If you enjoy animal stories as much as I do, you’re in for a great read. . . . You’ll witness the health and happiness of these animals being transformed through the hands and heart of Briah Anson and her passionate application of Rolfing^® Structural Integration. . . . It’s an incredible menagerie: cats, dogs, and horses, as well as guinea pigs, llamas, eagles, an owl, a rooster, a cougar, and, per­haps most intriguing of all, an up close and personal encounter with a wild moose named Mike.”

Paul Schurke, Outdoor adventurer and educator; coauthor with Will Steger of North to the Pole and author of Bering Bridge: The Soviet-American Expedition from Siberia to Alaska; Director, Wintergreen Dogsled Lodge and Arctic Adventures, Ely, Minnesota

As Briah Anson’s collection of nonhuman patients clearly demonstrate, Rolfing^® Structural Integration isn’t just for people, though a person’s appreciation of its benefits for themselves often leads to an interest in trying this form of body work on their animals. . . . Each animal’s emotional and locomotor response to Rolfing described in this book strongly suggests a true and sustained benefit.”

Julia H. Wilson, DVM, Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine; Associate Professor, Large Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota

Briah Anson shares her experience, insight, and her love for all creatures in these amazing stories of her quest for healing through Rolfing^®. . . . After each session, the ravages of [the eagles’] permanent disabilities seemed to have less influence on their performance. . . . The Rolfing sessions improved their overall disposition and health. . . . I’m grateful to Briah for her extensive dedication and the volunteering of her time and talent given to the eagles at the National Eagle Center.”

MaryBeth Garrigan, Executive Director of Eagle Watch, Inc. (2000–05); Program and Development Director, National Eagle Center (2005–09), Wabasha, Minnesota

Rolfing^® Structural Integration, a unique myofascial approach to assist the body in healing numerous musculoskeletal and other issues, is being introduced to the animal world through Briah Anson’s fascinating book, Animal Healing. Through case reports, anecdotes, and stories from her pioneering practice applying Rolfing SI to animals, Briah offers convincing evidence that the benefits of this work may be applicable to animals as well. This book is an excellent introduction to Rolfing Structural Integration and its potential application to nonhuman animals.

Allen M. Schoen, MS, DVM, PH.D. (Hon.); author, Kindred Spirits: How the Remarkable Bond between Humans and Animals Can Change the Way We Live and editor, Veterinary Acupuncture: Ancient Art to Modern Medicine

Book Reviews:

Everything is Connected
Animal Healing is a wonderful written collection of perspectives on the benefits and outcomes of Rolfing on animals. Not only does it share how Rolfing works, but it provides insights into how animals, including humans, heal themselves as a response to the Rolfing process. The author, Briah Anson, has a gift that she uses purposefully and with true compassion to connect with people and animals. This book is a positive reflection on how Briah works and how Rolfing brings about change for the whole being.~ L Randazzo

The Power of Rolfing: A book for everyone

Briah Anson graduated from the Rolf Institute® of Structural Integration in 1979. Before she had even finished school she had already applied the principles of SI to her then-current dog. While her practice has always been filled with humans, her passion, curiosity, and innate natural connectedness has always been with animals.

Her second book, Animal Healing: the Power of Rolfing® Structural Integration, is a generous offering of the knowledge she's gained during her 30 years as a pioneer in animal Structural Integration. As in her first book, Rolfing: Stories of Personal Empowerment, much of the book comes from the lived experience of this work. We hear from the owners as they watch their dogs, cats, horses, birds, and guinea pigs, regain not just their structural integrity but their ability to be themselves. We follow and learn about the fascinating lives of sled dogs in northern Minnesota, the art of working with eagles, the transformations in working dogs, racehorses and house cats.

This is a book that on the surface looks like it is meant for pet owners and the few Structural Integrators who work with animals. This is not so, however. In reading Briah's notes and viewing the abundant photographs on how she looks at animals, how she proceeds with a series, and when she knows when to finish, we are reminded of the basic principles of Structural Integration that Dr. Rolf wanted us to remember: the relationship of gravity to the structure as a whole, and how to read that relationship in the lines of support and movement over the ground (or in the air, as the case may be). Add to this the requirement of finding connection with the SI client that both Briah and her animal-owners speak to, we have in this book both a fascinating read and an experiential reminder of our basic roots that make us Structural Integrators and not just fix-it folks.

Briah has also left us with the perfect antidote to the remark: "I've heard it hurts!" Many of the pet owners have received Structural Integration series themselves after watching the effects on their animals. We read over and over about the dogs whose eyes roll back and tongue falls out, the mountain lion that lays down and purrs, the eagles with deadly talons and beaks that become glassy-eyed and drool....Its not a picture of pain.

Briah's expertise has been used often by veterinarians in Minnesota, and one of the stories, written by Dr. Julie Wilson, from the University of Minnesota, gives us an astounding look at the potential of SI for remedying birth defects. If it can be done with animals, what is possible with humans? This book takes us on lively forays into the lives of animals and their owners, reminding us of the solidity of our root principles. It also reminds us that we can take those principles out into the world and let them fly in any way we can imagine. ~ Marilyn Beech

Animal healing by Briah Anson - a fun, informative read. A must for animal lovers .,
Briah is a very remarkable person - smart, intuitive, intrepid and courageous! Her new book is a beautifully crafted and honed treasury, which tells of some of her experiences in healing animals. She has an extraordinary talent in relating to animals. This is evidenced by early childhood pictures that show her ability to forge unusually close bonds with her animal companions.

Briah is a very competent Rolfer but there is a sense that this is just one avenue for her primary talent.

In the book, Deborah Thayer says it succinctly:

`She has the gift of being able to sense the entire character, personality and life force coming through each type of body. She is then able to treat the whole body....'

Briah says:
`There is an anatomy of form that I am able to see..... I am able to see where they are tied up, what needs to be released and how to release it.........'

She sees the whole being and is able to assess and address physical mental and emotional states. Even wild animals sense they can trust Briah and allow themselves to enter that `altered state' in which healing can occur at all levels. Briah combines an innate intuitive sense with a well grounded understanding of healing techniques, which includes: Rolfing, homeopathy and other complimentary healing modalities.

The book is a good read: a series of compelling stories which document the animal characters who came to Briah's care, (mostly in a bad state) and their progression to becoming happy, healthy, integrated beings. The animal protagonists range from wild to domestic: from wild moose Mike, through to guinea pigs, Rosa, Abigail and Eleanor. The long list includes: a mountain lion; cats; dogs; horses; llamas and birds, such as eagles and parrots.

Any pet-owner would enjoy these stories. I know if I had a pet and had the sense it was not optimally aligned with life - I would bring it to Briah's magic hands.

Penny Tanner
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
March 23rd 2011

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