Therapeutic Technique - Feldenkrais Method

Therapeutic Technique - Feldenkrais Method

SCI 201 - Survey of Alternative Medicine

The National Institutes of Health and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) has five major categories of complementary and alternative medicine. Whole Medical Systems, Mind-Body Medicine, Biologically Based Practices, Manipulative and Body-Based Practices, and Energy Medicine. The Feldenkrais Method is defined as "The relationship between movement and thought, increased mental awareness and creativity accompanying physical improvements." (FEFNA 2007) Manipulative and Body-Based Practices are defined by the NCCAM as practices "based on manipulation and/or movement of one or more parts of the body. Some examples include chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation, and massage." The Feldenkrais Method is similar to massage and chiropractic in that the all three practices touch people. Beyond that there are significant differences. Massage works with the muscles. Chiropractic works with the bones. The Feldenkrais Method works with ones own ability to regulate and coordinate movement, using patterns of movements to guide each individual to their most 'effective selves'. By doing a series of slow controlled movements with awareness and breaking them down into their smallest components and looking at them in relation to gravity we can find the most effect and graceful way of moving. Based on these definitions, the Feldenkrais Method therapeutic techniques would be categorized in the Manipulative and Body-Based Practices category.

The Feldenkrais Method is a type of somatic or "Of, relating to, or affecting the body, especially as distinguished from a body part, the mind, or the environment; corporeal or physical" (Dictionary.com 2007) education that uses "gentle movement and directed attention to improve movement and enhance human functioning." (FEFNA 2007) This method is used in dealing with specific problems such as back, neck, or other muscular-skeletal problems, stress, and neuromuscular disorders such as stroke. These conditions are not treated with the Feldenkrais Method in a traditional medical sense but rather assist in discovering better ways of responding to the conditions. The discomfort associated with these described conditions often "result as much from your response to the condition as from the condition itself." (Somatic Options 2006)

The Feldenkrais Method was developed by Moshe Feldenkrais in the 1940s. While Feldenkrais was studying for his Doctor of Science in Physics while in Paris, he met with and studied under Jigaro Kano, the creator of modern Judo. Feldenkrais became one of the first Europeans to earn a Black Belt in Judo. Feldenkrais was also one of the first people to introduce Judo to the western world through his teaching and books on the subject. In the mid 1960s Feldenkrais published two books, Mind and Body and Bodily Expression. In 1967 Feldenkrais published Improving the Ability to Perform which was released as Awareness Through Movement in the 1972 English language edition. Feldenkrais developed this method of treatment while learning to deal with his own crippling knee injuries. Feldenkrais found that "with quiet exploratory movement, process oriented and not goal directed, the human mind could evoke new neuromuscular patterns in an organic manner, much like the way a baby learns to move. The importance lies with the attention given to the movement." (FMSE 2006) Through his scientific analysis of principles based on the martial art of Judo he developed "means of altering unconscious, dysfunctional patterns which cause the body to work against itself." (Beale 2007)

There are two approaches to the Feldenkrais Method. The Awareness Through Movement approach is conducted in group sessions that will last from 30 to 60 minutes. The lessons will consist of comfortable and easy movements that would progress into movements of greater range and complexity. There are literally hundreds of Awareness Through Movement lessons that vary in difficulty and complexity for various levels of movement. "In this group approach the lessons are verbally directed and each class develops a different function. Through attentive repetitions of simple movements, undesirable patterns of muscle tension are 'unlearned'. In working with one's kinesthetic awareness within the range of comfort, flexibility is increased, not through stretching, but through exploring alternatives and increasing one's consciousness of how the body works. By engaging the whole organism - the nervous system, the musculature, and the skeleton - in harmonious and focused movement, the exercises become easy and pleasurable." (Beale 2007) This could be equated to an extended stretching session where the body is slowly and deliberately stretching muscles and joints but focusing on the deliberate movement itself rather then actual stretching. The second format of the Feldenkrais Method is called Functional Integration. Functional Integration consists of movement sequences that are tailored to an individuals needs. "In these individual sessions the practitioner utilizes gentle touch, movement, and verbal directions as well as support and movement of the limbs and torso in order to release restrictions and to offer the body alternatives to chronic