Finding Depth, Playfulness, and Professional Voice: My Journey Through the Advanced Rolfing® Training
Growing confidence and creative freedom
“The Advanced Training was a benchmark for me.”
Those were the first words that came to mind when I reflected on the past years of my Rolfing® practice. After seven years of working with clients, I felt steady, experienced, and grounded — yet also aware that something in me was ready for refinement. The Advanced Training arrived at exactly the right moment.
What made the training so transformative was the opportunity to meet other Rolfers who had walked a similar path. Sharing our stories, challenges, and insights broadened my understanding of how much I had already integrated — and how much more was possible.
One of the most impactful elements was learning to work within a five‑session model.
“It added to my virtuosity… an advanced way to address someone by different taxonomies.”
This approach deepened my ability to accompany clients not only structurally, but as whole human beings. I now use it especially with clients who have already completed the Ten Series — and interestingly, I have more of these clients than ever before.
In my early years, clients would finish their Ten Series and move on. Now, many return after a few months asking, “Can I come back?” Their desire to continue surprised me at first, but it also showed me how my work — and perhaps my presence — had shifted.
Growing Confidence and Creative Freedom
Before the Advanced Training, I would never have dared to offer a session by focusing solely on movement. Now I feel free to follow what the client needs in the moment.
“I have tools now to still address the structure and the energetic body while physically moving.”
This freedom has made me more playful, more intuitive, and more adaptive. My “bag of possibilities” has grown, and with it, my confidence. During the training, something in me shifted energetically — so much so that my practice suddenly expanded, and I had to start a waitlist.
A Perfect Puzzle of Teachers and Timing
My colleague John encouraged me to join this particular training because it was led by Pedro Prado, a teacher whose influence in the Rolfing and Somatic Experiencing worlds is profound.
“He said this might be a one‑time chance.”
Pedro’s presence, combined with the movement expertise of France, created a perfect blend for me. With my dance background, movement is a language I carry deeply. The training felt like a puzzle in which all the pieces finally clicked.
And the timing couldn’t have been better. After seven years of practice, I had entered a phase of routine. I longed for refinement — not only in technique, but in ergonomics, efficiency, and self‑care.
“Am I using my body in an efficient way? Do I get tired? What do others do?”
The training gave me space to explore these questions with others who understood the nuances of the work.
A Client Story That Changed Me
A client who came for the Ten Series illustrated this shift beautifully. She had a loud, harsh heel strike when she first arrived — something even her husband joked about. Over the course of the series, her walk transformed completely.
Near the end, when I was preparing to close the series, she said:
“Don’t leave me, please don’t leave me.”
Before the Advanced Training, I would have panicked, thinking I had failed her. Instead, I took a breath and looked deeper. She hadn’t come to change her heel strike — she needed acknowledgment, support, and space for her self‑esteem to grow.
Working with that layer became the true completion of her process.
What touches me most is what new clients often say:
“They are amazed that they are truly seen… and how it touches their whole being to the core.”
The Beauty of Titration
One concept that has shaped me deeply is titration, which I learned in Somatic Experiencing and deepened in the Advanced Training.
“You just go as much as the system is ready for and you don’t push for more.”
It is simple, profound, and endlessly therapeutic — for clients and, when I manage it, for myself.
Rolfing in the Netherlands: A Growing Community
Rolfing in the Netherlands is still a small field, but it’s growing. There is more online presence, more collaboration, and now even a Level 1 training in the country.
There’s a sense of backbone forming — a quiet but steady strengthening of the community.
The biggest challenge remains the health insurance landscape, where holistic modalities receive less support than before. Still, clients find their way through word of mouth, the website, or experiences abroad.
Looking Ahead: Rolfing and Dance
As I approach forty, I know dance will not remain my main professional activity forever. Rolfing has become a backbone — a path I can grow into for decades. The balance between dance and Rolfing isn’t 50/50 yet, but I feel the two worlds slowly moving toward each other.
Both are about the body, movement, expression, and presence.
“Let’s titrate the merge and see what happens.”
I’m curious, open, and excited to explore what might emerge next.