| Moshé Feldenkrais |
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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.[1] The Feldenkrais Method is often regarded as falling within the field of integrative medicine or complementary medicine;[2] however, in Sweden the method is practised within the normal healthcare system usually by physiotherapists.[3]
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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-education 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.
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 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.
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 pain 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.
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).[4] 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 pain. 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.[5]
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.[6]
Feldenkrais practitioners complete 740–800 hours of training over a 3 to 4 year period. Feldenkrais practitioners are licensed by a Feldenkrais guild, and each guild maintains lists of practitioners.[7]