Reviews

 
 

What people are saying.

  • “Yes, it’s true that Rolfing improved my walk, and my posture and I’m grateful. But that’s nothing to the way it re-aligned me emotionally. Briah’s wonderful book, written mostly in the actual words of her Rolfing clients, will solve the mystery of how Rolfing can help you to reassemble your body… and maybe, your life.”

    — Nancy Pickard, Novelist- Mystery Writer

  • “Rolfing is a value at any age or stage of life whether your intent is to continue to support your wellbeing or when seeking relief due to an injury. Briah’s approach to structural wellness provides a holistic framework to align and integrate the mind, body and spirit on one’s journey toward health and wellness.”

    — Roberta Cassidy, RN, Ph.D., AHN

  • “Briah has been my Rolfer for many years. Her experience and attention to detail gives her an ability to zero in on problem areas that is second to none. As a physician specializing in musculoskeletal issues, when my patients need muscle and fascia release I refer them to Briah, confident she will get the job done.”

    — Scott R. Corbett, D.O – Cranial Osteopath

  • “Briah has a healing ability and caring personality that are a powerful combination. I came to her first for my teenage son, who had recently been diagnosed with early stage scoliosis of his spine. Briah built a trusting relationship with him and her Rolfing enabled him to heal to the point where he no longer has the back pain, and no longer has a diagnosis of scoliosis. Many of my current homeopathic clients are entrepreneurs and business executives who I met during my prior career when I was an entrepreneur and business owner myself. I have referred many of them to Briah for Rolfing, which works synergistically with homeopathy. All of my clients who have worked with Briah not only got relief from their physical pains, but they speak highly of her engaging personality and how much they have come to trust her. I never hesitate to refer someone to Briah when I believe Rolfing will help their healing. I know she will take good care of them and they will enjoy the experience of working with her.”

    — Sally Weatherly Nikolic, CCH, RSHom (NA), MBA

  • “I found Rolfing and Briah while researching the connections between movement, health and learning for children. As an elementary teacher, I had begun to see the correlation between stress carried in the body and inhibited thinking, learning, and emotions. I was looking for ways to ease learning for my students, but, as Briah guided me through my first sequence of sessions, I realized that Rolfing was having a huge positive impact on me. Years of imbalance and stress were unlocked. My balance improved, my breathing felt more efficient, and I had more energy. It’s said that skin is the largest organ of the body, but Briah introduced me to my fascia, which is even larger and has a correspondingly big impact. I encourage everyone to seek out Rolfing. My husband and children have all gone through the Rolfing sequence, and we’re a better family for it. And it has made me a better teacher by relieving stress so I can be more present and patient in the classroom.”

    — Anne Schuerger, Instructor, Augsburg, University Education Department, Minneapolis, MN

  • “I had been having lower back pain for a couple of years. It was at times keeping me from a good night’s sleep and from playing golf. Physical therapy had helped some, but not enough to eliminate the sleep disruption or the pain I experienced with a round of golf. It would wake me up at night at times when I rolled over in my sleep. My orthopedic surgeon friend thought surgery might help. I saw Briah for some Rolfing sessions, and my back improved at least 90%. I was ecstatic about that, because I could now do the things in life that I loved doing and not worry about “throwing out my back.” I highly recommend a series of Rolfing sessions with Briah!”

    — Bill Manahan, MD., Assistant Professor Emeritus, Department of Family Medicine , University of Minnesota Academic Health Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota

  • “Briah Anson presents concrete evidence that the technique of Rolfing expands the dimensions of thought. It empowers us to tap into our full mental and physical potential—to extend life and improve its quality. We are given the ability to change and adapt our entire structure and movement into bio-mechanically efficient patterns. Briah documents that Rolfing is powerful in its simplicity and universal in its application.”

    — Helen James, M.A., P.T., Professor Emerita of Physical Therapy

  • "It isn’t easy to understand the whole human being—the interlocking of spirit, psyche, mind, emotion, and body—much less how to approach the healing of specific symptoms and the whole person. Briah Anson does an extraordinary job of understanding the whole human; how to track the flow of energy through the physical body to the energetic body, and most importantly, how to bring healing and balance to the body from its surface to its deepest areas."

    — Valerie Ohanian, RSHom, CCH, Founder of Northwestern Academy of Homeopathy, Diplomate of Classical Homeopathy

“I have been fortunate to experience Rolfing with Briah for a few years—due to scoliosis and degeneration in my ankles. Her sense of self-assurance puts one immediately at ease. The knowledge and experience she has gained in her forty-year career guides her as she works to transform areas in need. Large animals, to human babies, and all of us in between have experienced visible changes from her work. I highly recommend the work from this gifted master.”

— Carol Hume, L.Ac. (Licensed Acupuncturist)

“I came to Briah in 2011 after almost twenty years of back pain. I had been an athlete, dancer and gymnast and had on-and-off lower back pain since my twenties. After my third C-Section—it became chronic and debilitating—a searing knife in my spine, hips, and sacrum. I had done “everything,” including massage, acupuncture, physical therapy, and chiropractic care. I visited a number of pain and orthopedic specialists who suggested injections, possible surgery, and even a hip replacement, which was not a realistic option for me at forty-five years of age. On the recommendation of my chiropractor—I decided to give Briah and Rolfing a try.

