Feldenkrais Method for Treating Psychological Conditions

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Learn about the Feldenkrais Method and how the Feldenkrais Method can help treat depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and other mental health conditions.

Before engaging in any complementary medical technique, you should be aware that many of these techniques have not been evaluated in scientific studies. Often, only limited information is available about their safety and effectiveness. Each state and each discipline has its own rules about whether practitioners are required to be professionally licensed. If you plan to visit a practitioner, it is recommended that you choose one who is licensed by a recognized national organization and who abides by the organization's standards. It is always best to speak with your primary health care provider before starting any new therapeutic technique.

Background

The Feldenkrais Method was developed by Moshe Feldenkrais (1904 - 1984), a Russian-born Israeli physicist who was disabled from a knee injury. Dr. Feldenkrais called on his formal training in science and in the martial arts to develop an approach that aimed to help the body move in more natural and comfortable ways.

The technique involves stretching, reaching and changing posture in specific patterns. In some cases, it includes a form of massage. In general, the emphasis of the Feldenkrais Method is to provide supportive therapy or physical rehabilitation. The Feldenkrais Method has not historically been viewed as a curative approach to most diseases. Recently, the Feldenkrais Method has been studied as a means to improve muscle and joint pain, to improve quality of life in chronic conditions such as multiple sclerosis, and to reduce anxiety levels. Research is still early in these areas, without definitive answers.

The Feldenkrais Method can be offered only by practitioners who have trained in accredited programs. Practitioners are registered with Feldenkrais guilds worldwide. In the United States and Canada, practice of the Feldenkrais Method is not governmentally regulated.

Theory

The Feldenkrais Method is based on the concept that improving patterns of movement may enhance overall physical and psychological performance or recovery from disabling conditions. There are two basic components of the Feldenkrais Method: Awareness Through Movement and Functional Integration. These approaches may be used alone or in combination with each other.

Awareness Through Movement is an approach to body movement that is taught in group sessions by Feldenkrais practitioners. Practitioners verbally lead participants through a series of slow movement sequences that may involve everyday motions such as standing up, sitting down or reaching, but may also involve abstract movements. These sessions often last between 30 and 60 minutes and may be customized to the ability of individual participants. There are hundreds of Awareness Through Movement patterns, which vary in complexity and difficulty. The goals of Awareness Through Movement are to increase awareness of what types of movements work best for a participant, to find sequences of movement to replace uncomfortable or habitual patterns and to improve flexibility and coordination.

Functional Integration involves a hands-on private session with a Feldenkrais practitioner. Participants are fully clothed and may be in a lying, sitting or standing position. As with Awareness Through Movement, the emphasis is on helping participants develop patterns of movement that are efficient and comfortable. The practitioner may touch the participant and move muscles and joints gently within the normal range of motion. Movement sequences are customized to the individual, and through touch, the practitioner may demonstrate new movement patterns. An aim of these sessions is to help identify patterns of movements that are natural and comfortable. It is believed that by leading the body through more functional patterns of movement, the body may learn to move in beneficial ways, resulting in improvements in everyday activities or in symptoms related to medical conditions. Sessions generally last from 30 to 60 minutes.

Awareness Through Movement and Functional Integration are considered by Feldenkrais practitioners to be equivalent and complementary means of achieving improvements in movement patterns.