The Potent Self

“The heritage of Moshe Feldenkrais proves its mettle year by year, as his original vision takes root among the thousands of practitioners and students who carry his method forward. His often brilliant turns of mind are scattered among a handful of books left to posterity. The Potent Self is one of the most important.”
—Don Hanlon Johnson, Professor of Somatics, California Institute of Integral Studies; editor of Groundworks and Bone, Breath, and Gesture

“The radical roots of Moshe Feldenkrais’ Method are clearly apparent in this book, displaying how his work evolved from his concerns about the deleterious effect of family and society upon the growth and development of human beings. Mark Reese’s new Foreword beautifully traces the historical and cultural context in which the book came about, and brings to life the current relevance of Feldenkrais’ thinking of fifty years ago. The Potent Self is still potent. It is well worth reading and rereading.”
—Carl Ginsburg, Ph.D., Feldenkrais Trainer

“Moshe Feldenkrais has created a towering body of knowledge. There is no other theory or practice that delves so knowingly and deeply into the relationship between the body, its reflexes, its habitual levels of muscular tension, and gravity. Feldenkrais [is] as seminal to somatics as Freud was to psychology.”
—Robert Shaw, M.D., Medical Director, The Family Institute of Berkeley, CA

Moshe Feldenkrais, D.Sc.

Moshe Feldenkrais, D.Sc., is the founder of the Feldenkrais Method. After suffering debilitating injuries, Feldenkrais embarked on a profound exploration into the interconnectedness of bodily movement with healing, sensation, thought, and learning. Through his personal journey of healing, he made groundbreaking discoveries that led to the development of the method now named after him.

The Feldenkrais Method has two primary components:

• Functional Integration: An individualized hands-on approach focused on neuromotor re-education.
• Awareness Through Movement: A group-based practice designed to enhance proprioception and learning through guided movement sequences.

Feldenkrais articulated his unique and subtle approach to facilitating human change and improving functioning in several influential books, including:

• Awareness Through Movement
• Body and Mature Behavior
• The Elusive Obvious

In addition to his work on the Feldenkrais Method, Dr. Feldenkrais authored books on Judo and was one of the first Europeans to achieve a black belt in the martial art.

Today, there are nearly four thousand Feldenkrais Method Practitioners worldwide. His insights have significantly contributed to the emerging field of somatic education and continue to impact various disciplines, including the arts, education, psychology, child development, physical and occupational therapy, sports enhancement, and gerontology.

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