Pain
Back, neck, shoulders, sciatica. The ache that never quite leaves.
Rolfing Structural Integration · Dallas, Texas
Richard
the Rolfer
Richard Merbler, classical guitarist turned bodyworker. Thirty-three years of hands on the body.
1993Practicing in Dallas
10Sessions in the series
2005Certified Advanced Rolfer
5.0Google rating
The idea
Stand taller.
Hurt less.
Move freely.
Fascia wraps every muscle and bone. Injury and habit glue it short. Rolfing frees it, so gravity holds you up instead of wearing you down.
See how it works
Ten sessions
My wife recommended Rolfing highly… The first of ten sessions fixed my back pain.
Willie Nelson · as reported in The New York Times, February 23, 1995
Who comes in
Three good reasons.
Performance
Runners, golfers, musicians. More from the same effort.
Posture
After a wreck, a surgery, or forty years at a desk.
Reviews
In their words.
★★★★★
My walking and running gait has completely changed. I can run with my whole foot on the ground now.
★★★★★
Just one of his sessions would help tremendously.
★★★★★
Sitting down in a seat and feeling 8 feet tall, strong and free after my 5th Rolfing session.
The point is to go do things.Start here
Five minutes on the phone.
Describe what hurts. Richard will tell you honestly if Rolfing is a fit.
972-392-7653Hours & directions
Rolfing Structural Integration
Gravity is
the therapist.
Your body is a stack. When the blocks drift, muscles brace to hold them. Rolfing moves the blocks back over each other, and the bracing can let go.
The stack
Schematic. Drag to see what the series aims for.
Session
How it works
One web, head to toe.
Fascia is one continuous sheet. Pull it at the ankle and the neck answers.
Rolfing works it with slow, direct pressure. No oil. No chasing the pain. The aim is order.
An organized body is held up by gravity. A disorganized one is worn down by it.
Not a massage
Massage relaxes the muscle. Rolfing changes the shape.
| Massage | Rolfing | |
|---|---|---|
| Works on | Muscle | Fascia |
| Goal | Relax | Reorganize |
| Format | As needed | A ten-session series |
| Oil | Yes | No: the hands must grip |
| Built to last | Days | Designed to hold |
Often helps
What people bring in.
Not a medical treatment. Call and ask if it fits your case.
The founder
“They are off balance. They are at war with gravity.”
Ida P. Rolf, Ph.D. (1896–1979), biochemist and creator of RolfingNext: the recipe.
The Ten SeriesThe recipe
The Ten Series
Ten sessions, in order. Surface, then core, then integration. About an hour and a quarter each, a week or two apart.
Tap a session
- Sessions 1–3 · The sleeve
- 01
Breath
Rib cage, diaphragm, shoulders. Most people breathe deeper before they leave.
- 02
Ground
Feet, ankles, lower legs. A foundation first.
- 03
Side line
Shoulder to hip along the side. Front set against back.
- Sessions 4–7 · The core
- 04
Inside line
Inner arch up the inner leg to the pelvic floor.
- 05
Psoas
The deep hip flexor. Behind most low-back pain.
- 06
Sacrum
Back of the legs and the keystone of the spine.
- 07
Head & neck
A bowling-ball head, balanced on top.
- Sessions 8–10 · Integration
- 08
One half
Lower or upper, whichever needs it. The touch gets lighter.
- 09
The other half
So the two halves move as one.
- 10
Closure
Everything tied together and set into gravity.
Depth of work, by session
Schematic. Every body gets its own version.
Inside a session
A typical hour and a quarter. Allow ninety minutes the first time.
Afterward
The body keeps sorting itself for months.
Many come back once or twice a year for a tune-up. One session for one problem is fine too.
Book session oneRichard Merbler · Certified Advanced Rolfer
Classical guitarist
turned bodyworker.
- 1980Master’s in guitar performance, SMU.
- 13 yearsTeaching and performing classical guitar.
- The wristA pinched nerve. A few Rolfing sessions. Gone.
- The backHurt lifting his wife’s grandmother. The full series. “Like I had just won the lottery.”
- 1990Begins at the Rolf Institute.
- 1993Opens his Dallas practice.
- 2005Certified Advanced Rolfer.
Two instruments
Richard’s working life, 1976 to today.
It was like the difference between driving a dependable fifteen-year-old car and driving a brand-new Jaguar.
Richard, on finishing his own Ten Series
Same craft
Hours of attention. Hands that listen.
A guitar sounds right only when every part is in tune with every other part. So does a body.
Watch Richard explainReviews
Thirty years
of thank-yous.
