Migraines vary in nature. Some seem to be related to car accidents or hormonal changes, some to chronic tightness and stress, and some don’t seem to be related to anything in particular. Many women report that they had started experiencing migraines around the age of 6. Often, there is a visual component at the onset of the migraine such as seeing an aura or sensitivity to light.

Some people get good results while working with a neurologist to find a combination of medications that the migraines respond to. The way I work with people who experience migraines on a regular basis is to find the pathways of tension. Usually, there is a chronic tension in the scalp, particularly in the occipital area and the temples and behind the ears. It seems to be these places that the migraines relate to. To me, these denser areas feel like ‘gristles’ in the connective tissue that is between the skin/hair layer and the scull. When you press on these gristles, the sensations associated with migraines can be triggered.

With some clients, when we massage and soften these denser tissues on the scalp, the symptoms of migraines can ease. I encourage people to feel these places and massage them. It can be an instant relief for regular headaches and sometimes even for migraines.

The neck and shoulders usually play role in the tightness in the head. I work with those areas as well as inside of the sinuses and mouth if a person is open to that kind of work.(I work in gloves and with a lubricant). We create spaciousness in the head so that the little bone structures of the scull can respond to the cranio-sacral fluid pulsations that is a sign of a healthy nervous system.


There seems to be no way to predict if a person with migraines will get relief with Rolfing. Some do and some don’t.