The Rosen Method
ABA Physical Therapy

Pain or tension which does not go away (or else keeps coming back), despite Physical Therapy, exercise  or other types of bodywork may be due to an internal “holding” of tension. All our experiences leave an imprint in the body some of which can be sensed if there is openness to doing so. Some of our experiences show up as postural habits, how we hold ourselves and how we face the world. They are also reflected in how we tense up in certain situations or in response to certain thoughts or how we breathe and feel relaxed in response to pleasant memories and feelings. We may not be aware of this tension on a conscious level.

We need time, safety and awareness to relax deeply in areas we do not even know are held or tight. When the Rosen Method practitioner touches these areas, we become aware of the tightness and of feelings or attitudes associated with it. This awareness allows the body to release the inner tensions that may be perpetuating our musculoskeletal pain. This is the essence of Rosen Technique.

How does it work?
The Rosen Method bodywork practitioner uses his/her hands to gently touch the skin and muscles. The touch is different from other forms of massage or physical treatment. The practitioner “listens to the body,” noticing the quality and depth of muscle tension as well as how the breath flows or stops in the different parts of the body. As she passes her hands over the body in a gentle manner her intention is to acknowledge whatever is present in the person. The acknowledgment may be a verbal affirmation or question or it may be conveyed in her touch and presence. She acts as a witness to however the client is. In this it is similar to listening to someone tell the story of their life through the body.

Jane Pittsinger PT has been a Rosen Practitioner since 1996. She studied the Rosen Method with Marion Rosen and teaches the Rosen Method in the US, the UK and Russia.

All Rosen Method sessions are an hour and are not covered by insurance. Cost $150.00

About Marion Rosen:
Marion Rosen was the third of four children, born in Germany in 1938. In Munich, she met Lucy Heyer, the wife of Gustav Richard Heyer who was a student of the psychoanalyst, Carl Jung. Lucy Heyer helped treat her husband’s patients with therapeutic breathing treatments and offered to train Marion Rosen. After a few years, Marion Rosen immigrated to Sweden where she trained as a physical therapist. In the 1940’s Marion came to the USA and received her physical therapy degree from the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. Eventually, she settled in Berkeley. During the war, she worked primarily with wounded shipyard workers in Richmond at the Kaiser Medical Center followed by many years in private practice.

Marion Rosen’s decades of work and experience with patients brought her to the conclusion that a relationship between emotional suppression, breathing patterns and muscle guarding exists. From these findings, she developed her method – a gentle awareness of muscle holding with the goal of allowing the body to give up unnecessary tension.

In 1983, she founded the Rosen Institute in Berkeley. Her work is found in many parts of the world. Her core philosophy is “relaxation is the gateway to awareness”.