Articles

General

Frequently Asked Questions What is the Method... Who benefits? What happens in a session? What is ATM? What is an FI session? How are practitioners trained? Who was Moshe Feldenkrais?

The Method of Moshe Feldenkrais: In his own words

Some FELDENKRAIS Basics People often ask us, 'How does it work?', 'What makes Feldenkrais unique?'. As an experiential and exploratory process, it is best to get to know Feldenkrais for yourself. In this article, Cliff Smyth explores some of the ideas that underlie the Method.

The FELDENKRAIS METHODÆ Alan S. Questel summarizes the Method, the background and the benefits.

About MoshÈ Feldenkrais and The Feldenkrais MethodÆ by Mark Reese, PhD. This article appears on the website of the Reese Movement Institute (www.feldenkraisglobal.com/)

The Process of FUNCTIONAL INTEGRATIONÆ "How can something so gentle work so powerfully?" Ralph Strauch, Ph.D.describes Functional Integration. A revisedAcrobat (.pdf) version of the file can be found on his website: www.somatic.com

Research Summary. A summary of recent research indicates that the Method has a wide range of applications.

Acting

Interview with Alan Questel Reprinted from ATME: Association ofTheatre Movement Educators. Author Tommy St Cyr is well known in the fields of Drama, Movement and Voice.

Image, Movement, and Actor: Restoration of Potentiality
Feldenkrais' ideas and techniques of movement-training is taken from two of his essays, "L'Expression Corporelle" and "Mind and Body." This material is interspersed with selections from an interview with Dr. Feldenkrais by Richard and Helen Schechner in Tel-Aviv during June,1965. With thanks to: Institute for the Study of Somatic Education

Anxiety

Perspectives on Anxiety by Donna Ray M.A. M.F.T. Anxiety shows itself in many ways. When people remember traumatic events like a car accident or loss of a loved one, at the moment of recollection there can be an overwhelming sense of reliving the experience, muscles tighten up, posture and breathing change and the fear or anxious feeling can be gripping.

Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral Palsy and the Feldenkrais Method. Gregg Dennis writes, "The quickest way for those with CP to achieve results from the Feldenkrais Method is to take regular Functional Integration lessons. With this technique, the practitioner gently moves the student and uses other kinds of light touch to teach the student's brain and body how to work together more smoothly, and with more control and less spasticity. Designed to enhance mental and physical functioning, the technique is noteworthy for the profound improvements it produces in movement, as well as the accompanying sense of vitality and self-esteem."

Dance

Getting Inside the Dance. Dancers experience many different approaches of learning movement. the Feldenkrais Method enhance the creativity potential of making dances. An Interview with Julie Casson Rubin.

Multiple Sclerosis

The Feldenkrais Phenomenon by Charles Fox .
Suffering from Multiple Sclerosis, Mr. Fox describes the positive changes he found through lessons he received from Dr. Feldenkrais in San Francisco and Tel Aviv in 1977 . He does an excellent job of providing a basic explanation of the Method and of giving a sense of the man who developed it. See also other articles on the Method on the website of the Institute for the Study of Somatic Education

Music

Interview with Paul Rubin Reprinted with permission from The AmericanSuzuki Journal. Author Linda Case is Associate Professor of Violin at Ithaca College, is also concertmaster of the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra and frequent soloist and chamber music performer. With thanks to: Institute for the Study of Somatic Education

Pain and Injury

An Interview by Donna Ray on Recovery from Pain & Injury, The Feldenkrais Way. Donna Ray, Feldenkrais Practitioner, and Anne Frankl, a student of Donnaís, dialogued about Feldenkrais and how it helps with recovery from injury and pain.

Pelvic Health

Pelvic Health. The pelvic floor is a part of your body that you rarely give thought to, that is, until you experience a problem related to it. In this article, Deborah Bowes discusses the function of the pelvic floor system and how it relates to health.

Sciatica

Healing Sciatica using the Feldenkrais Method. Gregg Dennis writes, "Many people turn to the Feldenkrais Method for relief from conditions that have not been healed by other methods. One such condition is sciatica, a chronic pain in the buttock and leg that is caused by pressure upon the sciatic nerve. Among those who have found tremendous relief from sciatica through the Feldenkrais Method is Ramon Castro, a veteran San Diego criminal defense lawyer..."(click to read more)

Singing and Music

John Tarr writes in "Feldenkrais Lesson at the Conservatory of Music", "This is the story of a Feldenkrais lesson given to a voice student as part of a team-taught master class for singers. Annelise Kohler - voice teacher at the Conservatory of Music in Bern, Switzerland - and I have been experimenting with this novel format since November of 2006. Each morning and afternoon session begins with Annelise leading the participants through vocal warm-ups. Then, in ensemble, they sing a chorale. Next, I teach a Feldenkrais Awareness Though Movement lesson..." (click to read more)

Stress and Burnout

Andrea Higgins writes, "Job burnout is a phenomenon that has been gaining attention, especially among those in the helping professions. Characterized by feelings of depletion in energy and enthusiasm, it is brought on by chronic behavior patterns of giving selflessly to others at the expense of oneís own physical, emotional, and spiritual health. Even the most dedicated and motivated dance teacher can be susceptible to burnout." Higgins recommends FELDENKRAIS as the most effective method for dealing with stress.

Seniors

Anti-Exercisefor the Older and Wise Frank Wildman, PhD, describes the benefits for seniors.(A revised version of this article can be found on his website: www.movementstudies.com)

Theory/Connections

The Feldenkrais Method and Dynamic Systems Principles by Mark Reese. This article appears on the website of the Reese Movement Institute (www.feldenkraisglobal.com/)

Research

The Feldenkrais Method in Clinical Applications by Frank Wildman, PhD.
Research/Bibliography - International/Multilingual