In January of 1993 I found myself recovering from a severe back injury. The physical therapy I experienced at the time helped a little. My doctor, bless his soul, recommended Hellerwork. Like most people, I said Heller what? Months into the treatment I was pain free, more aligned, more self aware and soon to be enrolled in a Hellerwork training. This was the beginning of my bodywork career.

Hellerwork is a series of hands-on therapy sessions developed by Joseph Heller out of Ida

Rolf’s work known as Rolfing®. The work combines hands-on therapy, movement re-education and dialogue to facilitate long term changes in the body and being.

The body of knowledge called Rolfing is also known as Structural Integration. Structural Integration is an umbrella term used to describe Rolfing, Hellerwork, Soma and many other forms of bodywork that developed directly out of Ida Rolf’s work. I consider myself a Structural Integration practitioner, using all that I have at my “fingertips” to accomplish this work. Ida Rolf spent her career perfecting Structural Integration and using techniques from many other modalities to help get the work done. Ida Rolf was once asked, “If a practitioner could say a few sentences to someone and achieve the goals of the work would this be considered Structural Integration?” She answered “Yes”.

A few main goals of Hellerwork Structural Integration are as follows:

• Restore proper function to all the tissues of the body: Bones, ligaments, joints, membranes, cranial structures, arteries, nerves, brain tissue, organs and their supporting membranes.
• Align the body in the field of gravity.
• Help people feel a deeper sense of connection between soul, mind and body.

I have spent my career pursuing the most effective assessments and hands-on techniques to achieve these goals. This seeking has led me to a deeper understanding of our energetic and physical makeup. So during my sessions I am synthesizing all that I have learned over the years with a client’s current situation to help the person function as nature intended. Like a colleague once told me: “When you get the power turned on, the body heals itself.”

So for me, Hellerwork is a series of goals to be achieved. The means for achieving those goals can be many. I use a deep understanding of anatomy and multiple assessments to

discern where to work.  And then I use the gentlest of hands-on treatments to restore movement to the body. All of my training lends itself to the work I offer. I blend Cranial Sacral Therapy, Visceral Manipulation and Hellerwork techniques to help people function better, feel great in their body and thrive.