Client Experiences

Allison Benner allowed me to realize I did not have to live with the pain I had been enduring for more than 15 years. After countless sports injuries, a car accident, and working in front of a computer for 10 hours a day, I felt spent and depressed that the condition of my body and spirit would never change. The first time I met with Allison, the pain in my lower back was extremely intense, but had been with me for so long, that I did not realize how bad it had become. I no longer touched, leaned, or otherwise engaged my back and hips. My feet would go completely numb and my calves seized up when I went for a walk. This was because I was holding my posture and joints in such a tense state to mitigate the pain in other parts of my body. My shoulders were constantly sore from holding the same working position, creating a numb sensation in my neck and shoulder blade. I felt that this was simply the way my body worked, and that I had to accept it, which left my body and spirit feeling disconnected. After meeting with Allison for the first time, I realized that I did not have to live this way. The release I felt within my back was immediate and long lasting. Allison worked with me to regain my natural footfall and end the numbness in my calves and feet. She gave me stretches and exercises to do outside of our sessions, and encouraged me to get up from my computer hourly, do pilates, yoga, go for long walks, and dance. I had never even thought I could dance without pain. Now I try to dance at least once a week, hike with my daughter, take yoga classes when I can, and otherwise live my life feeling whole. I was able to have a natural birthing experience with my daughter, which I was once told by a doctor would be impossible given my injuries. Allison has not only helped my body to recover through her Rolfing technique, but has connected me to a network of natural health practitioners in Denver which I now consider part of my continuing healing process. I don't know where my mind and body would be without the thoughtful, caring, and experienced approach Allison Benner offers.

Hello my name is Gavin and I'm 17 year old boy. During Rolfing with Allison, the experience is great. She is very caring and nice. The environment is peaceful and soothing but to be honest there is just a little bit of pain but that's to be expected and the more Allison works on that area the better that little bit of pain will get. The reasons why I chose to try it was because I went through about 13 -15 surgeries on my feet (honestly lost count after 13) and I could tell that a lot had been done. Everything was sore and not in the correct positions. Like my one side of my hip was more stiff and tight compared to the other. Also after all my surgeries, when I began walking again my feet would be aching if I walked 10-20 minutes and my back had a kink in it. After Rolfing with Allison, I notice my pain has gone down my back was straighter and I'm playing hacky sac for more than 3 hours . Also, after talking to her you have good tips and advice on how you can keep the pain away.

First and foremost, Allison is simply an amazing person and therapist. Before meeting Allison, I believed Rolfing was a place to go and get 'pounded' on with some really deep tissue work that makes you sore for a few days and eventually better. To my surprise, Allison's practice isn't in the same dimension - She is incredibly gentle and extremely focused. Further to my surprise, I've see more immediate and long term improvements in reversing the negative effects of 15+ years of highly competitive club and college soccer in one session than I've ever experienced in multiple PT, chiropractic or massage sessions combined. Finally, Allison has also introduced me to the idea of feeling great. This, I have learned, is a very different experience than just the absence of pain. I currently don't have much pain but have, over the past 6-8 months, begun to feel great :)

I originally went to see Allison for help with an old injury that negatively impacted my balance and posture and caused pain in my hip. As a result of her work, I walk with more ease and energy and feel I have a much stronger, more balanced foundation from which to move. Since then, I've seen Allison for a tennis injury, which definitely aided my recovery. I'm now seeing her in preparation for shoulder surgery. Through working on alignment and muscular organization, I believe I'll have better results both from my surgery and in my recovery. I so much appreciate the assistance I've received from Allison, but what I really got from her is that I didn't have to live with deficits. I've really learned how to take care of myself and have taken addition steps, including Pilates and Yoga, to be able to move with more efficiency and fluidity. I've told Allison numerous times that she has wise hands.

I first approached Allison with some lingering shoulder issues and overall pain from years of playing sports. Over the last year she has corrected my posture, my gait, and the pain is gone in my shoulder, as well as I now have full range of motion. Allison is very attentive to any discomfort while working on an area. I continue to see her for general maintenance and any new issues that pop up due to work or sports. She also has a wealth of knowledge in other areas that are helpful in overall mind and body balance. And she is always a pleasure to see and catch up on exciting adventurers she's been on.

I have been working with Allison for a over a year and I am amazed at the changes in my body as a result of her work and guidance. My posture, which has been poor my whole life, has improved dramatically and the knee pain which was the original cause of my visits has dissipated significantly. I find that my gait is better and my overall physical health has improved as a result of the Rolfing Process. It's hard to explain to people the difference between Rolfing and Massage but all I can say is it works wonders over what a massage can do for your body! I could never do deep tissue/sports massage and yet with Rolfing, deep tissue work is different and doesn't cause continued discomfort. I was skeptical at first, but every time I leave Allison's office I can actually feel the difference in my body, the way that I walk and the way that I carry myself. I have continued to go because I am an avid water skier and I find that she continuously helps me overcome the minor injuries that go with the sport and my other activities. Working with Allison has been a pleasure because of her personality, experience, knowledge and dedication to her craft. I also like that she continues to grow and challenge herself to learn new things. I just wish I could go more often!

