A certified practitioner since 1983, Dr. Goldman-Schuyler views the Feldenkrais Method® as a movement-based learning process that not only improves coordination, flexibility, and movement efficiency - but also transforms the way we think. While she is excited by the way this subtle process relieves pain and speeds healing after injuries or surgery, she is particularly interested in its use for changing long-standing life habits. She also works with adults and children with developmental disabilities using the Anat Baniel Method for Children.
- Individual sessions, mostly hands-on, individualize the learning process and accelerate improvement. The practitioner uses gentle touch to guide the learner's ability to sense how a person holds on and restricts freedom of movement unintentionally. Clients typically range from people with severe movement limitations (such as cerebral palsy) to people who simply wish to minimize the impact of long hours working on a computer.
- Workshops on the Art of Change combine Feldenkrais® movement with exploration of issues in personal and organizational change. People are pleased and surprised by the way change in many areas of their lives becomes easy and pleasant. Our downloadable article describes these workshops.
- Workshops in Somatic Awareness apply Feldenkrais movement to improving sports performance and simply moving with greater ease and comfort.
In all of these areas, learning may overcome limitations assumed to be permanent, despite the presence of injury or physical limitation. This change can occur because each time we repeat less-than-functional movements, in a sense we re-learn them. Unintentionally, we "teach" ourselves to continue to contract muscles that are unrelated to the desired gesture. The Guild-Certified Feldenkrais teacher® helps one "un-learn" these parasitical movements.
Although some doctors are unfamiliar with the Feldenkrais Method, Andrew Weil, M.D. has stated that it is "much more useful than standard physical therapy" for patients whose range of motion has been restricted by injury, cerebral palsy, stroke, fibromyalgia or chronic pain. (Samuel Benjamin, MD, Smart Choices in Alternative Medicine, Better Homes and Gardens Books, 1999, p. 62) It is rated as one of the best methods for addressing back pain in Steven Bratman, M.D.'s The Alternative Medicine Ratings Guide, (Prima Health, 1998, pp. 262-263). The Feldenkrais Method is recommended to "eliminate the problem altogether" and is described as "a powerful approach toward a permanent cure of chronic back pain." It is also listed in the The Alternative Medicine Ratings Guide as one of the best methods for long-term improvement with knee, shoulder, and neck pain.
The work provides a way to learn about oneself by using the way we move physically as a metaphor for the way we move through life. All of our learning is grounded in what we experience via our bodies, but western science and philosophy tend to ignore this. Increasingly, thought leaders are recognizing the implications of such theory and practice for business areas like knowledge management and product development (I. Nonaka and H. Takeuchi, The Knowledge-Creating Company, Oxford University Press, 1995). At COHERENT CHANGE, we understand this fundamental truth and seek to use it in our work, both in personal and organizational development. You may want to download a copy of our article which describes how movement-based learning contributes to transformational change.
Results
- "I felt totally different when I stood up - as if I were both stronger and yet more relaxed. And I found myself wanting to write down much of what Kathryn was saying about the work, because it applied so well to learning to ski, as well as helping my injured back to heal."
Malcolm Ridenour, Ski Instructor
- "I had a Functional Integration session with Kathryn to prepare for a summer of roofing. I found after the lesson that I could do heavy work and still move well. I had no pain all summer."
- "I used to have terrible lower back pain. Nothing helped until I worked with Kathryn about 15 years ago. I haven't had any trouble since!"
Ansley Hill, 84 years old
- "My lessons with Kathryn made a big difference in my Tai Kwan Do kicks. Before, my right leg was much more powerful. I was really happy because afterwards both legs had the same power!"
Nick Estren, Black Belt, 8 years old
- And after a series of intensive lessons, a woman in her fifties with cerebral palsy who has spent her life in a wheel chair commented, "I don't feel so uptight. I feel like I can work faster. People don't have to ask me what I've said as often - they can understand my speech better. I'm more relaxed. People count on me to do my job, and it is a huge responsibility. I don't feel like I could have handled it two months ago, but now I do. Between the new job and the changes I feel, people seem to be looking at me differently: I feel like they're seeing me as equal to themselves."
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Kathryn Goldman-Schuyler is a PSIA-certified ski instructor - and uses The Feldenkrais Method to improve awareness and performance in sports, as well as in organizations.
Read about how to become a practitioner of this work through studies with Anat Baniel, who is known world-wide for her extraordinary work with special needs children. You can also learn about the Feldenkrais Method and its use around the world or try a simple lesson on-line that you can do at your desk.
The terms Feldenkrais Method®, Feldenkrais®, and Guild Certified Feldenkrais Teacher® are registered service marks of the FELDENKRAIS GUILD® of North America.
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