I often recommend Dr. Andrew Weil’s book Spontaneous Healing to people who find Feldenkrais because of disease, disorder, diagnosis, or pain. Because Weil is an MD, he carries a certain reassuring authority for many people. And because he begins his book by acknowledging that doctors often see unexplainable, sudden healing, he creates an atmosphere of possibility. Nurturing and supporting that sense of possibility helps to support self healing and gives people the courage to continue experimenting with Feldenkrais after being told by a doctor that there’s nothing that can be done by medical science.
Dr. Weil is a fan of the Feldenkrais Method, and recommends its use: “for the treatment of any kind of neurological injury or insult, especially since it claims success in training the nervous system in developing and utilizing new pathways around areas of damage. Feldenkrais has specifically demonstrated success in helping to rehabilitate stroke victims. It is also effective with head injuries and other neurological conditions such as cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis. Feldenkrais can be an effective part of an integrative-medicine approach to any painful condition from degenerative arthritis to fibromyalgia. Because it can help a person feel more comfortable within his or her body, Dr. Weil also feels that Feldenkrais can be an effective adjunct to psychotherapy and the treatment of mood disorders.” You can click here to read a the full article, including a nice description of Feldenkrais that he has on his website.