My first career was teaching and performing classical guitar. I received my master’s degree in guitar performance in 1980 from SMU and taught in the junior colleges for 13 years. I developed a problem with my left ring finger and subsequently received a few Rolfing® Structural Integration sessions, which resolved the problem of a pinched nerve in my wrist and I felt great. A year later I lifted my wife’s grandmother out of her wheelchair and hurt my back. This time I went through a full series of Rolfing (10-12 sessions). Not only was my back better and moving easier, I started to feel alive for the first time in years. It was like the difference between driving a dependable 15 year-old car versus driving a brand new Jaguar.

Yes, that’s what I mean by ‘alive’. I felt like I had just won the lottery. I watched my wife and daughter go through the process of Rolfing and I watched the changes in their bodies and noticed how the dynamics in our home changed — we had a house full of lively people! I knew I had to find out what Rolfing was all about and began my studies in 1990.

During my college career I worked in Emergency Room at Denton County Hospital as an orderly and was fascinated by what I saw. The idea of studying medicine was planted, but I wanted to see what I could do with the guitar and was attracted to the creative arts. I found that in rolfing I could combine my love of art with the study of the human body. There are many dimensions to Rolfing and as you begin to move toward a more integrated structure many doors begin to open. We have these words — body, mind and spirit. We think they are separate parts of our being, but through rolfing we begin to realize it is all of us – our totality. When you begin to improve one aspect of your being, everything else is free to jump onboard!

Being a Rolfer is an exciting journey. Years ago when I asked my Rolfer if I had the potential to become a Rolfer, he replied, “I don’t know, but going through the process is worth the price of admission.” I wasn’t sure I wanted to invest $25,000 to simply experience the process, but in retrospect
he was right. I got just what I needed and more.