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Feldenkrais Research Journal • volume 3 (2007)

Article

Research and the Feldenkrais Method:
Sharing a Different Vision with the World

Matt Taylor
PhD, PT, RYT, Dynamic Systems Rehabilitation

Abstract
The practice of the Feldenkrais Method affords both teacher and student new lenses through which to
experience the world. The perspectives gained by participating in a Feldenkrais lesson expand both
parties’ awareness while fostering creativity and efficient action. The understanding and sharing of this
phenomenon is critical in our world today as human beings face increasingly complex and urgent
challenges that require such creative action. As an outsider looking in, there appear to be many important
opportunities for the Feldenkrais community to contribute to the body of human knowledge through
research.

Stephens and Ginsburg provide excellent summaries of the technical aspects and limitations of research
on the Feldenkrais Method. This article acknowledges those issues, but will address practical
observations for consideration. Looking beyond the obvious studies of relative measurable movement
improvement and direct comparison trials of intervention types, the Feldenkrais Method has many
opportunities to influence traditional movement research and also bridge movement into the various social
sciences. How this might be done, including possible study suggestions and questions will be addressed
first. Additionally, suggestions are offered on how research on the Feldenkrais Method can enrich our
language and transform traditional movement paradigms by articulating and documenting new forms of
inquiry.

Keywords
Feldenkrais Method, movement research, paradigms of movement, somatic education

Copyright ©: The copyright for this paper remains with the author(s).

Please cite: (First published in the) Feldenkrais Research Journal, volume 3; 2007.

Service marks: The terms Feldenkrais®, Feldenkrais Method®, Awareness Through Movement®, ATM®,
Functional Integration®, and FI® are service marked terms of the International Feldenkrais® Federation
(IFF) and Feldenkrais professional guilds and associations in many countries. In keeping with academic
conventions, they will not be service marked in the entire text as may be required in nonacademic use,
but only for the first and most prominent use of the terms. In recognition that these phrases are formal
terms referring to specific practices within the Method, and to the Method as a whole, capitalization of all
the words in each term has been retained.

Published by the International Feldenkrais® Federation (IFF) https://feldenkrais-method.org
Available online at https://feldenkraisresearchjournal.org

https://feldenkrais-method.org/
https://feldenkraisresearchjournal.org


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Research and the Feldenkrais Method:  
Sharing a Different Vision with the World 
 
Matt Taylor PhD, PT, RYT 
Dynamic Systems Rehabilitaton 
 

The practice of the Feldenkrais Method affords both teacher and student new lenses 
through which to experience the world.  The perspectives gained by participating in a 
Feldenkrais lesson expand both parties’ awareness while fostering creativity and efficient 
action1.  The understanding and sharing of this phenomenon is critical in our world today as 
human beings face increasingly complex and urgent challenges that require such creative 
action.  As an outsider looking in, there appear to be many important opportunities for the 
Feldenkrais community to contribute to the body of human knowledge through research. 

This article is influenced by three levels of experience.  The first is as a consumer having 
attended many Feldenkrais workshops and personally experiencing the results of both 
Awareness of Movement (ATM) and Functional Integration.  The second level of experience 
is as a physical therapist of 25 years having employed certified Feldenkrais practitioners and 
introduced ATM lessons to patients as a form of therapeutic intervention and reading many of 
the classic Feldenkrais texts as personal professional self-development.  The third experience 
is over 10 years as a senior level yoga therapist, having trained predominantly in the 
integrative yoga therapy tradition that includes somatic education in all levels of its training.  
In the two somatic/mindfulness based rehabilitation clinics that the author directs, the shared 
principles of somatic movement education are used daily in both client care and personal 
development. 

Stephens2 and Ginsburg3 provide excellent summaries of the technical aspects and 
limitations of research on the Feldenkrais Method.  This article acknowledges those issues, 
but will address practical observations for consideration.  Looking beyond the obvious studies 
of relative measurable movement improvement and direct comparison trials of intervention 
types,4, 5  The Feldenkrais Method has many opportunities to influence traditional movement 
research and also bridge movement into the various social sciences.  How this might be done, 
including possible study suggestions and questions will be addressed first.  Additionally, 
suggestions are offered on how research on the Feldenkrais Method can enrich our language 
and transform traditional movement paradigms by articulating and documenting new forms of 
inquiry. 

 

Traditional Movement Research and Social Sciences 
The decision to use a Feldenkrais lesson in our clinic is driven by a number of factors, 

including expediency both then and at home (i.e. one activity vs. multiple exercises to address 
all of the movement components), immediacy of results, and to provide an environment for 
learning vs. repetition.  Research into each of the above areas would provide valuable new 
perspectives on the clinical reasoning process of traditional exercise prescription.  The impact 
in traditional physical rehabilitation settings of limited visits and restricted access to visits by 
third party payers has placed a premium on new solutions.  Routinely our clients present with 
20 – 40 previously prescribed exercises that require too much time, give no immediate 

   
IFF Academy 

Feldenkrais Research Journal 3 (2007) 
® 2007 by the author 

ISSN 1817-4000 



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benefit, and are by their report dreadfully boring.  Documentation of both the qualitative and 
quantitative experience of Feldenkrais ATM lessons could provide important new resources 
toward solving these issues in traditional movement settings. 