5.0★★★★★ on Google
★★★★★
Richard had me feeling back to normal in no time. My walking and running gait has completely changed. I can run with my whole foot on the ground now, instead of just the outside heel.
★★★★★
Richard has been doing this for decades. He’s helped me and other members of my family. There have been moments where I had such intense nerve pain that it was difficult to walk, and just one of his sessions would help tremendously.
★★★★★
Making my first appointment with Richard was one of the best decisions I’ve made. He was quick to get me beyond an accident-induced injury.
★★★★★
Richard worked on me while I was in Dallas working. He really knows what he is doing. My back was completely out and he got me the relief I needed when I needed it most.
★★★★★
Richard is the best and I highly recommend him.
From the guestbook
Clients, over the years.
Rushing to the airport, hoisting all my gear in an overhead compartment, sitting down in a seat and feeling 8 feet tall, strong and free after my 5th Rolfing session. Five years later I still have no back pain. None.
Shoulder stiffness for over 10 years. I had resigned myself to constant pain. Now mobility and strength are restored. I sleep through the night on either side for the first time in 10 years.
The first visit produced such dramatic relief that my husband sent me to see Richard twice a week rather than once!
Getting Rolfed was one of the most rewarding and intelligent choices I’ve ever made. It restored me. I felt lighter, stronger, more aligned.
Richard is the best Rolfer I have ever found. If you are sick and tired of being in pain, call Richard.
Richard really helped me overcome the pain from a fractured spine. My balance and feeling of well-being really improved.
At the end of the series I felt younger, and I regained a fluidity of movement I hadn’t experienced in years.
I had always heard Rolfing was painful. I was amazed. Immediate relief, and more flexibility with each session.
He was the third Rolfer I’ve seen and the best of all three.
If you have aches and pains and you have not tried Rolfing, you are missing out. You will feel results.
Doctors and dentists who refer to Richard speak on camera. Watch the clips.
Also Rolfed
Famous bodies.
“My wife recommended Rolfing highly… The first of ten sessions fixed my back pain.”
“When I started, my muscle fibers felt like petrified rock. Now they are getting progressively softer, more supple.”
“A sense of lightness, particularly on the ice. Increased energy, better balance, and extra agility.”
“By manipulating the fascia you manipulate the musculature, and in turn the skeletal structure.”
“There is one reason to take Rolfing seriously: it works.”
“Rolfing works. I wish I had known about it sooner.”
Published remarks about Rolfing in general. None of these people were clients of this practice or endorse it.
From Richard’s YouTube
Clips.
Short ones first. Tap to play.
Shorts
1:12
1:12
0:54
1:10
0:59
0:57
0:31
0:33
1:09
1:09
1:10
1:15
1:12
1:11
0:48
0:37The body, region by region
1:22
2:28
1:59
1:30
1:49
2:08
1:59
2:14
1:47
2:19
1:34
1:50
2:29Try at home
1:25
2:24
1:24
2:26
3:39
1:08The longer talks
4:17
3:32
2:58
2:24
4:03
5:11
4:17
4:12
4:55
13:46Visit
Come in.
The phone is fastest. Richard answers it himself between clients.
- Phone
- 972-392-7653
- Office
- 6750 Hillcrest Plaza Dr, Suite 206
Dallas, Texas 75230
Concord on the Creek, just south of LBJ. Free parking. - Hours
- Mon–Fri · 10–6
Saturday · 10–4
Sunday · closed - Serving
- Dallas, Richardson, Plano, Addison, Garland, Rockwall, Rowlett, Arlington, Fort Worth, Denton
First visit
BringShorts or a two-piece. Water.
SkipLotion. Dry skin works best.
AllowNinety minutes.
Questions
Straight answers.
Does it hurt?
Some of it is intense, the good kind. It is never more than you want. Say so and the pressure changes.
How is it different from deep-tissue massage?
Massage relaxes muscle. Rolfing reorganizes the fascia, in a set order, so the change holds.
What do I wear?
Shorts, underwear or a two-piece swimsuit.
Do I have to do all ten?
No. One session can help one problem. For a lasting change in structure, do the ten.
How long does it take?
About 75 minutes a session, a week or two apart. Roughly three months for the series.
Is it covered by insurance?
Usually not directly. Many use an HSA or FSA. Some plans accept “myofascial release” with a doctor’s letter.
Can children be Rolfed?
Yes. They respond quickly, so sessions are shorter.
I’ve had surgery, or have plates and screws.
Usually fine, and scar tissue responds well. Mention it when you call.
When is Rolfing not a good idea?
Acute illness, active cancer, and some connective-tissue disorders. Pregnancy needs a conversation first.