I first came to Allison for help recovering from a leg injury. I had torn my calf muscle on an easy run. I was beginning to believe that my injury, slow recovery and multitude of deep aches and pains were just symptoms of getting older and that I should resign myself to lowering my expectations about how healthy feels at forty years old. After seeing Allison for a little over six months, my tune has seriously changed. I have experienced profound changes in the way I feel, look and move. My body has never felt more like home than it does today. A strong, stable, relaxed, grounded and flexible home. Allison possesses an amazing amount of wisdom about the structure, alignment and kinesiology of the human body. I will be forever grateful that our paths have crossed.

What first brought me to Allison was a right hip issue. While teaching a group exercise class, I could no longer demonstrate lunges because it was so painful. A friend recommended I see Allison and explained what Rolfing was to me. I had NEVER heard of it before, and even had to ask my friend how to spell it. At this point, I had been teaching exercise classes for 20 years, and had 3 C-section deliveries within the last 5 years. All these factors, plus daily life stress, led up to my hip issue. I asked around to see if anyone else I knew had heard of Rolfing. The ones who had responded with “Man – that is excruciating, but totally worth it!” As much as my hip hurt, I really wasn’t interested in MORE pain to fix the problem. I called Allison after checking out her website, explained my issue, and asked her to please be up-front about the level of pain. If it was as bad as everyone else said it was, then I would find a different solution. Allison said on a scale of 1-10, most clients would say the intensity is never more than a 4. Okay, I thought, I can handle a 4, so I set an appointment. I have told the story of my first appointment with Allison MANY times – it is something I will never forget. I had not told my husband about the appointment, afraid he would not be supportive. I was also still skeptical, but figured I had nothing to lose. Allison did an initial assessment, asking lots of questions, then watched me walk back & forth. When she had me lie down on the massage table, she started messing with my right foot. It felt as if one of my kids was gently poking me to get my attention. In my head I thought, “Oh great! This is it? My husband is going to kill me if he finds out I spent money to get my foot poked. What does my foot have to do with my hip? Not sure why other people said it was excruciating – it doesn’t feel like she’s doing anything.” Then Allison broke my internal conversation and asked me to walk again. The moment I stood up from that table, my right foot went flat against the ground, my hip shot back in place, and I could stand up without any pain. It felt like a miracle, and I was completely sold on Rolfing and Allison’s expertise. I know others have not had as dramatic of an experience, but anyone I have ever referred to Allison has had a positive experience working through their own muscle & alignment issues WITHOUT experiencing excruciating pain - including my husband ☺ WHAT KEEPS ME COMING BACK: A painful issue got me in the door, but Allison's ability to help me create muscle symmetry is what keeps me as a client. Having Allison's help to keep my alignment intact allows me to live an active lifestyle without ''working through pain." Whether it is teaching classes, going on hikes with the family, playing tennis, or enjoying the occasional run, I want to enjoy ALL these activities and more without complaining about back / hip / knee / foot / shoulder, or any other kind of pain for as long as I can. Allison is a remarkable in many ways. She is an excellent listener, and is incredibly thoughtful & gentle in her recommendations. I always feel "lifted up" after leaving a session with her, never beaten down by what I haven't done right. I'm constantly amazed at her passion for further education in her field, and feel I always benefit from the latest research and techniques in regards to Rolfing. I am very proud to have been one of Allison's clients for the past 5 years, and would whole-heartedly recommend her services to anyone looking to bring balance to their bodies.

Rolfing has complimented my lifestyle in so many ways. Growing up and through my 20's I was an avid sports enthusiast. Soccer, tennis, running daily... I played soccer since I was 5 and then competitively through college. It was about 4 years ago that I was having ultra-tight calves after doing any activities for longer than 30 minutes. The tight calves were leading to many other muscle issues even up into my shoulders...It was time to give Rolfing a chance...luckily Allison was close. Once I spoke with Allison about my issues she walked me through the program. I did 10 visits in 6 months. After my first visit I was confident this could work...by the 4th visit I was well on my way. Allison explained Rolfing throughout the process and educated me on each and every area she worked on. I was back to running and playing soccer within 3 weeks of visits. I finished the first 10 sessions and continue to go back every 3-5 weeks for tune-ups. The tune-ups work on pretty much any issues from tightness in the forearms from being on a computer all day to sore hips...the tune-ups sometimes are just top to bottom to help posture My question is always- "How do people not get Rolfing done in order to maintain quality of life?"

After working with Allison through the ten series I was able to reach a new level of physical health. With each session, I could feel dramatic changes in the range of motion in each area of my body. All of my muscle groups started to feel more fluid and after a few months I was the strongest and most pain free I had been in years. Allison was able to correct my form on certain exercises and show me how to properly build up the strength of my lower back. All along, Allison had been emphasizing how important it was to stretch a little each day and would give me little things to do as homework in between sessions. As I became more flexible I noticed a huge increase in the stability of my body. Allison's other passion is Yoga and she blended it seamlessly with my physical development. Allison was able to tailor a routine specifically to my needs and I use it regularly. Rather than just fix my problem, Allison was genuinely interested in educating me to avoid further problems and have a better quality of life. I recommended my sister to Allison who has had chronic back pain due to 15 years of gymnastics and three back surgeries with varying degrees of success. After going through the same process of Rolfing and Yoga my sister is now pain free and my entire family credits Allison with her new look on life. Fifty years down the road I will credit Allison with my families continued health and well being. She has been an amazing resource and I always look forward to learning something new from her.