About Soma

Soma Structural Integration

What is Structural Integration?

Structural Integration is a body therapy that sees and treats the body as a holistic system

The term Structural Integration is the name of the field of bodywork that is rooted in the lineage of work developed by Dr. Ida P. Rolf, a 20th-century wellness thinker. With a degree in biochemistry, Ida explored healing modalities such as osteopathy, chiropractic medicine, yoga, the Alexander Technique, and more. Her research led her to develop the “recipe” of Strucutral Integration which is a method to align the body’s structure to gravity.

Later, a psychologist named Bill Williams, PhD further developed the work and wove in principles of cultivating greater body-mind connection in conjuction with the deep manual therapy. The lens of psychology expanded this approach beyond attention to the body’s physical structure and relationship to gravity. The added layer of acknowledging body, mind and spirit as an inseparable, whole, and multidimensional system is what characterizes Soma Structural Integration.

How Soma works

As a whole, Soma works by rebalancing and re-educating the fascial system

Fascia is a type of connective tissue that lines muscles, blood vessels and nerves, and provides interconnected structure for our being. When we experience stress or use the body in an imbalanced way, tension and adhesions can develop in the fascia and pull our structure out of alignment. This is often accompanied by pain and reduced mobility.

Soma works in a systematic way with the intention to rebalance and restore the body to its natural alignment. Symptoms in one area may be caused by tension in multiple other areas, and working the whole body in balance provides a way to treat root cause and create long term pain relief and change. When the body is balanced and there is ease of movement, it reclaims more energy for living and supports greater wellbeing and health.

What are sessions like?

Intentional, deep tissue, and integrative bodywork

During sessions, pressure is applied to different areas of the body to affect the fasical system with a lot of intention, care, and detail. Superficial to deep layers of tissue are balanced, depending on what is needed.

Sessions may also include movement education and awareness activities to help integrate the changes into the day-to-day awareness. This integration piece is part of what creates the long lasting effects of the work, supporting the shift of the whole body-mind connection.

Soma is best experienced in the eleven session Series format, but it can also be effective and wonderful to receive standalone treatments and maintenance care as needed.

Wondering if Soma is the right fit?

Clients new to Soma and bodywork may first schedule an introductory session which is a lighter full body session following the principles of Soma Structural Integration.

If you are curious about The Soma Series, you can try the first session or the first three sessions as a standalone treatment, and decide if you want to continue on.

Still curious? Send any questions using the form!