Contrary to some press reports, his style of treatment is not referred to as “Scream Therapy”. It does include both manual massage and education to realign your stance. You learn to sit, stand and walk in a way which won’t strain your back, and to pay attention to how your chairs and bed among other things are affecting your spine. On his website he calls himself “Dr Posture”, and an hour of his time will set you back a cool £150.
Like so many other practitioners, Golten found his profession after searching for a cure for his own ailment, or as he puts it, “I’m the classic wounded healer” – which he means in the psychological as well as physical sense. In his twenties after graduating from university with a degree in Economics, History, Politics and International Relations, he became a junior shipping broker working at the Baltic Exchange. But he soon realised he wasn’t cut out to be a City type in suit and tie. “I was just such a rebel. I couldn’t conform,” he says. “I was made redundant, mainly because shipping was in a bit of a slump. And then I got this shocking backache.”
As he was writhing in agony, somebody introduced him to a therapist who had trained in California under Joseph Heller – not the author of Catch-22 but his namesake, a physical therapist who practised something called Hellerwork.
For Golten, as his pain abated and his body unwound, it was a lightbulb moment. “I was so inspired, after about three treatments, I decided that that was my going to be my thing.” Beating a path to The Golden State, he studied with Heller for an intensive six months, and has been practising what he learnt ever since. “It’s generally delivered as a systematic ten-session programme to work through all the structures of your body, from the outside in, from the ground up, to optimise your posture,” he says. “Hellerwork is very hands on. It’s like having a deep massage, about the best massage you could ever imagine.”
Heller himself was a student of Dr Ida Rolf, an American of German extraction, and he borrowed her concept of “Structural Integration” (SI). The idea is that the body’s connective tissues or fascia can become constricted, and that deep pressure can release tension patterns, enabling the body to work more efficiently with gravity and thus allowing more flexibility, balance and ease of movement.
Though Rolf herself was scientifically trained, her system has been described by some as “pseudo-scientific” because there is little formal evidence to back up her claims. Both her system called “Rolfing” and Hellerwork, which is based on it, are firmly in the sector known as “alternative” or “complementary” as opposed to conventional medicine. By comparison, osteopaths who also work with muscles and joints and address some similar kinds of ailments have a training that is recognised by the NHS and is available to its patients. All osteopaths must be registered by the General Osteopathic Council, which upholds professional standards and can discipline those who transgress.
Dr Posture with a handful of the many newspaper articles about his work[Missing Credit]
Despite the lack of regulation, treatments such as acupuncture, homeopathy, herbal medicine and aromatherapy are increasing in popularity, inspired by a focus on “wellness”, preventative health and possibly scepticism about conventional medicine. Next week, National Complementary Therapy Week will try to increase awareness of a wide range of different approaches to physical ailments.
Though many people find alternative and complementary treatments helpful, and the King is among enthusiasts, very few are available on or recognised by the NHS because of the lack of convincing scientific evidence that they work. The NHS website states:
“Some CAM (Complementary and Alternative Medicine) treatments are based on principles and an evidence base that are not recognised by the majority of independent scientists. Others have been proven to work for a limited number of health conditions.”
And it warns: “When a person uses any health treatment including CAM, and experiences an improvement, this may be due to the placebo effect.”
Despite those concerns, many high fliers have found their way to Golten’s consulting room, and have testified to the benefit. But for some, niggles about training and qualifications have persisted.
“It’s always a challenge,” says Golten who also practises from his home in Kings Langley. “I tell people I did 1,250 hours of training in California. I worked out that was about the same number of teaching hours I had at the university in four years. But it’s not a medical treatment and doesn’t pretend to be.”
Yet the effects of the treatment have often been dramatic he says. “People get amazing results.”
Few people followed Golten’s path to California, and as a result Hellerwork never really became popular on this side of the Atlantic. One of just a handful of therapists offering it in the UK, he remains passionate about it.
“The idea is not to chase people’s problems, trying to fix the bit that’s gone wrong, but to reintegrate the whole system and get people using their bodies in a better way.
“When I meet people, I have a good look at them and generally start with opening up the breathing, the chest and the ribs, because that’s where we shut down. People’s heads come forwards, especially as we’re all stooping over our computers and mobile devices all the time.
“Then I get down to the proper business, which is starting on the ground with your feet, working the way up to reconnect people in better way to the force of gravity, which is the single most powerful force acting on your body.”
Heller died in May 2024 without big fanfare. But his legacy lives on in the UK through practitioners like Golten who continue to honour his name.
