Feldenkrais method
Encyclopedia
The Feldenkrais Method is a somatic educational
system designed by Moshé Feldenkrais
(1904–1984). The Feldenkrais method aims to improve movement repertoire, aiming to expand and refine the use of the self through awareness, in order to reduce pain or limitations in movement, and promote general well-being. The Feldenkrais Method is often regarded as falling within the field of integrative medicine
or complementary medicine; however, in Sweden the method is practised within the normal healthcare system usually by physiotherapists.
as opposed to a manipulative therapy. Feldenkrais' approach was essentially experiential, grounded in tools of self-discovery and movement enquiry.
Feldenkrais' background as a physicist, engineer and judo master deeply informed his research. Major influences on Feldenkrais' work include Gustav Fechner
, Gerda Alexander
, Elsa Gindler, Jigoro Kano, G.I. Gurdjieff
, Emile Coué
, Bates, Heinrich Jacoby
, Mabel Todd, and F. Matthias Alexander
, all of whom were concerned with awareness and education.
Feldenkrais taught that changes in our ability to move are inseparable from changes in our conscious perception
of ourselves as embodied. He said that changes in the physical experience could be described as changes in our internal self image, which can be conceived as the mapping of the motor cortex to the body. (This relates to the body image theory that was developed by Penfield
in the form of cortical homunculus
.) Feldenkrais felt that activity in the motor cortex
played a key role in proprioception
(the sense of body position). He aimed to clarify and work therapeutically with this relationship, with instructions that involved both specific movement instructions and invitations to introspection.
may resolve themselves as the client may learn a more relaxed approach to his or her physical experience—a more integrated, free, and easy way to move.
. This preliminary inquiry represents an uncontrolled, unblended investigation, but the results were promising. Cost effectiveness patient costs dropped from an average of $141 per month to $82 per month, a 40% saving.
According to Norman Doidge
, current research on neuroplasticity
, by scientists such as Doidge and Michael Merzenich
, may support Feldenkrais' key theories of somatic re-education.
Somatics
The field of somatics encompasses holistic body-centered approaches that help people reconnect with self and transform through movement practices that promote psycho-physical awareness and well-being...
system designed by Moshé Feldenkrais
Moshé Feldenkrais
Moshé Pinchas Feldenkrais was an Israeli physicist and the founder of the Feldenkrais Method, designed to improve human functioning by increasing self-awareness through movement.-Biography:...
(1904–1984). The Feldenkrais method aims to improve movement repertoire, aiming to expand and refine the use of the self through awareness, in order to reduce pain or limitations in movement, and promote general well-being. The Feldenkrais Method is often regarded as falling within the field of integrative medicine
Integrative medicine
Integrative medicine or integrative health is the combination of the practices and methods of alternative medicine with conventional medicine. The term is relatively recent, and is mainly promoted by proponents of alternative therapies in the west...
or complementary medicine; however, in Sweden the method is practised within the normal healthcare system usually by physiotherapists.
Approach
Feldenkrais believed that health is founded on good function. He asserted that his method of body/mind exploration improved functioning (health) by making individuals more aware: "What I am after is more flexible minds, not just more flexible bodies". The Feldenkrais Method tends towards being a form of self-educationAutodidacticism
Autodidacticism is self-education or self-directed learning. In a sense, autodidacticism is "learning on your own" or "by yourself", and an autodidact is a person who teaches him or herself something. The term has its roots in the Ancient Greek words αὐτός and διδακτικός...
as opposed to a manipulative therapy. Feldenkrais' approach was essentially experiential, grounded in tools of self-discovery and movement enquiry.
Feldenkrais' background as a physicist, engineer and judo master deeply informed his research. Major influences on Feldenkrais' work include Gustav Fechner
Gustav Fechner
Gustav Theodor Fechner , was a German experimental psychologist. An early pioneer in experimental psychology and founder of psychophysics, he inspired many 20th century scientists and philosophers...
, Gerda Alexander
Gerda Alexander
Gerda Alexander was a Danish teacher who devised a method of self-development called Eutony. She was born in Wuppertal, Germany, but moved to Denmark in 1929....
, Elsa Gindler, Jigoro Kano, G.I. Gurdjieff
G. I. Gurdjieff
George Ivanovich Gurdjieff according to Gurdjieff's principles and instructions, or the "Fourth Way."At one point he described his teaching as "esoteric Christianity."...
, Emile Coué
Émile Coué
Émile Coué de la Châtaigneraie was a French psychologist and pharmacist who introduced a method of psychotherapy and self-improvement based on optimistic autosuggestion....
, Bates, Heinrich Jacoby
Heinrich Jacoby
Heinrich Jacoby , originally a musician, was a German educator whose teaching was based on developing sensitivity and awareness. A great role in his researches played the collaboration with the colleague Elsa Gindler, whom he met in 1924 in Berlin...
, Mabel Todd, and F. Matthias Alexander
F. Matthias Alexander
Frederick Matthias Alexander was an Australian actor who developed the educational process that is today called the Alexander Technique – a form of education that is applied to recognize and overcome reactive, habitual limitations in movement and thinking.-Early life:Alexander was born on a...
, all of whom were concerned with awareness and education.