Closely related to this is the question of compliance to home lessons.  As a significant 
issue in traditional movement settings, is the Feldenkrais Method experience any different?  
Certainly there are challenges in methodology as ATM lessons by definition should lack 
standardization, but if students grasp the playful, inquiring nature of the movement, do they 
still get down on the floor any more often or effectively than individuals prescribed 
therapeutic exercise?  If so, why?  If not, why not?  How do students learn to explore on their 
own?  What do they discover when they do?  What is their decision making process to comply 
with the lesson frequency and is there a difference in prioritization of time vs. traditional 
therapeutic exercise given the many other options competing for their attention?  All of these 
questions might provide new insights when articulated from the multiple systems perspectives 
of the Feldenkrais Method compared with the more linear approach of traditional western 
movement science. 

This multiple systems perspective can serve as a bridge into the social sciences as well, 
utilizing many tools of measurement regarding quality of life, satisfaction and personal 
efficacy6 that is available in the social sciences.  How does increasing efficiency of movement 
influence these areas of human experience?  Should mental health and spiritual counselors 
and therapists be screening gross movement inefficiencies as part of their intake process for 
referral to movement educators?  To the Feldenkrais practitioner the answer is obvious, but 
who has documented or published the evidence to influence the social scientists and 
practitioners to modify their practice?  Would this open up important new referral sources for 
somatic educators?  Can the Feldenkrais Method contribute to the development of the 
language of awareness in such a way that it bridges professions that are discovering the 
integral nature of consciousness and perception that is available within the Feldenkrais 
Method?  Is the Feldenkrais community up to the larger challenge of moving the collective 
awareness along those important incremental steps of learning through the rigor of meeting 
the student (professions) where they are in their traditional understanding? 

Should the Feldenkrais community be up to the above task, a final important point that 
requires investigation and substantiation for both traditional movement providers and the 
social sciences is the concern regarding increased, limited accessibility to care.  Part of this 
problem is due to the economic constraints of the one-on-one model of care so dominant in 
the western medicine.  What would be the influence of the Feldenkrais Method demonstrating 
the efficacy of ATM lessons for various diagnosis specific groups where students obtain 
measurable benefit at marginal cost as has already been demonstrated for some groups?7,8  All 
of these questions point to what seems to be one part of Feldenkrais’ role in the 
transformation of human consciousness and society that is presently underway.  

 

Enriching and Transforming Paradigms of Movement 
Clear and well-articulated research of the Feldenkrais Method will be an important 

component in transforming paradigms of movement/action/relationships in our communities 
and the world.  Feldenkrais practitioners ask embodied questions in a disembodied world.  
They recognize the importance of their own personal practice of development and awareness 
in the student-teacher interaction.  Recording and describing such a phenomena would 
revolutionize the subtle, but stark dehumanized process underway in traditional 
movement/health care professions.  There provider and receiver are hurried, unconsciously 
violent to themselves by the unmitigated stress of work productivity levels and spiritless 
interactions with those with whom they are supposing to be caring for in their suffering. 

As each reader knows, once awareness has been expanded beyond the old limitations, it 
is difficult, if not impossible to ever return to that previous limited perspective. As a fellow 



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somatic educator who “can’t go back”, hopefully each of you will take on the above 
mentioned opportunities as your response-ability to changing our world.  Be it through 
research, financial contributions to those that do the research, or raising local awareness, the 
time is now to take ‘skillful action9’. 
 
 



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References  
1. Guimond, O:  “Who’s there? / Who goes there?” Point of View of the Feldenkrais 
Method® of Somatic Education, Feldenkrais Research J, 2; 2005 
 
2.  Stephens, J: Evaluating Research on the Feldenkrais Method from the Outside. 
Some observations and suggestions. Feldenkrais Research J, 1; 2004 
 
3. Ginsburg, C:  On Research. Feldenkrais Research J, 1; 2004 
 
4. Lundblad I, Elert J, and Gerdle B:  Randomized Controlled Trial of Physiotherapy and 
Feldenkrais Interventions in Female Workers with Neck-Shoulder Complaints. J of 
Occupational Rehabilitation, 9 (3); 1999: 179-94 
 
5  Gutman G, Herbert C, Brown S. Feldenkrais vs Conventional Exercise for the Elderly. 
J Gerontology 32(5); 1977: 562-72 
 
6. Stephens JL, Call S, Evans K et al. Responses to Ten Feldenkrais Awareness Through 
Movement Lessons by Four Women with Multiple Sclerosis: Improved Quality of Life. 
Physical Therapy Case Reports  2(2): 1999: 58-69 
 
7. Stephens J, DuShuttle D, Hatcher C, Shmunes J, Slaninka C. Use of Awareness 
Through Movement Improves Balance and Balance Confidence in People with Multiple 
Sclerosis: a Randomized Controlled Study. Neurology Report  25(2) 2001: 39-49 
 
8. Stephens J, Pendergast C, Roller BA, Weiskittel RS: Learning to Improve Mobility and 
Quality of Life in a Well Elderly Population: The Benefits of Awareness Through Movement. 
Feldenkrais Research Journal 2; 2005 
 
9 The Bhagavad-Gita 5:10 
 