In the beginning, I was skeptical, but hopeful she could help me. Initially, I did not feel relief. In fact, I wanted to tell her that it was my back that hurt, and “could you rub there please?” My series took a little longer than ten sessions but I can report a miraculous transformation of my body. I have ZERO pain in my lower back. It has changed my whole life. I do not worry about carrying things up the stairs, I participate in yoga and Gyrotonics, and live pain-free which has improved my energy and mood. I revisit Briah yearly for a “tune-up” but have maintained my pain-free back for five years. Briah really cares about her patients and works to heal you. She has a deep understanding of the body, and an attuned intuition about how to help it heal. I tell everyone about my miraculous recovery, and cannot thank Briah enough for giving me my active life back.”

— Bridget McGreevy, Midwife, Yoga Teacher, Gyrotonics Trainer

 

Joey’s Story

We brought Joey to see Briah in January, 2004, when he was seven years old. He had started having difficulty in school in kindergarten when his teacher said he was having trouble following directions, paying attention and finishing assignments.

Joey’s always been an active, social, oftentimes moody child, who has always been easily frustrated. As a third child with two older sisters, we anticipated that Joey would simply fall in line with the rest of the family’s activities. However, that was never the case.

Shortly after he started first grade, we decided to ask his teacher for her opinion if she felt he should be evaluated for ADD/ADHD. We also contacted our pediatrician’s office who sent out the information and forms for the family’s and teacher’s evaluations.

Upon meeting with Joey’s teacher the second week of school, she was already very inclined to have him evaluated due to his distractibility in class. She told us that Joey was already telling her he was “dumber” than the other kids in class and we were mutually concerned about how the challenge in school would affect his self-esteem. He was also having difficulty in reading and was assigned to work with a reading specialist. This only further served to fuel his belief that he was “dumb.’

Through the ADD/ADHD evaluation – a combination of family/teacher evaluation and medication-testing – we determined that medication did help him focus in school. Working with his pediatrition, we started him on medication. Although this allowed him to focus and complete his schoolwork, the side effects (in his case, stomach upset) made us believe that medication didn’t seem to be a good long-term solution.

A friend referred us to Briah, saying that she had a strong interest in working with children, especially those diagnosed with ADD, through Rolfing. I knew a little about Rolfing, and through the reading I had done about alternative treatments for kids evaluated for DD, I knew that it could be an effective treatment. The balancing of body and mind through neuromuscular integration was intriguing and seemed to make intuitive sense. And the fact that it is a holistic approach to the issue seemed like we were making a positive investment in Joey’s future.

Joey was not excited to go see Briah. Since we had been working for the last few months with his doctor and school, he was not feeling good about himself or the situation and was not happy about seeing Briah.

The first session with Briah was difficult for Joey. He was uncomfortable taking the “Before” pictures and having someone work on his body. Briah warned us that the Rolfing process can also release various emotion in the body and we should not be surprised by angry outbursts, frustrations, etc.

 

We definitely noticed more anger – and for longer periods of time – in the first few sessions with Briah. It seemed that little things set him off and he would be angry for much of the evening.

We started to notice a change around the 3rd-4th session. Although Joey had resisted going to the first 3 sessions, that soon started to change. We began to notice differences in behavior. Instead of becoming as impatient with his friends if things didn’t go exactly his way – he started to become more tolerant and cooperative. Not only did we notice he started to work things out more – and also we saw more sharing.

And school has improved dramatically for him. While the medication allows him to focus much better in school – I believe the combination with Rolfing has been tremendous. Everything seemed to start “clicking” –his reading and spelling improved dramatically. He’s now spelling so well that he’s qualifying for the most difficult spelling words most of the time. And he’s very proud of his accomplishments and his grades.

By about the 7th Rolfing session, we noticed that although Joey still got angry, the anger seemed to dissipate more quickly as he seemed to process it faster. He became not only more cooperative in seeing Briah, but has become much more cooperative with everyone in the family.

Although we had never thought of Joey as crooked or misalighned, we definitely noticed changes in his body as he went through the Rolfing process. He became straighter and stood taller. At the end of the 10th session when Briah took his “After” pictures, we were amazed at the dramatic difference in less than 3 months! Not only was he physically taller after ten weeks of Rolfing (evidenced by his pants getting shorter), but the alignment of his shoulders, legs and overall posture was astonishing. He actually looks and acts a little “older” and more mature. And he’s started to fill out – making some of his “Slim” pants become difficult to button.

Joey loves participating in sports. He started running track this spring and he feels some of his fast running can be attributed to Rolfing.

Before Rolfing, Joey was an often restless, easily frustrated, impatient boy. He still remains a driven little boy – but there has been a shift in his personality. He is a more reasonable, more cooperative, much more articulate, much less impatient, more tolerant and happier boy who is more enjoyable to be around. His tremendous success in school has taken him from feeling “dumb” – to having strong confidence in his abilities to read and write and be successful.

Above all, he is very proud of his accomplishments with Briah, his straight posture, his preserverance through the Rolfing process and he is most proud of the Rolfing pin that Briah gave him at his completion.

We are so thrilled with his progress that we are having his sister start her Rolfing sessions, knowing that the benefit it gave Joey will be a gift that we can give her as well.

“I’m the Founder of Minnesota Pain Relief and Wellness Institute and have treated and overseen thousands of patients’ cases over the last 24 years and can honestly say that the caliber of the Rolfing that Briah offers is unrivalled. She also has an incredible understanding of the entire physical and energetic body and is wonderful at helping patients find the right practitioner for their specific need. We have collaborated on the treatment of hundreds of patients and I will confidently refer patients to her in the future.”

— Dr. Jason J. Wilson, D.C., Minnesota Pain Relief and Wellness Institute, P.A.