Rosen Method Bodywork: Accessing the Unconscious through Touch [Paperback]

Marion Rosen (Author), Sue Brenner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 21, 2003

In this long-awaited description of the body-centered therapy developed by Marion Rosen, the reader begins to understand how emotional and physical ailments can be addressed through the gentle touch of the Rosen practitioner. Rosen explains how the practitioner identifies tensions in the body that point to the source of a problem and how that awareness guides the healing process. With the help of psychotherapist Susan Brenner, the director of Rosen Center East and one of Marion's first students, she describes the origins of her method; how people reveal their emotions in body postures; barriers they set up to love, self-expression, and intimacy, and how Rosen work enables a client to move beyond these barriers. Treatments for asthma, migraine headaches, heart problems, weak immune systems, and psychosomatic illnesses are chronicled. Essays by doctors, psychologists, and Rosen practitioners describe how this method of touch, words, and acceptance guides their work, and complete this remarkable tribute to a visionary woman.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Marion Rosen’s 'power of gentleness' expresses what we’ve all felt in this universally loved woman. Marion shares with C.G. Jung a deep respect for the wisdom and self-healing tendencies of both psyche and body."
—Kay Bradway, Jungian analyst and co-founder of the C.G. Jung Institute, San Francisco

"Marion Rosen’s approach suggests ways of meditation-in-relationship using skillful touch. It is clearly related to earlier approaches to emotional healing—notably Reichan work—that allow the person’s deeper self to emerge by assisting in the dissolution of the “character armor.” Her book will help the growth of her seminal work and benefit our problematic world."
—From the Foreword by Claudio Naranjo, M.D., author of Character and Neurosis: An Integrative View

About the Author

Rosen Method bodywork was developed out of Marion Rosen's fifty years of experience as a physical therapist and health educator. Her unique approach to bodywork and movement has earned her recognition as a leader and originator in the field of body-oriented therapies.

In the 1930s, Marion studied breath and relaxation in Munich, Germany with Lucy Heyer, who had been trained by Elsa Gindler, a renowned innovator of body therapies. Licensed in physical therapy, both in Stockholm and at the Mayo Clinic, Marion developed the Rosen Method over the course of many years in private practice.

Marion's purpose is to realize a vision of health and well-being by making the benefits of the Rosen Method widely available to the general public.

Product Details

• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: North Atlantic Books (April 21, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556434189
• ISBN-13: 978-1556434181
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 0.4 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #520,512 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rosen Method Bodywork, August 31, 2005

By 

Jeanie C. Williams "PenPow" (Santa Cruz, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rosen Method Bodywork: Accessing the Unconscious through Touch (Paperback)

The Southwest, and Santa Fe in particular, has long been a mecca for the healing arts. The area seems to produce a kind of mentality and lifestyle for all types of alternative healers, from astrology to hypnosis to massage to Chinese medicine. Rosen Method Bodywork is one of many forms of bodywork to find a foothold in the region.

Marion Rosen, creator and founder of Rosen Method bodywork and movement, penned this in-depth explanation of her bodywork and movement therapy with her longtime collaborator, Sue Brenner. For anyone who has experienced the wonders of Rosen Method (and I count myself among the fortunate), this book is a godsend.

Rosen Method bodywork is distinguished by its gentle, direct touch. Based on Rosen's professional training as a physical therapist and developed experientially over many years, this jewel of discovery and creative expression has been a well-kept secret. Using hands that listen rather than manipulate or massage, the Rosen Method practitioner focuses on chronic muscle tension. When relaxation occurs and the breath deepens, unconscious feelings, attitudes and memories may come to the surface.

In his foreword to the book, Dr. Claudio Naranjo offers that he "considers Rosen a wise woman of the best kind: one who not only understands, but has humanity. She is a first-rate example of those I have over the years called"the new shamans"-those who heal by a combination of direct contagion and very simple facts that our academic world ignores."

Rosen's candid reflections on the surprises and healing that show up routinely in her work with clients and students alike is refreshing. The case studies in the book are a valuable demonstration of the principles behind the Rosen Method. What if enjoyment, satisfaction and full participation in life is actually a function of posture, breathing, digestion, movement and the ongoing regeneration of organs, bones and other body tissues? And, what if you have access to affecting all those living processes?

Whether you want to fully experience Rosen Method bodywork or not, this book offers refreshing, uncomplicated insights into what has made life the way it is for you. For those interested in living life to the fullest, this book offers an understanding of how Rosen creates that possibility through touch.

Rosen Method Bodywork: Accessing the Unconscious through Touch
by Marion Rosen with Susan Brenner; Reviewed by Jeanie C. Williams

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A sadly disappointing read, September 5, 2008

By 

Anthony Perry - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rosen Method Bodywork: Accessing the Unconscious through Touch (Paperback)

Recently, I had become interested in tension spots and holding patterns within the body as a barrier to intimacy. I've dabbled in deep tissue massage, but found the technique to be too demanding and abrasive (both to give and receive), which was probably an indication that I was doing it right. Granted, I'm only at the beginning of my journey, but the Rosen Method really impressed me for what it had to offer.

I figured a book from the author of the Method should be all I need to get underway. However, all I found was a bunch of case studies and testimonials. She makes frequent reference to the diaphragm and breath, but offers no real technique on how to unlock them. I was sold on all the benefits, but I had no idea what to do with that enthusiasm.

When I checked with the corresponding websites, all I saw was a calendar talking about an upcoming workshop. Again, I have yet to find any concrete instructions on the the technique itself. It really seems like the thrust of the book is to get you into a class (and get you for your money).

All in all, I'm pleased for the clients who have had positive experiences, but I did not receive enough information to try this method on myself, let alone my spouse. It was really disappointing, b/c holistic medicine is slowly starting to interest me and I was hoping this book would help me get my feet wet. As I said, this is just the start of the journey for me, so I'm sure I'll find what I'm looking for shortly...

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book and method, October 25, 2011

By 

AmyD. - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rosen Method Bodywork: Accessing the Unconscious through Touch (Paperback)

This is a very well written book if you are interested in practicing Rosen Method (requires authorized training) or are a Rosen Method patient. It is simple to read yet explains quite a bit about the method. This will not teach you to self-treat. She is still practicing at 97!