Structural Integrative Therapies Costa Mesa Irvine Orange County

The Structural Integration practitioner assists people in being balanced, at ease, and maximally efficient in their bodies, more of the time. We help people realize their potential in the physical “structure” they live in, the vehicle that moves them around. After all, our body is the structure through which we human beings live, animate, and express ourselves be it cycling, golfing, snowboarding, whatever.

To illustrate the point, I have chosen a multi-storied building to draw parallels with the human body. A building and a human body are similar in that they are both physical structures standing within the field of gravity. Both are subject to the laws of gravity. Both have foundations upon which each structure is supported and balanced. A building has a primary foundation with four corner stones on which the entire structure rest -- evenly balanced. Much like the building’s foundation, the body also has a primary foundation. It is our feet.

Buildings have stories; one, two, three, or more. Similarly, the human body has “stories”, which are defined by the weight bearing joints of the ankles, knees, hip and pelvic complex, and the spine. In fact, each vertebrae of the spine is its own story. For a balanced distribution of weight and omni-directional tension, these joint systems need support from, and provide support to, the joint systems above and below.

When viewed from this perspective, the body becomes something more like a thirty-story building -- with each joint creating a new story for the next to find balance and support. As you might imagine, it can be a bit tricky to maintain balance in a thirty-story skyscraper, like the human body. It is quite miraculous when you stop and think about it.

Now back to our building. Suppose that one of the cornerstones in the foundation were to for some reason be dropped one or two feet? How do you imagine this would affect the structure? In no time, stress cracks would appear in the walls. Doors and windows might be stuck shut/open. Quite likely, the roof and the pipes would begin to leak. In short, the building would soon be in an unstable and debilitating condition. If this structure could tell you what it was feeling, what do you suppose it would say? Probably something like “OUCH…HELP!” Or, “I’m miserable! Please -- somebody get me balanced again!” It is quite literally the same situation with the human body.

If you would like proof of this for yourself, you might try this little experiment. Stand up (preferably in front of a mirror). Remove one of your shoes (keeping in mind that the sole of your shoe should be an inch or so thick.) Now stand with your weight evenly distributed in your feet for three to five minutes. (That the distribution of weight remains even is very important. Keep both knees unbent.)
The first thing you might notice is that you are beginning to resemble a human version of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. You may find yourself leaning toward the side without the shoe. If you find you feel balanced standing on one shoe, you are already in a compensatory pattern that has become “normal” to you. In this case, replace the shoe and remove the other one.

After a few minutes you might begin to notice tension or pain somewhere in your body (most likely, but not necessarily, in the shoeless leg, knee, or somewhere in the low back). Then, in order to relieve the pressure due to the structural imbalance in your body, you will likely find yourself wanting to drop all of your weight into the shoeless foot, causing you to bend the opposite knee, turn the opposite foot out, or both. Once you do this, you will notice an immediate sense of relief or well being. “AHHH, that feels better” …. for the moment. Unfortunately, this doesn't mean you are as "good as new". It only means that your body knows how to make compensations which serve to relieve the new structural stress pattern. The over all result however, is that the imbalance has merely been redistributed.

The reality is, that if steps are not taken to “right” the structure soon, your fascial system, the vast interwoven network of strong, pliable, elastic connective tissues that bind us all together under our skin, will begin to "glue" you into this new (but not so desirable) pattern.
Do you remember our building that was left in an unstable and debilitating condition after one of the cornerstones was dropped? The right professional know-how, properly applied, can “right” the building. The same is true of the human body. It can be re-balanced, re-aligned, “righted” again just like the building.

It is important to keep in mind that the human body is a moving, complex, interrelated organization of bone, muscle, organs, etc. When organized appropriately within earth's gravitational field, the body is then actually supported in gravity, much the same as structures engineered to use gravity to produce more stability under a load are supported. When, on the other hand, the joint systems of the body are imbalanced, these same gravitational forces negatively impact the structural system, introducing stress.

Under these conditions the fascia (connective tissues) shortens, dehydrates, and literally laminates itself to any neighboring body-part. Our bones stay the same length and our muscles can still function, but the shortened connective tissues pull the body into compression and rotation patterns. The body responds to these imbalances by decreasing mobility. Over time, this not-so-desirable pattern becomes “the new you." Many so-called “debilitating conditions” are the result of this down-spiraling phenomena. The good news is that it can be reversed through Structural Integration Bodywork!

