I just returned from The 2009 Annual Membership Conference of The Rolf Institute® of Structural Integration. Award-winning science writer for The New York Times, Sandra Blakeslee, presented material from her newest book The Body Has a Mind of Its Own. Her explanation of body maps reveals new explanations for why structural integration works. Blakeslee’s book opens with the 1930s research of neuroscientist Wilder Penfield who mapped the brain’s somatosensory and motor cortexes, creating what we know as the homunculi, and covers up to the moment cutting edge research on out-of-body experiences, mirror neurons, and phantom limb phenomena.
The Body Has a Mind of Its Own was published at an opportune time for the structural integration community. It coincided with the first ever Fascia Research Congress held in Boston in October 2007. The Second International Fascia Research Congress is happening in Amsterdam, October 27-30, 2009.
Blakeslee herself, who lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, was motivated to receive the Rolfing ten series because of a knee injury she sustained that left her unable to fully flex or extend her knee. Kudos to Sandra Blakeslee for inspiring us in the structural integration community and providing us with such valuable and timely information.
© Carole LaRochelle, 2009.
