Dr. Ida P. Rolf (1896-1979) - Founder of Structural Integration or Rolfing 

Ida Rolf spent her life exploring the healing possibilities held within the human mind and body. She was born in Brooklyn, New York. She attended Barnard College and graduated in 1916 with a bachelor's degree and in 1920 she earned a Ph.D. in biological chemistry from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University.  For the next twelve years Ida Rolf worked at the Rockefeller Institute, first in the Department of Chemotherapy and later in the Department of Organic Chemistry. From 1919 to 1927 she published 16 scholarly journal papers, mostly in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. Eventually she rose to the rank of Associate, a very distinguished achievement for a woman at that time in history.

Throughout the 1930’s Dr. Rolf used her knowledge and experience to seek answers to the health concerns of her loved ones. Unwillingness to accept the limitations of medicine at that time led Dr. Rolf to the exploration of osteopathy, chiropractic medicine, yoga, the Alexander technique and Alfred Korzybski’s study of consciousness.  By the 1940’s, she was working in a Manhattan apartment where her schedule was filled with people seeking help. She was committed to the scientific point of view, and yet many breakthroughs came intuitively through the work she did with chronically disabled persons unable to find help elsewhere. This work would eventually evolve into what became known as Structural Integration, and for the next thirty years, Ida Rolf devoted herself to developing her technique and training programs.

As Dr. Rolf's reputation grew she eventually had a breakthrough in the form of an invitation to Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California in the mid 1960's. This invitation came from Fritz Perls, the founder of Gestalt therapy. At that time Esalen was the epicenter of the Human Potential Movement. Once in residence at Esalen, Dr. Rolf began training practitioners and instructors of Structural Integration, also know as Rolfers, in earnest and the more classes Dr. Rolf taught, the more students sought admission to training. Newspaper and magazine articles began featuring her and her work, and soon the necessity for a formal organization became apparent. As early as 1967, the first Guild for Structural Integration was formed and eventually headquartered in Boulder, Colorado. 

Until her death in 1979, Dr. Ida Rolf actively taught, gave direction to her organization, planned research projects, wrote, and spoke publicly. In 1977, she completed Rolfing: The Integration of Human Structures. This book is the written culmination of Dr. Ida Rolf’s life's work, her gift to the human race.

Below is a video explanation of Structural Integration in Dr. Rolf's own words.