Private sessions are for individuals seeking a deeper integration of their personal lives.

A weekend workshop consists of demonstrations, theory, group processing and guided practicums. Participants give and receive this kind of touch and leave with an increased awareness of the body-mind connection. Continuing Education credits (CE hours) are offered to Bodyworkers, Massage Therapists, Nurses and Social Workers.

What are clients saying about the Rosen Method?

Frequently asked questions 
about the Rosen Method

Who is a good candidate to be a Rosen client?

Is there anyone that should not work with the Rosen method?

How is the Rosen Method different from psychotherapy or counseling?

What is the training required of a Rosen Method Practitioner ?

Who started the Rosen Method and how long ago was that?

What is the fee?

Will my insurance cover this?

How many sessions will I need?

How will I know if the treatments are helping me? Are there any objective criteria?

What are your personal core beliefs, philosophy, that underlie your work?

Is there a spiritual aspect to this work?

Why do you do this work?

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Who is a good candidate to be a Rosen client?

Men and women who have psycho-somatic symptoms and wish to know what it is that is trying to come to awareness.

Men and women who have relied on their intellectual and mental capacities to get them through life and who now are curious about what it would be like to inhabit and befriend their bodies, live more in their senses and be in touch with their emotions.

Men and women who have come to realize that in order to achieve intimacy with another person they need to be able to be on intimate terms with themselves, know what they really need, feel , desire, and be anchored into themselves enough not to disappear into the union with a loved one.

Men and women who are carrying around a lot of unfinished business in form of grief, fears, anger, etc. that stops them from living in the present moment and enter into new situations and new relationships.

Men and women who actively have worked in recovery from addictions ( drugs, alcohol) for at least one year and would like to heal the wounds that spurred the addictive behavior.

Men and women who keep themselves busy all the time and have begun to wonder what it is like to be a human being instead of a human doing!

Men and women who are used to meditating are usually good candidates since they know how to go inside and just be present with what is. Rosen Method Bodywork can enable the client to enter a similar space while staying in touch with another human being.

Men and women who feel that trying to "spiritualize" their emotions and meditate them away hasn't worked or has made them feel disconnected to the human race.

Men and women who wish to supplement traditional talk therapy with a body awareness program.

Men and women who feel creatively blocked and wonder what it is that makes them stop themselves.
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Is there anyone that should not work with the Rosen method?

Yes , people who have severe mental illnesses need different treatment.

People who is in the midst substance abuse need treatment of that illness first.

Someone who is suicidal or in a very chaotic or crises like situation have enough on their plates already and need help in keeping it together rather than bringing up deep feelings or memories at that point.

Minors are not normally candidates for this work.
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How is the Rosen Method different from psychotherapy or counseling?

It is different in that it is done on a massage table, the main component is touch, and the therapist keeps a constant eye on the body and how the body responds to what is being said. A Rosen practitioner follows the client's breath and notices shifts in the muscles in order to tell when the client is connecting with deep material.

It is also different in that some sessions are very quiet, almost no talking. When the client and therapist are both present and connected through the touch it is almost like a dual meditation and the power of that presence makes things shift and change on their own without effort. Psychotherapy and Rosen Method often compliment each other well. What comes up in a Rosen session can be talked about and integrated in psychotherapy.
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What is the training required of a Rosen Method Practitioner ?

There is a four year training program that needs to be completed before you become a certified Rosen Method Practitioner. During the first half of the program the focus is on the personal growth of the therapist in training. The work of Rosen Method Practitioners demands intimacy and self-disclosure. To be able to lead others to the trust called for , one must have first- hand experience of the process .During the second half there is an internship where the students are required to document 350 client hours and get a practice going. Students are also required to have a minimum of 33 Rosen Method treatments and be in on-going weekly therapy in order to be as clear as possible when it comes to personal issues.

Anyone is welcome to attend an introductory weekend workshop or a 7 day seminar just for personal growth. The weekend workshops offer 12 Continuing Education hours to massage therapists, nurses and social workers.
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Who started the Rosen Method and how long ago was that?

The Founder of Rosen Method Bodywork is Marion Rosen, now in her mid eighties. She is still working, teaching and lecturing both in the US and Europe.

