New Feathers, New Hat

Connection Matters      Movement Matters      Mindfulness Matters

“So…why’d you become a Feldenkrais teacher?   And what’s the difference between that and physical therapy, anyhow? ”

I get asked this A LOT.  I became a physical therapist in 1975 because I wanted to help people, stamp out disability, and cure mankind.

Lofty, no?

As a young PT, I didn’t just want to help people and make them feel better, I wanted to save them.  I took as many post graduate classes as I could find.  I found that once I was out of school, I loved learning. I took loads of courses on neurophysiologically-based treatment approaches. I took too many manual therapy courses to count.  I had studied with Maggie Knott herself and was considered a PNF expert.  I served on the faculties of two physical therapy programs.  

Still, I had nagging doubts.

Why did some patients recover quickly and fully, while others did not?  

Even when dysfunctions or disabilities were similar, about 20 percent of the folks I worked with just did not get better, though I certainly did just about the same thing on everyone.

So what was up? 

I decided that I needed see something different.  I needed to look at what I had learned, how I learned it, and what I thought I knew. I realized that being a “therapist” who knew everything, wasn’t working.  It was actually a heavy burden. I didn’t want to work with people by rote and I certainly did not want to “burn out.”

Well, I would soon find out that we don’t get better answers until we start asking better questions; and I was clearly asking the wrong ones concerning my patients. 

I decided to get out of my “box.”

What??  I didn’t even know there was a box…let alone that I was *in* one!  So how could I get out?   

I knew there was more, and, I knew it had something to do with the brain and the body/ brain connection.  That meant it had to involve movement.

I heard about the Feldenkrais Method®  and it looked interesting. I went to an introductory workshop with trainer Mark Reese, who was later to become a mentor to me.  The first day of that workshop, I thought I already knew what he was saying.  I knew about the brain, right?

The second day, when he worked on students, after I picked up my jaw, I said to myself (and to anyone who would listen), “I need to know what he knows, see what he sees, touch the way he touches.”  I was sold.  I knew I had to learn THIS approach.

When I started my training to become a Feldenkrais Teacher® in 1988, I thought I was going to get another feather in my cap.  Another tool for my toolbox, if you will. 

  

I would then be the BEST PHYSICAL THERAPIST EVER.

What I soon found out was that what I was getting was a whole new cap.

I am privileged to have had the opportunity to go from being a therapist who “fixes” people to one who helps people learn.  I teach them how to pay attention to how they are moving, and empower them to become investigators who can explore how they hold tension and how to change the habits that are the culprits of their pain or other issues.  I also learned how to learn with them.  Better still, I found I didn’t have to KNOW all the answers. I just had to help them ask better questions.  Our dialogue became not about what was wrong but about what was happening. I now help my student (rather than patient) sense and feel what has been invisible to her. Together we explore how to use her whole self differently, or more efficiently.

This delights me, this exploration and discovery.   And I love that this method is soundly based in the science of neuromuscular reeducation and neuroplasticity.  Current research tells us that by utilizing mindfulness and motor and sensory information, the brain can reorganize and form new pathways for thinking, learning, and recovering skill.  

We all are controlled by the information we give our brain, and by the information our brain gives back to us.

I love this work because I too, explore, discover, and grow.  My specialty is working with Baby Boomers, who, like me, want to keep moving and stay fit as we age.  We are limited by our habits, and we can’t change if we aren’t aware of them.

 Check out my new hat, full of beautiful feathers. 

I look forward to continued awareness and learning every day.

All plumed,

Beth

Best Foot Forward

Connection Matters   Movement Matters   Mindfulness Matters

                     

Why do my feet hurt??

Many baby boomers come to see me with the same complaint:  excruciating heel pain in one or both feet.  I feel like it is becoming an epidemic!   I can’t say for certain, but I believe it’s because we’re exercising more than the generation before us; and we have greater expectations of aging gracefully.

I’m often asked, “Should I walk less?  Stretch more?  Tighten my core?  Get a massage?  Change my shoes?”  These are examples of advice given by most professionals who treat plantar fasciitis,  (heel pain that spreads to the underside of the  foot)  which seems comes on for no APPARENT reason.

They have taken anti-inflammatories.  They have eased activity.  They have been stretched, taped and braced.

But the pain always comes back. 

People ask if I treat sore feet.  As Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais said, “I treat people, not diagnoses.” 

What do I do differently?   I help you figure out another way *to do* your activity, not *stop* doing it.

First, you must start learning how you move.  Here are some simple steps you can take right now:

1.       How often do you notice your feet when they aren’t hurting?  Touch your feet.  Play with them, the way you did when you were a child.      Meet Maddie   Adorable right?

She’s actually working as she is playing in this picture.  Her job right now is to form connections in her brain because that’s how her brain develops and learning occurs.   Babies play with their feet because it’s how they form those critical connections.

