Page 214 - Total War on PTSD_FINAL

curiosity, leads to new movement patterns. Learning is not linear, especially not the type of organic learning that happens in every Feldenkrais lesson. If we practice each movement as if for first time, we will notice something new and learn something new each time. Practicing somatic movements is quite different than doing sit-ups or push- ups; it’s not about the quantity, it’s about the quality.
Pursuing an ideal movement in a regimented way does not lead to the kind of movement improvement stimulated by Feldenkrais lessons. In both ATM and FI lessons, practitioners use a number of strategies to generate the kind of variation that leads to learning: going slowly, breaking movement patterns into parts, reversing movements, and introducing novel movements that we would not normally do in everyday life.
Often “mistakes” occur. Sometimes the students do not understand the instructions; sometimes they have no comprehension of how to do a movement because they have never done it before. Mistakes may open whole new vistas and are sometimes incorporated into the lesson. In these conditions, the nervous system can begin to identify and reproduce the new movement options that are best for each student.
Feldenkrais believed that striving to do everything correctly can inhibit the possibility of learning from the natural variation that occurs in our performance from “errors.” Moreover, thinking in terms of error or negative judgment puts a person’s mind and body into a tense state that doesn’t help learning.
Why use the Feldenkrais Method if you have PTSD?
There can be several obstacles to moving on from trauma. Where trauma has occurred, self-protective mechanisms are triggered, which can lead to stiffness, pain, lack of movement and a sense of losing oneself. Emotions such as anger, fear and anxiety can
214 of 837