Page 179 - Total War on PTSD

because she could feel when her system was becoming irritated. “It feels good to feel myself,” she said.
Conclusion
Most Veterans ascribe to the philosophy of “no pain, no gain” and to the idea that you have to keep pushing through no matter the cost. While these concepts might get the mission done or save a life in combat, they are not useful for learning. By slowing down, doing less and focusing on the process and the experience rather than the end result, the Veteran can feel and regulate the input and the changes that are occurring. Because stimulation takes place below the usual threshold of discomfort and awareness, it avoids evoking the body’s habitual defense mechanisms which are resistant to change. Patience, compassion, gentleness, and flexibility are necessary when recovering from trauma.
Movement and emotion are always intertwined. Our thoughts and emotions live in our physical body and can only be expressed through our bodies. We might manifest fear in the way our breathing changes or anger in the way our muscles contract. Changing our physical self can change the way we experience our thoughts and emotions. Individuals affected by brain injury, trauma, physical or emotional abuse, or symptoms of PTSD often find the Feldenkrais Method a resource to restore a sense of calm and balance. It can bring a Veteran into a profoundly different way of being with himself or herself.
Humans are unique in their capacity to make choices about how they respond to the world. We have the ability to discover new ways of dealing with information and can modify our responses on the basis of the lessons we learn. However, this capacity to respond in a flexible manner can be easily disrupted by PTSD. With the Feldenkrais Method, we can do many things that invite changes into the nervous system without triggering a traumatic experience.
Feldenkrais practitioners monitor cues to adjust lessons to students’ needs. Practitioners continually attend to comfort and pain levels. Throughout lessons, we observe students’ behavioral states including: relaxation and alertness, quantity and content of speech,
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