So how do we re-connect with our feet as adults?  The same way we did when we were Maddie’s age. Take the time to get to know them again by playing with them!

We need to explore the way babies do.  We need to let go of old patterns that no longer work for us and form new sensory and motor pathways that will in turn improve skill and action.  (And don’t worry, we can learn a lot without sucking on our toes…unless, of course you wish to.)

2.       Think of your foot as a triangle; the ball of your foot by your big toe, the ball of your foot by your little toe, and your heel.  Notice the triangle as you sit with your feet on the floor, as you stand, and as you walk.  Pay attention to how each part feels on the floor.

3.       Sit on a chair and put a tennis ball under your foot, one foot at a time.  Allow the ball to roll in different directions under your foot as you move your leg.  This is something you can do easily as you sit and watch TV.

You are never too old.

You need to rediscover what you already know but have forgotten:  how to move with comfort and ease in order to maintain your vitality.  It’s the key to being free from pain.

Once you do this I promise you, you’ll never think of your foot the same way!    You’ll have opened the door to awareness…and that’s the first step toward healing.  You need to rediscover what you already know but have forgotten:  how to move with comfort and ease in order to maintain your vitality.  It’s the key to being free from pain.

When we work together, we’ll explore how your body connects to itself; and to your brain.  Remember, it’s not about muscles, it’s about movement.  We’ll explore how you move and discover what works best for your body.  I help people learn.  We work together to discover the way you, as a unique individual, move.   I help lead you to a place where you can do whatever activity you want ; not through stress or effort, but through comfort and mindfulness.

Exploration and awareness is thedifference that makes the difference.

Stepping into awareness,

Beth

I am constantly asked “What do you do.” “What is Feldenkrais?” “Why and how do you do it?” And, “ How do you pronounce it?” 

Welcome to my blog. I will give my best shot at answering these questions and MORE.

The Four Questions

What do you do?

Recently, I attended an open house in support of a friend's newly opened psychotherapy office. When I arrived, my friend eagerly introduced me to the crowd.  It went something like this:

“Everyone, I would like you to meet my friend Beth.  She’s an OT (occupational therapist.)” Upon seeing my shaking head, she corrected herself.  “PT.”, she offered.  “Well,”  I began.   “I am a physical therapist by license and education, but I don’t do traditional physical therapy.” 

Huh?

It’s pretty common to see the stares go rapidly from confusion to curiosity.   It’s easy to say what I don’t do.  But trying to explain what I do do is another thing altogether. 

After a pause, I said, “I help people live the life they choose.”  I provide a laboratory where they can explore how they move so that they can do what they want to do.”

More blank stares.

“Do any of you have a physical issue that stops you from doing your favorite activity?” I asked.   One woman instantly volunteered her experience with an old back injury that often takes her out of commission.  She had seen many professionals and had even been told that she has arthritis in her spine.  She tries to stand up very straight and do the recommended exercises every day, but all that seems to make it worse.  Her age?  Just 52!

           

I told the group, the now-rapidly growing group, that folks like her are exactly who I work with.  But instead of trying fix from the outside, I help people explore how they move.  Once they understand that, they can help their bodies do their own healing. 

What is FELDENKRAIS?

The Feldenkrais Method is scientifically-based.  It is not physical therapy.  It is not massage.  We do not make diagnoses or prognoses.  We apply the science of brain plasticity and movement mechanics.

In order for change to occur, we must work with the whole body, along with the brain.  The brain tells our muscles what to do, then the muscles tell the brain what has just happened.  It’s an ongoing communication.  Using this model, clients learn how to move better, which means less pain.  There are so many parts of ourselves that are invisible to us.  When I teach my students how to pay attention to what they are doing, they suddenly feel and experience the difference.     

Once a person learns what she is doing, as Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais once said, “She can do what she wants.”

Why do you do it?

Why?  This is an easy one......Because it works.

My clients quickly discover that they can move more easily.  With continued guidance from me, they root out movements and ideas about movements that have been overusing muscles and joints; becoming more aware of  habits and patterns that cause pain.  Once a person learns to move in a way that doesn't hurt, they have control and are able to go back to doing activities they want to do and  living a pain-free life. 

I give gentle, individual hands-on sessions as well as group classes where people move themselves.  In both, students learn to move in a variety of ways, allowing them to figure out what works for them.  I also do workshops, regular weekly lessons, and private sessions by appointment.  I can work with many ages and conditions, but my specialty is working with Baby Boomers who want to continue living an active lifestyle.  I also specialize in working with folks who have not been helped by other professionals and are looking for a way to continue living life to the fullest.

So, how the heck do you pronounce it?

 Feldenkrais, rhymes with paradise. 

To connection, movement, and mindfulness,

Beth R