Page 173 - Total War on PTSD

highly individual matter; students are encouraged to learn at their own pace in a non- competitive manner.
Functional Integration
Functional Integration or FI lessons follow the same principles as ATM lessons but learning tends to be more rapid because the practitioner is working with a student’s specific issues. Practitioners use exploratory movement and subtle touch rather than words to teach the student, although practitioners may also ask questions or offer some verbal instruction/observation.
Practitioners are looking at the whole person in movement. The touch is informative and questioning. We look for where the student moves easily, where it is difficult to move; where movement is isolated, where it connects throughout the body. We ask, “Are there places where the student could move but is unaware that it is possible?” We suggest new ways of moving. The emphasis is on discovering the student’s particular habits of movement and on guiding them to safely find new alternatives. The goal is to engage the ability to use the skeleton both to provide support and to allow for free movement. When the skeleton is operating optimally, less muscular effort is required. Movement therefore becomes easier, more expanded, more comfortable, and more efficient. Pain is often reduced or eliminated.
FI offers the ability to make profound differences and can change the quality of a Veteran’s life. Learning must be slow and varied. When a person is given many paths to explore, then options appear that may not have been available before.
Each lesson is designed to meet individual needs and is custom-tailored to the student’s unique organization at that particular moment. Each lesson is also related to a desire, intention or need the student has. The practitioner’s goal is to create an environment for learning comfortably.
Strategies That Make the Feldenkrais Method Work
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