About Rich Goodstein
I grew up in Brooklyn New York; a vibrant environment of diversity and complexity. All of which felt very overwhelming and at the same time very curious. My first 10 years I lived in an apartment complex and then my family moved to a single family home, in a very soon to be developed area which was originally a dump for the NYC. Years had passed and it was decided that houses could be built on top of this site and my home was the first to be constructed. As time passed I was a witness and was an explorer of the world of structure and function that years later influenced me greatly.
I was front row center on the digging and building of single families homes and when the workers left for the day or weekend you would find me exploring the "bones" that made up the infra structure of plumb, support, hinges and stress.
As I made my way through high school and later college my interests were math, architectural drawing and music. I loved taking things apart, putting them back together and solving complex math problems. Oh and playing the drums. I later discovered that I was better with people than with complex engineering diagrams and found my calling in the world of psychotherapy, completing a Masters degree in Counseling Psychology.
I studied gestalt, psychodrama (I presented at the International Psychodrama Convention in NYC in 1976), and somatic therapy; upon graduating I worked as a staff Therapist at a community mental health center on the west side of Buffalo, NY. Several years later I moved to Boulder Colorado to study at the Rocky Mountain Healing Arts Institute/The Boulder School of Massage Therapy. Oh and I got married.
At The Boulder School of Massage Therapy as I was training to be a Massage Therapist, my psychotherapy and teaching skills were put to good use as I was hired to teach several of the required classes relating to relationship building; career building and I also helped start the Clinic which was designed to offer reduced fees for massage therapy for Health Care Practitioners.
I later trained and worked with Ron Kurtz, the developer of The Hakomi Method of Somatic Psychotherapy. I realized early on in my training that the mechanics of structure and the shape of the human body is intimately and intricately imbedded in the whole being, the way we breathe, walk, what we believe and how we relate.
Every thought translates into chemistry and action affecting structure, function and relationship. As the field of neuroscience has developed, we now have solid science supporting all of this and you will find references to this on the Rolf web site. At the Rolf Institute I found my true calling and was certified in 1981, I later did my Advanced training in 1990. I added to my skills by studying with Dr. John Upledger in cranial sacral therapy and with Jean-Pierre Barral in visceral manipulation. It seemed to me that the early interest in structure (houses) and my fascination with taking things apart and putting them back "together" played a significant role in the direction my life took.
My wife and I moved to the Washington DC area with our 9 month old daughter in 1984 and I established a vibrant Rolfing practice. I was introduced to Emilie Conrad, the developer of Continuum Movement Education in 1981 and then again in the mid eighties and later was certified as a Continuum Jungle Gym teacher, which is a beautiful and dynamic movement process utilizing gentle and profound movement and breath sequences to increase flexibility and sensation.
In 1988, our son was born and we enjoyed a busy and successful life in the DC area. In 1998 we moved to Santa Barbara and I started my practice. As always the explorer, I enrolled in The Hudson Institute of Coaching and was certified and expanded my skills and services to include Somatic, Leadership, Transition and Presentation Skills Coaching.
Rolfing and Yoga share a unique heritage and bond as the asanas (poses) and Rolfing theory and practice are deeply rooted in the architecture and kinesiology of the human body. I have been a student and later trained with Cheri Clampett in Therapuetic Yoga.
I love my work and I take great pleasure in helping people feel better, function better and be free from pain and discomfort.
As an aside, I still am fascinated by architecture and home building as my wife and I recently completed a renovation of an old adobe brick home here is Santa Barbara.