The map is not the territory, but if you read Gil Headley’s incredible descriptions of the three layers of cervical fascia, born of years of pioneering, fascia-oriented dissections, you can’t help but make a mental or imagistic map of the territory. Reading this stuff will enliven your feeling capacity and enrich your mindfulness thus making your work so much more intelligent. Read and digest this. It’s so worthwhile! Â Thank you Gil!
Gil Headley on The Fascia of the Neck – Part 1, 1st Lamina
Gil Headley on The Fascia of the Neck – Part 2, 2nd Lamina
Gil Headley on The Fascia of the Neck – Part 3, 3rd Lamina
A little play on words for sure. Nevertheless as bodyworkers we often find ourselves adrift in a sea of confusion about what to do, where, when, and why. Â As Ida Rolf once said, “You not only think you’re in a morass, you are in a morass” (italics mine).
Periodically in one’s career this predicament can be more the rule than the exception. So, how do we navigate in a session or a series of sessions? Rolf’s suggestion to this quandary was to, “put on a good wide snowshoe and move”. But what does this mean really?
I believe she meant you have to do something and be open to perceiving the result. This is where “forcing the trust” comes in. It takes time to be able to see or perceive the results of your work – this is both the fun and frustration of our work. Personally, it’s what keeps me in the game. I just love the process of refining my perception.
In the beginning however, until you have developed confidence in  your perception, forcing yourself a bit to trust your perceptions will help you through to a place of knowing. This means daring to treat as real that which you are not sure of. Practice giving credence to your perceptions, quell the doubt that so easily raises its ugly head, and try acting on the basis of your unique perceptions.
Here’s the flow: Perception, test, work, test, perception (did it work?). Â Practice this flow and you will refine your perception and effectiveness over time.
Dear Readers,
This blog has been a while in coming. I first conceived of it last summer as an article or series of articles. Since I had published before in Massage Magazine I wrote to the editors to inquire about my ideas. Out of that conversation the idea for this blog was born.
In future posts I will be writing about various aspects of SI that I hope will be interesting to you. Expect posts to be a diverse smattering of theory, practical information, mind-expanding news, and humor. Â Always feel free to comment and let me know about what you would like to see included here.
I can always be contacted at russell@rolfingworks.com.