What holds us up? More importantly, what holds us up comfortably? Most people think it is our bones. But if you were to remove the myofascial system (muscles and connective tissues), the skeleton would quickly end up in a pile. The bones act as the framework for the body and as attachment sites for the myofascial system (the resilient and pliable lath and plaster laid down over the bones). In reality, the bones hold us apart, it is the myofascia that holds us together, keeps us upright, and either allows or inhibits movement.
Fascia, the organ of support, or the "organ of structure" (as Dr. Rolf, the mother of Structural Integration referred to it) is both a blessing and our curse. Remember, it is the fascia that glues us in place when we become imbalanced. The Structural Integration Practitioner knows how to unglue and reposition the myofascial systems so that the whole three-dimensional body is balanced in gravity.

Structural Integration bodywork systematically uses slow, specific, deep strokes and manual manipulations toward this end. These manipulations unglue, lengthen, and rebalance the multidirectional rotation patterns that rigidify in the body. The body changes because these compression imbalances in the tissues are reorganized.

This systematic approach to balancing the body in gravity, through the myofascial layers, naturally aligns and improves posture. Length comes into the body allowing the reorganized muscles the space to work and joints the freedom to function. The shrinking so commonly associated with age is arrested, and feelings of discomfort and pain vanish.

The Structural Integration series generally consists of 10 to 14 sessions of progressively balancing bodywork. Each session focuses on a different area of the body which furthers the releasing and balancing process of the previous session. The results are cumulative. When the whole body has been structurally integrated, one feels more free, lighter and youthful.
The human body is built to move within gravity with equal tension between the flexor and extensor muscle groups throughout the body, producing buoyancy, and balanced fluidity in movement. In fact, the body must move to enjoy optimum health. This is why the postural and movement aspect of Structural Integration is important.

Now that we have our bodies reorganized and back in balance, we are going to need some postural and movement reeducation to maintain our "new and improved" integrated alignment. Unless people are educated about how to move more effortless and efficiently, old habits tend to re-assert themselves, pulling us back into old imbalanced patterns.

While it is true that form creates function, it is also true that function creates form. It works both ways. That is why each session has a corresponding postural/movement re-education aspect. This aspect of the work is what helps support the body's changing alignment. This has been proven, over and over again, to be a crucial component because it helps one to maintain the desired change in the body. In order to give you a more physical sense of what I have said thus far, you might try the following postural awareness lesson. It is one of many taught throughout the series.

For this awareness lesson it will be necessary to acquaint you with your pelvic bowl. The front of your “pelvic bowl” is an imaginary line from the front of your hips, across your lower belly under your navel. The back of your bowl is from side to side across the top of your buttocks. The sides are defined by the most lateral edge of the upper hipbones, with the landmarks of the bottom of the bowl being the anus and genitals.

Stand up and place the palm of one hand just below your navel (on the front of the bowl) and the other at your low back (on the back of the bowl). This is your pelvic bowl. Imagine that this bowl is full of soup. See whether you can find that place where your bowl is nearly horizontally balanced front to back, with the front of the bowl tilting slightly forward. The front hand should be a bit lower than the back hand.

Now notice what happens when you tip your bowl back (spilling your soup). It causes the back hand to go down and the front hand to come up. This will result in some very significant postural changes. Below I list several possibilities. See which of them you notice.

Your chest may have dropped and become more concave.
As your pelvis spilled your abdomen back, you may have straightened through your lumbar curve (the lumbar curve is essential for low back stability).
When your chest dropped, you may have collapsed the front of your ribcage, compressing your lungs (which in turn, diminishes your capacity to breathe).
Your head may have shifted forward in gravity to an unsupported position in front of your shoulders (rather than sitting on top of them where it belongs).
This, in turn, may have compressed the back of your neck putting undue tension on the Temporal Mandibular Joint (jaw joint).
It is likely to stress the entire top and back of the shoulders (making you a prime candidate for rotator cuff problems in the future).
It is also likely to create tension in the upper back myofascial systems.
Your hamstrings and quadriceps may have tightened in various ways,
(which will, in turn, produce tension in your knees and limit mobility in your ankles and feet)

Now consider this. What I have outlined here is actually a simplified version of the whole compensatory picture. Quite literally, every aspect of the body is impacted by this one primary postural imbalance. Without education designed to alert us to the many ways we unknowingly misuse our bodies, we find ourselves traveling down that old road of multiple compensatory patterns. This will, once again, lead to stress and limited range of motion. This is why with each individualized session of the series, several postural and movement lessons are featured. These lessons support the specific parts of the body addressed in each session, as well as movement patterns specific to each person’s life habits.

Throughout the series, specific individual movement and bodywork is especially tailored to each individual’s needs. Specific repetitive life patterns are addressed with regard to each client’s body and life activity needs. Individual body type, shape, and personal style is considered as well to derive the maximum benefit for each client.

Tucker Sharp is a Certified Hellerwork Practitioner of Structural Integration and Structural Integration Teacher. His private practice is located at 350 E 17TH St. Suite 208, Costa Mesa, Ca. 92627
Phone 714.321.8190 for consultation or appointment.