Page 207 - Total War on PTSD Final

injury may not realize that he is still holding on to patterns from the injury. If he has broken his leg, he will shift his weight onto the uninjured leg and may never shift the weight back. Many of us have never learned certain ways of moving. Each of us have developed habits so deeply engrained that they don’t seem changeable. Our habitual ways of moving are difficult to detect because they are so much a part of us, even when they cause pain or discomfort. Inefficient movement leads to internal stress, muscular tension and shearing forces — forces that push one part of a body in one specific direction and another part of the body in the opposite direction.
As we mature, the brain continues to refine our movements by shedding what it perceives as unused movement patterns. We begin to rely on fewer and fewer patterns of action. These limited patterns cause dysfunction — moving in a way that undermines the system. Certain muscle groups and joints do most of the work while others remain inactive. These habitual and repetitive movement patterns can cause injury, pain, stiffness, compression of the spine, limited movement and poor posture. We don’t give old habits up until we acquire a better way of moving to replace the old. Dr. Feldenkrais said, “In order to change our mode of action, we must change the image of ourselves that we carry within us.”
Feldenkrais lessons direct attention to qualities of sensation, such as how we allow the floor to support us, skeletal support, ease of movement, the sense of the physical dimensions of the body, and how body parts move through space. Having more ways to sense your body gives you more choice in how to move.
Feldenkrais practitioners guide clients in revisiting developmental paths, such as how to roll and crawl. We explore functional themes, such as coming to stand from sitting. We
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