Awareness Through Movement (ATM)
In Awareness Through Movement classes, people engage in precisely structured movement explorations that involve thinking, sensing, moving, and imagining. Each lesson consists of comfortable, easy movements that gradually evolve into movements of greater range and complexity. Awareness Through Movement lessons attempt to make one aware of his/her habitual neuromuscular patterns and rigidities and to expand options for choosing new ways of moving while increasing sensitivity and improving efficiency. There are hundreds of Awareness Through Movement lessons contained in the Feldenkrais Method that vary, for all levels of movement ability, from simple in structure and physical demand to more difficult lessons.Feldenkrais taught that changes in our ability to move are inseparable from changes in our conscious perception
Perception
Perception is the process of attaining awareness or understanding of the environment by organizing and interpreting sensory information. All perception involves signals in the nervous system, which in turn result from physical stimulation of the sense organs...
of ourselves as embodied. He said that changes in the physical experience could be described as changes in our internal self image, which can be conceived as the mapping of the motor cortex to the body. (This relates to the body image theory that was developed by Penfield
Wilder Penfield
Wilder Graves Penfield, OM, CC, CMG, FRS was an American born Canadian neurosurgeon. During his life he was called "the greatest living Canadian"...
in the form of cortical homunculus
Cortical homunculus
A cortical homunculus is a pictorial representation of the anatomical divisions of the primary motor cortex and the primary somatosensory cortex , i.e., the portion of the human brain directly responsible for the movement and exchange of sense and motor information of the rest of the body.There...
.) Feldenkrais felt that activity in the motor cortex
Motor cortex
Motor cortex is a term that describes regions of the cerebral cortex involved in the planning, control, and execution of voluntary motor functions.-Anatomy of the motor cortex :The motor cortex can be divided into four main parts:...
played a key role in proprioception
Proprioception
Proprioception , from Latin proprius, meaning "one's own" and perception, is the sense of the relative position of neighbouring parts of the body and strength of effort being employed in movement...
(the sense of body position). He aimed to clarify and work therapeutically with this relationship, with instructions that involved both specific movement instructions and invitations to introspection.
Functional Integration (FI) lessons
In a Functional Integration lesson, a trained practitioner uses his or her hands to guide the movement of a single client, who may be sitting, lying or standing (fully clothed). The practitioner uses this "hands-on" technique to help the student experience the connections among various parts of the body (with or without movement). Through precision of touch and movement, the client learns how to eliminate excess effort and thus move more freely and easily. Lessons may be specific in addressing particular issues brought by the client, or can be more global in scope. Although the technique does not specifically aim to eliminate pain or "cure" physical complaints, such issues may inform the lesson. Issues such as chronic muscle painMyalgia
Myalgia means "muscle pain" and is a symptom of many diseases and disorders. The most common causes are the overuse or over-stretching of a muscle or group of muscles. Myalgia without a traumatic history is often due to viral infections...
may resolve themselves as the client may learn a more relaxed approach to his or her physical experience—a more integrated, free, and easy way to move.
Scientific studies
Several scientific studies have been performed to investigate the effect of Feldenkrais treatments. In 1999, a randomized controlled trial investigated whether physiotherapy or Feldenkrais interventions would reduce the complaints from neck and shoulder pain and disability. The participants were randomly assigned to 1) physiotherapy treatment, 2) the Feldenkrais program, or 3) a control group. The physiotherapy and Feldenkrais interventions were given over 16 weeks of paid work. The Feldenkrais group showed significant decreases in complaints from neck and shoulders and in disability during leisure time. The two other groups showed no change in complaints (Physiotherapy group) or worsening of complaints (Control group). In 2004, a preliminary study was undertaken to determine both the efficacy and cost effectiveness of the Feldenkrais Method for treatment of Medicaid recipients with Chronic painChronic pain
Chronic pain has several different meanings in medicine. Traditionally, the distinction between acute and chronic pain has relied upon an arbitrary interval of time from onset; the two most commonly used markers being 3 months and 6 months since the initiation of pain, though some theorists and...
. This preliminary inquiry represents an uncontrolled, unblended investigation, but the results were promising. Cost effectiveness patient costs dropped from an average of $141 per month to $82 per month, a 40% saving.
According to Norman Doidge
Norman Doidge
Norman Doidge MD, FRCP is a Canadian-born psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, researcher, essayist, poet and author of The Brain That Changes Itself . The Brain That Changes Itself describes some of the latest developments in neuroscience, and became a New York Times and international bestseller...
, current research on neuroplasticity
Neuroplasticity
Neuroplasticity is a non-specific neuroscience term referring to the ability of the brain and nervous system in all species to change structurally and functionally as a result of input from the environment. Plasticity occurs on a variety of levels, ranging from cellular changes involved in...
, by scientists such as Doidge and Michael Merzenich
Michael Merzenich
Michael M. Merzenich is a professor emeritus neuroscientist at the University of California, San Francisco. His contributions to the field are numerous. He took the sensory cortex maps developed by his predecessors like Archie Tunturi, Clinton Woolsey, Vernon Mountcastle, Wade Marshall, and Philip...
, may support Feldenkrais' key theories of somatic re-education.