April 24, 2017

Meet Kerry E. McKenna of Los Feliz

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kerry E. McKenna.

Kerry, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I am a former actress, writer, mover and improviser, who started in music as a French Horn player. My twelve years in theatre in Chicago probably defined me most early on. I tried everything; singing, doing gymnastics, improvising (including training at the Second City Chicago) and performing stunts (Babes with Blades Chicago). I write and perform my own poetry and have tried burlesque in Los Angeles. My business in healing started around 2003, after I’d moved to Atlanta and run out of ideas. It was at that time that “my Rolfer” Dan, from Boston, pressed me to consider training as a Rolfer myself. Since he had relieved me of my chronic pains from scoliosis and migraine headaches in a very few sessions, I thought I would listen when he said I was already a Rolfer, I just didn’t know it yet. As I completed training in Boulder, Colorado, at the Rolf Institute(R) of Structural Integration, I came to know what he meant by this. The system of Rolfing(R) Structural Integration is more of a way of looking at things (and definitely a way of looking at the dynamic structures of the body’s support and alignment) than other means of body therapy. I seem to understand the unique way Ida Rolf intended for her students to see the body in all its miraculous capacities. I have now been a Rolfer for going on 12 years, and enjoy the challenge of explaining what I do to clients and curious audiences wherever I go. I had a full practice (13-20 sessions a week) in Atlanta and a concurrent part-time practice in Chattanooga Tennessee (bi-weekly) for seven years. When I needed a break, I took a sabbatical to Europe, gearing up a writing career after years of constant journaling. Those six months have culminated in a manuscript describing the “spiritual exfoliation” that takes place when everything goes wrong, and you are left with necessary lessons…and a new home, namely Los Angeles. For the last 5 years, on top of Rolfing, I have trained as an energy worker, crystals healer and have begun my own way of helping people shift, (signaled by) primal imagery, story-telling, dream-weaving–spiritual shape-shifting, as it were. I specialize in modes of healing that aren’t easy to describe…

One of the reasons Rolfing hasn’t been fantastically well-known is that distilling a description down to a few key phrases leaves out a load of possibilities, though I constantly try to educate the public through my blog, demos and workshops. People want to hear a description based on what they know, so I use this metaphor: If massage is interior decorating–smoothing out your experience, creating relaxation, helping with flow– then Rolfing SI is a contractor–gutting the kitchen and moving the staircase for function, flow and better feeling. One thing I’m constantly trying to convey is that Rolfing SI is not a form of massage and I am not trained as a masseuse.

In my practice, Rolfing SI and Primal Shifting work together but I offer them separately to retain each’s authentic power. Now I work at a great yoga studio in Los Feliz and enjoy riding my bike or walking to work, and dabbling in all the amazing healing my peers have to offer! I am passionate about getting to the heart of a person’s issues and integrating clashing pieces for the long-lost freedom we all crave.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
What a great question. Since I work in healing, I’m constantly looking for the lesson in any struggle. But yes, I tended to resist a lot along the way, which does tend to cause struggle. When I was led to Rolfing, it was because when I moved to Atlanta, I had intended to certify as a Pilates instructor through the authentic training school there. About three weeks later (cat and moving van unpacked), the school closed without notice, and I found myself bereft of purpose. That was challenging! I went and got a full-time job until Dan the Rolfer pointed out I was one of him.

My six-month sabbatical to Scotland in 2011 did not go as planned (gross understatement), and I have a memoir to tell the tales. I’ve so far titled it, “A Steaming Pile of Miracles”. I’m seeking an agent and publishing options now. In short, after the death of my father, my psychic gifts were rising to the surface, causing me to seek a new level of healing skill. I sought it in Scotland, multi-tasking as a budding writer of a screenplay as well. It was an epic saga fit for a past-life betrayed king, and I was catapulted back to the USA.

I did not choose Los Angeles. At first, I was too raw, but my sister lived here, and so would her children who were born in Korea, so I chose to come spend more time with them. With newly minted case of PTSD, I braved East Hollywood, shamanic training workshops, public transportation and an intermittent stream of ghosts coming in and out. But I love my boyfriend, who showed up in my second month here. Life is all about balance, no?

Please tell us about Kerry E. McKenna.
My Rolfing(R) Structural Integration profession started as usual, learning as you grow, with private clients. Each hourly session is considered individual, and a series of sessions build on top of one another for an overall result. Ordinarily, ten sessions is a stable series, and the whole body will have been addressed at all structural levels. Rolfers work with fascia, a connective tissue which is wired to the brain in a particular way to “memorize” how tense you are in every area of your body. Put very simply, I introduce choice in the brain that causes a body to give up its unbalanced tension for an overall balanced effect. How? –That’s where it gets complex. Suffice to say, this is a hands-on (manual) therapy with a variety of techniques, including flat hands, elbows, knuckles, light and strong touch, education and guiding client experience in the body. If the body is a tent, I let out the various ropes that cause the center poles to tilt, regaining alignment for ease of movement.

I specialize in cases of scoliosis, “mysterious glitches”, and loose joints issues. I have a great success with relieving symptoms such as carpal tunnel syndrome, TMJ, plantar fasciitis, tension headaches including migraine, and repetitive use injuries such as runners’ knees, dancer’s hips, tennis elbow. I most enjoy working with musicians, dancers, singers and hairdressers, because their bodies are not only their instruments, they are also overlooked for being the athletes they are!

And that’s just the Rolfing. I offer space clearing with and without crystals, personal primal shifting with or without crystals, and body/energy consultation. These are also private sessions. I love to do public appearances in the form of workshops, rituals and demonstrations. I have been published in various media, including the trade magazines specific to fascial research, Massage Magazine, and the Journal of the Rolf Institute(R) of Structural Integration, my professional membership. I also contribute to the marketing and practice-building committees at the Rolf Institute.

I am an empath, meaning I feel people’s experience in my own body. It gives me a more intuitive insight into a person’s causes of pain, including energetic discomfort. What also sets me apart is that I am passionate about communicating with clients, and validate their own healing genius. I do not believe I DO the healing–I merely pay attention in a certain way, and encourage the client to shift, so they can continue to heal without me. It’s a terrible business model, because I want them not to need me. Wouldn’t that be great?

I am using the legal trademarks required by a Certified Rolfer(TM) through RISI. These trademarks are the right and responsibility of membership and no other practitioners may use them. The generic term is Structural Integration, practitioners being called Structural Integrators.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I believe I would have taken more computer courses. But there’s always time. And I would not have sold my car in 2011 before going off to Scotland. I sure could use it now.

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