Body Awareness https://www.amazon.com/How-Life-Moves-Explorations-Awareness/dp/1556436181/ref=sr_1_1?crid=15GE0Z58UCOGH&keywords=kevin+frank+how+life+moves&qid=1659083300&sprefix=kevin+frank+how+life+move%252Caps%252C151&sr=8-1&_encoding=UTF8&tag=andrewrosen0b-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=ef094ff08e593f96eb64f68c00c7f67d&camp=1789&creative=9325. 

To learn more about Caryn McHose, visit here: https://resourcesinmovement.com/about-the-co-founders/

And you can sign up for her mailing list here https://resourcesinmovement.us3.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=8c0f0cc204442a9ca7f029353&id=fd04c87cdc

You can find more about Andrew at andrewrosenstock.com and rolfinginboston.com

And more about Nikki at nikkiolsen.com

Many thanks to Explorers Society for use of their song " All In" from their majestic album 'Spheres' Please check them out here https://open.spotify.com/album/1plT1lAPWEQ1oTRbWOiXm3?si=eAL08OJdT5-sJ6FwwZD50g

Today's conversation is with Ally Gonzalez

Ally was born and raised in Colombia until the age of nine. As a result of the political climate of Colombia in the early 2000’s, Ally and her family fled their homeland as a result of death threats and sought out political asylum in Canada. In middle school and high school Ally engaged in sports to balance her academic workload. At the age of 16, Ally began practicing track and field and discovered that she was a very talented runner. Her love for track and field paved a path to what is now her current life. 

After graduating high school, influenced by the difficulty of overcoming sport injuries and her curiosity for movement, she went on to study an undergraduate degree in Kinesiology/human kinetics from the University of Western Ontario (London, Canada). she furthered her studies at the Guild for Structural Integration in Salt Lake City, after experiencing such profound transformation with her first Structural Integration Ten-series. Ally graduated as Structural Integration practitioner in 2018, and has been in practice since. She lives, trains and holds her practice in Bogota, Colombia serving her local community. Ally’s continual education focuses on understanding movement through the experiential lens of renowned Structural Integration practitioners such as Mary Bond and Judith Aston, the marriage of connective tissue through the speckles of Gil Hedley, and the metaphysical exploration of herself in elite athletics. Her desire for the future is to continue expanding her knowledge of structural integration while acquiring knowledge and putting together the bits and pieces from the puzzle in her ample inquiry for life. One of Ally’s ultimate life goals is to attend the Olympic games and to be an ambassador of the Structural Integration community as she gains recognition on track. This year she is training hard in hopes of qualifying for the World Championships that will take place in Oregon, USA in the month of July; making this World championship team is a stepping- stone for Ally to achieve her ultimate goal of making the 2024 Olympic games in Paris. 

You can learn more about Ally at the following links

You can find more about Andrew at andrewrosenstock.com and rolfinginboston.com

And more about Nikki at nikkiolsen.com

Many thanks to Explorers Society for use of their song " All In" from their majestic album 'Spheres' Please check them out here https://open.spotify.com/album/1plT1lAPWEQ1oTRbWOiXm3?si=eAL08OJdT5-sJ6FwwZD50g

Today's conversation is with Dr Stephen Porges.

Stephen W. Porges, Ph.D. is a Distinguished University Scientist at Indiana University where he is the founding director of the Traumatic Stress Research Consortium in the Kinsey Institute. He is Professor of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina, and Professor Emeritus at both the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Maryland.  He served as president of the Society for Psychophysiological Research and the Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences and is a former recipient of a National Institute of Mental Health Research Scientist Development Award. He is the originator of the Polyvagal Theory, a theory that emphasizes the importance of physiological state in the expression of behavioral, mental, and health problems related to traumatic experiences. He is the creator of a music-based intervention, the Safe and Sound Protocol ™ , which currently is used by more than 1500 therapists to improve spontaneous social engagement, to reduce hearing sensitivities, and to improve language processing, state regulation, and spontaneous social engagement.

You can find Dr Porges's "The Pocket Guide to the Polyvagal Theory: The Transformative Power of Feeling Safe" at  https://www.amazon.com/Pocket-Guide-Polyvagal-Theory-Transformative/dp/0393707873?&_encoding=UTF8&tag=andrewrosen07-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=f017041f95f6f8fe43c2198d144df908&camp=1789&creative=9325

You can learn more about Dr Porges and Polyvagal Theory at https://www.polyvagalinstitute.org/

You can find more about Andrew at andrewrosenstock.com and rolfinginboston.com

And more about Nikki at nikkiolsen.com

Many thanks to Explorers Society for use of their song " All In" from their majestic album 'Spheres' Please check them out here https://open.spotify.com/album/1plT1lAPWEQ1oTRbWOiXm3?si=eAL08OJdT5-sJ6FwwZD50g

Today's conversation is with Michael Shea

Michael is one of the preeminent educators and authors in the fields of somatic psychology, myofascial release and craniosacral therapy. He leads seminars throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe.

Dr. Shea received his master’s degree in Buddhist Psychology at Naropa University, and a doctorate in Somatic Psychology at The Union Institute. In 1986, he was certified as one of the first Full Instructors of CranioSacral Therapy by the Upledger Institute.

Dr. Shea has been a Florida Licensed Massage Therapist since 1976, and was an Advanced Rolfer for 20 years. He is a founding member of the International Affiliation of Biodynamic Trainings and the Massage Therapy Body of Knowledge task force (MTBOK).

Dr. Shea brings a unique cross-cultural perspective to teaching health and healing, with a teaching style grounded in a spiritual practice of developing compassion with the use of manual therapy.

He is a formal student of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and past apprentice with a medicine man on the Navajo reservation in Arizona.

Because of the influence of the Dalai Lama, Dr. Shea’s clinical focus is on treating infants and children with neurological problems and developmental delays. This also includes teaching clinical skills for adults that carry pre and perinatal trauma.

In today's conversation we spoke about what brought Michael into massage and bodywork, how he came to Rolfing, how that brought him to Cranio work, differences between biodynamic and biomechanic cranio, metabolic issues, and we leave room for a followup talk to emerge.

You can find Michael's book Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy: The Heart of the Practice here https://www.amazon.com/Biodynamic-Craniosacral-Therapy-Heart-Practice/dp/153008184X?&_encoding=UTF8&tag=andrewrosen07-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=38c74653c1d3f60476342547f35e523d&camp=1789&creative=9325

You can learn more about Michael at www.SheaHeart.com

You can find more about Andrew at andrewrosenstock.com

Many thanks to Explorers Society for use of their song " All In" from their majestic album 'Spheres' Please check them out here https://open.spotify.com/album/1plT1lAPWEQ1oTRbWOiXm3?si=eAL08OJdT5-sJ6FwwZD50g