Trying the Feldenkrais Method for Chronic Pain

Author: Jane E. Brody (Excerpt from The New York Times)

After two hourlong sessions focused first on body awareness and then on movement retraining at the Feldenkrais Institute of New York, I understood what it meant to experience a profound shift in how my body functioned.

For years, I had dealt with chronic, nagging back pain. Traditional physical therapy offered temporary relief, but the pain always returned. The Feldenkrais approach was entirely different. It wasn't about strengthening muscles or stretching tight tissues; it was about retraining the brain.

A Lesson in Awareness

The practitioner guided me through incredibly slow, subtle movements, asking me to pay close attention to how different parts of my body connected. I realized I had been holding immense tension in my ribs and pelvis, bracing myself against the pain in a way that actually perpetuated it.

By learning to move with less effort and greater awareness, I found that my pain significantly diminished. The Feldenkrais Method taught me that chronic pain is often a habit of movement and tension, and that by changing the habit, we can change the pain.