She was born in Germany, 1914. She trained with Lucy Hyer, a pioneer within the field of breath work and relaxation techniques, before fleeing to Sweden during the second world war. In Stockholm she studied physical therapy and observed various surgeries as part of the training. After two years she obtained a Visa for the US and ended up making her home in Berkeley California where she worked as a physical therapist. From her clients she learned about the nature of the will to be well as a factor in maintaining body movements and health. She noticed that the patients who talked to her about the events of their lives at the time of their accident or injury were the ones who recovered most quickly. She became convinced of the connection between body and mind and became increasingly successful in treating psycho-somatic illnesses-those with origins in emotional stress and holding. For 35 years she continued to develop her theories and approaches and even though her reputation grew and more and more doctors kept referring patients to her and her success record went off the charts, she continued to think of herself simply as a caring physical therapist with no special talents or abilities. She had no knowledge of other body-mind modalities and it wasn't until she attended a seminar in "Mind Dynamics", that she realized that she did have something to share, something to teach. She began taking on a few students who had been begging her to show them what she did. That was 25 years ago. Now Rosen Method bodywork is being taught in the US, in Russia, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Norway and France. Still, because Marion Rosen is something of an introvert and a very humble person, there are to this day many people who have not heard of the value of the Rosen Method.
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What is the fee?

The rates for a Rosen Method session are $85 per session.  Sessions last about 50 minutes.
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Will my insurance cover this?

Not at this point.
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How many sessions will I need?

It varies. It depends on where the client is at the time and how deep he or she wishes to go. I usually ask for a commitment of 3 times to give the work a chance and to see what happens in between sessions. This work depends a lot on how safe the client feels in being real and truthful in the presence of the practitioner. If and when trust has been broken it usually takes some time for the client to really relax in the presence of another person. Usually trust is earned one step at the time. I do my best in creating a safe container for the work. What is being created by me and the client is an intimate relationship with therapeutic boundaries. It is not unusual that clients tell me things they never told a soul before. That is why confidentiality and unconditional presence are important ingredients.

Some clients come for a few weeks or a few months, others continue to come for a year or two and once in a while I get a tourist who is in town just for the day.
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How will I know if the treatments are helping me? Are there any objective criteria?

Many of my Rosen clients report feeling unconditionally loved and supported for the first time in their lives .One client said " Since you seem to find my body acceptable, and I trust you, I have began to open up to the possibility that I could accept my body too." An increased sense of self acceptance is usually a good sign that the sessions are "taking". Other things I hear are " I have come to value my emotions and think of them as important and valid. I didn't even realize how I tended to minimize them or rationalize them before.". When clients become more comfortable in their own skin it is usually easier for them to let loved ones near. Their partners or children may comment on how they are more affectionate and present after coming for Rosen Sessions. Another thing that often happens is that the clients begin to set healthy boundaries for themselves. They no longer allow people to walk all over them and they don't need to set up stone walls in order to feel safe. A clients way of holding their bodies and moving through the world will change with Rosen treatments. That sends of different signals to spouses, colleagues, friends and , even strangers who now responds differently. When we change ourselves the world also changes to a certain degree. And we learn that change can be positive.
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What are your personal core beliefs, philosophy, that underlie your work?

I believe in the innate healing capacity of our bodies. When we relax and get out of our own way that healing force can get a chance to operate. I believe that people sometimes heal their souls without their bodies being cured. I believe a crisis or difficulty contains an opportunity for making a different choice of how to be in this world that involves a greater respect, a greater love for ourselves and other beings. I do not believe in reward or punishment by life or God. I believe there is something deep inside of us wanting to move towards unity but that we also have free choice. I believe we are co-creators of our lives. I believe we live in a meaningful Universe, where we are students of life and here to learn how to give and receive love, how to be conscious of the inter relatedness of everything and everyone. I believe Life is a rich and complex mystery much too vast for us to grasp with our dualistic, thinking minds. Our intuitive Heart-minds may have a better chance. I do believe that there is life after death.

I do believe in the power of prayer. Sometimes I pray silently when I am with a client.
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Is there a spiritual aspect to this work?

Yes for me there is. I often feel a gentle sacred feeling in the room when I work with clients. There is something that happens when at least two people gather and agree to be as present and truthful as possible. Authenticity and spirituality go hand in hand in my book.

Sometimes a clients personality can be very wounded and perhaps clash with the wounded side of my personality, but when I put my hands on a person something shifts and I feel love for them. It is like the unconditioned part of me can meet with the unconditioned part of them. I experience that we both are human, we are both doing the best we can and underneath our shortcomings, our imperfections and funky places flows this river we are both part of. Call it God, call it Love, call it Great Spirit, Christ Mind , Buddha Mind, Universal Energy . It doesn't matter what name you use. It is the experience that counts for me and I am very grateful for it.
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Why do you do this work?

Because it feels like one natural expression of who I am. It resonates with me. I get fed by it and I am not talking just economically here. If I suddenly became a millionaire tomorrow

I would still do my Artwork and I would still do Rosen work. Both give me a deep sense of satisfaction. Both are expressions of what I feel I came here to do.
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Kerstin Zettmar

What are clients saying about the Rosen Method?

For information about Kerstin Zettmar and MIRA Holistic Services, upcoming events, or workshops, click on the buttons above, email Kerstin, or write to:

MIRA Holistic Services
P.O. Box 424
Newport, RI  02840

kerstin@zettmar.com