Client Testimonials

I was a little hesitant and apprehensive before my first visit with Allison. I had heard about Rolfing and how painful it could be. But, at that point in my life, I was tired of being in pain all the time and feeling like, as I got older, it would only get worse. I have scoliosis in my back and neck and I was finding that my pain resulting from how my body had adjusted itself to the curvatures was creating more and more pain. When I met Allison, I found her very knowledgeable about Rolfing and body mechanics in general. She has a great energy about her that immediately put me at ease. She worked on me that day and I already started feeling a difference in my body. Rolfing can hurt but Allison is very aware of this and she is very attuned to how my body responds to what she is doing. She never wants anything to be painful as it will not produce good results if the body has to react to the pain it is feeling. I have been seeing Allison now for about a year. I really wish we had taken "before" and "after" pictures. I really did not think it would ever be possible, but she has been able to transform my body from being in pain to actually being virtually pain free. I would highly recommend Allison as I could have never gotten to this place without her.

I received Rolfing a number of years ago, which was helpful but extremely painful. I started having hip pain again and was referred to Allison by a co-worker, who raved about Allison's expertise and gentleness. Since then, Allison has helped me in so many ways. Her sure and subtle work has helped unwind old habits and inefficiencies that have hindered my movement and balance. Hips, back, ankles, feet, jaw, ribs – all are more functional, fluid and flexible as a result of Allison's work. Allison's experience with yoga, dance, breath and other healing modalities inform and compliment her work. She approaches each person in their wholeness, educating, encouraging and celebrating along the way. Allison provides an amazing array of ideas, referrals and resources: practices, exercises, poses, props, shoes and classes, all to support one's health and healing. I feel so fortunate to have found Allison and to continue to benefit from her extraordinary gifts, and would encourage anyone who would like to inhabit their body better to experience her work. Both my husband and I are such believers in Allison's abilities that we have referred at least seven of our friends and family members to her. Each person has been thrilled with the help they they've received and amazed by the depth of her knowledge.

I first saw Allison Benner at the suggestion of a friend to help me with some chronic pain issues. I had already sought help with my pain from several more conventional health providers to no avail and was growing desperate to find a more effective treatment. As it happens, at the time, I had recently retired from an unsatisfying and at times very stressful career as an attorney and was unable to find the fulfillment that I had expected upon leaving my work life. After a session or two, Allison was able to see how years of stress and confounding circumstances were contributing to my discomfort. She suggested that to properly heal my “pain” I needed to get to its source and to do that, treatment with a technique that dealt more with the relationship between body and mind with a neurological perspective might be the best way to proceed. Having already gained my trust, I agreed to try Somatic Experiencing. Her analysis was spot on and, with her expertise and wisdom along with her knowledge of ayurvedic medicine, yoga and mindfulness I came through the process not only rid of the pain for which I initially sought her help, but also as a happier and healthier person far more aware of the keen relationship between body and mind and therefore more adept at knowing myself and at dealing with the “pain” that is an inevitable part of living . Her approach to the treatment was forceful and effective and at the same time gentle and compassionate. Only someone as talented as Allison Benner can merge those qualities successfully. Allison Benner is the most empathetic person I have ever known. She is a genuine healer in every sense, and I will always be indebted to her for all she helped me accomplish.

I was diagnosed with idiopathic scoliosis 37 years ago when I was thirty years old. The ever increasing pain I experienced made it difficult to continue my active lifestyle and even daily activities like standing and walking. The surgeon I consulted told me I would be a “crippled little old lady” if I didn’t have a spinal fusion so deciding out of fear, I had three back surgeries and a hip replacement (because one “fix” caused the next problem). PTs and new docs and pain meds were of little help and then I found Allison. I now am able to walk without pain. Because of the radical changes I’ve experienced so far, I am confident that soon I’ll be hiking and snowshoeing again! Because I have more energy and I’m feeling so much better I am now able to, fairly consistently, focus on self-care in all dimensions of my life. Allison is an amazing woman; wise beyond her years. Her healing gifts provide the foundation of her work and she is continually pursuing additional knowledge and training in order to provide her clients the most current healing treatments. She is gentle, very intuitive, curious and very funny! Her positive attitude and perspective are inspiring.

I have been going to Allison since early 2011. At that time, I was 55 years old and it seems when you get older your body does not respond as it did twenty years earlier. Being in the amusement business from my early 20s moving pool tables, pinballs, etc. I had plenty of time to abuse my body as well as gain additional  weight due my metabolism slowing down over the years. In my early 40’s, I started to go to a chiropractor for my back aches as well as have an occasional massage, which only provided me temporary relief. In my late 40s, I partially tore both meniscuses simultaneously when I sat back on my legs cleaning a floor. I went to an orthopedic doc who wanted to use the knife. I decided otherwise and just dealt with the pain. A few years later I tried Synvisc to lubricate my knee joints. That provided temporary relief for a few years but the pain never completely went away. I exercised less because of my knees and got to weigh more than I had ever before. About a year before I went to Allison, I decided that to help my knees I would lose weight through diet and exercise. In the mean time the wheels continued to fall off. I hurt my shoulder picking up a 100lb 14 year old dog who at the time was having trouble getting up.I could not move my arm above my shoulder ("frozen shoulder"). I went back to the doc who wanted (you guessed it)  to use the knife, so I went to the chiropractor who helped unstick my shoulder but could not restore my full range of motion. By this time my wife said " Why don't you go to a Rolfer?" Not knowing much about Rolfing, I read up on it and figured I had nothing to lose. I booked an appointment with Allison after doing a search on the internet. It was one of the best choices of my life. I started out seeing Allison about twice a month. She has helped me with my problem areas- shoulders, back, knees, posture, carpal tunnel and more (losing 25 lbs and casual exercise has not hurt either).Through her gentle but firm touch she she has awakened parts of me that I never knew existed and helped blood flow back into the tissue she would break up through her whole body approach.This has allowed me to get my full range of motion back in  my shoulders. Allison helped my posture that has helped my back ( I have not been to a chiropractor since Rolfing). My right knee no longer has any pain and my left one probably would not either, if our new dogs had not clipped me from behind, but it is still far better than it was when I started with Allison, plus I have no scar tissue or rehab from surgery. My carpal tunnel is gone thanks to Rolfing and some simple exercises she recommended. Besides Rolfing, what makes Allison special is that she continues to educate herself about the human mind and body and takes that knowledge and applies it in her practice. I still and will continue to see Allison about once a month for maintenance as I am not getting any younger although I feel a lot younger due to seeing Aliison. One thing to remember, although you may experience some immediate relief from Rolfing in one session, it will probably take several sessions and in my case what took 55 years of abuse to develop, I could see dramatic change in the way my body felt and continues to feel within a year. Thanks Allison! By the way I continue to move amusements devices. I just hope I will still be able to get an appointment after this testimonial, as she is already popular.