Body and Mature Behavior

by FELDENKRAIS, MOSHEGINSBURG, CARL PHD

• ISBN13: 9781583941157
• ISBN10: 1583941150
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2005-09-08
• Publisher: Frog Books

Summary

A victim of debilitating injuries, Moshe Feldenkrais was intimately aware of the link between bodily suffering and mental health. Through healing himself, he made revolutionary discoveries, culminating in the development of the method that now bears his name. In an intellectually rich and eloquent style, Feldenkrais delves into neurology, prehistory, child development, gravity and anti-gravity, reflexive versus learned behavior, the effects of emotion, especially anxiety, on posture, and most importantly, the inseparability of body and mind.

Author Biography

Moshe Feldenkrais, D.Sc., is the founder of what is today called the Feldenkrais Method. As a result of suffering debilitating injuries, Feldenkrais began an intense exploration into the relationship between bodily movement and healing, feeling, thinking, and learning. In the process of healing himself, Feldenkrais made revolutionary discoveries, culminating in the development of the method that now bears his name. There are two aspects to his method: an individual manipulatory technique of neuromotor education called Functional Integration and a group technique called Awareness Through Movement. His unique and subtle approach to facilitating human change and to improving functioning is spelled out in a number of influential books, including Awareness Through Movement, The Elusive Obvious, and The Potent Self. Dr. Feldenkrais was also the author of a number of books about Judo and one of the first Europeans to hold a black belt in the art. Today there are nearly four thousand Feldenkrais Method practitioners around the world. Moshe Feldenkrais died in 1980 and his insights continue to contribute to the development of the new field of somatic education and continue to influence disciplines such as the arts, education, psychology, child development, physical and occupational therapy, sports enhancement, and gerontology.

Carl Ginsburg, Ph.D. is one of Dr. Feldenkrais’s original students and holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry. He has been involved with the Feldenkrais Method for thirty years.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	vi
Foreword	vii
Carl Ginsburg
Glossary	xxvi
Introduction	1	(12)
Degeneration and Ignorance	13	(8)
Some Pertinent Facts	21	(18)
Fatigue	39	(4)
Adaptation and Correlation	43	(7)
Learning---The Uniqueness of Man	50	(7)
Conditioned Reflexes and Habits	57	(18)
The Antigravity Mechanisms	75	(16)
Erect Posture and Action	91	(17)
Sensation and Vestibular Apparatus	108	(6)
The Body Pattern of Anxiety	114	(16)
Motility and Adjustment	130	(10)
``Measuring'' Posture	140	(6)
The Sixth Sense	146	(6)
Normal Gravitation Adjustment	152	(5)
Tonic Adjustment	157	(14)
Body and Emotions	171	(3)
Muscular Habit and the Sexual Act	174	(13)
Localization of Functions and Maturity	187	(10)
Summary and Review	197	(20)
Conclusions	217	(4)
Index	221