photo credit: Rosalie O’Connor

Welcome to the Feldenkrais Method® of somatic education Research and Resource Page

People often say, well, the ideas sound great, but is there any research to back this up? In fact there are hundreds of studies, published in legitimate scientific journals that validate the efficacy of the Feldenkrais Method in various applications, from aging well to high performance. We offer here a rotating selection of five top studies, as well as links to databases that offer plenty of evidence based research for your education or research project.

Selected Research Articles on the Feldenkrais Method

We’ve selected five articles from our current database that provide a sample of research covering different points of interest regarding aspects of the Feldenkrais Method. This is an excellent place to begin if you are new to reading research papers.These will be updated periodically to offer other reading choices. Input your text here! The text element is intended for longform copy that could potentially include multiple paragraphs.
 

1.Health-related Outcomes of the Feldenkrais Method in Children and Adults: State of the Art and Future Perspectives.  A one page overview of research studies presented in an easy to read format with graphs and pictures, The University of Memphis Researchgate, May 2017 Gerhild Ullmann

2. The Effectiveness of the Feldenkrais Method: A Systematic Review of the Evidence. A classic and scholarly paper which gives a more in depth discussion of research studies. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Volume 2015, Susan Hillier and Anthea Worley

3. Changes in neural resting state activity in primary and higher-order motor areas induced by a short sensorimotor intervention based on the Feldenkrais Method. A rare research study with 21 participants that used brain imaging to investigate the effects of Functional Integration® sessions done on the feet with the artificial floor while in a functional magnetic imaging scanner, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2015; 9. Julius Verrel, Eilat Almagor, Frank Schumann, Ulman Lindenberger, and Simone Kühn

4. Feldenkrais Movement Lessons Improve Older Adults’ Awareness, Comfort, and Function. A study of the effects of 12 Awareness Through Movement® lessons on older adults using both quantitative measures and the participants’ subjective opinions of change. Gerontology & Geriatric Medicine Volume 3: August 2017, Carolyn F. Palmer, Vassar College

5. Feldenkrais method and functionality in Parkinson’s disease: a randomized controlled clinical trial. A study of the effects of 50 sessions of a Feldenkrais® based exercise program on 30 participants with Parkinson’s, with functional measures done before and after. International Journal on Disability and Human Development, Volume 16, 2017 (first published 2016). Lavinia Teixeira-Machado​, Fernanda M. de Araújo​, Mayara A. Menezes, Fabiane A. Cunha, Thainá Menezes, Clecia da S. Ferreira, Josimari M. DeSantana. University Hospital of the Federal University of Sergipe (UFS) in Aracaju, Sergipe, Brazil.

 Research Resources

Articles By Category

These approximately 259 articles have been compiled and are being maintained by Feldenkrais® Practitioner Sue Seto. Each article has a one paragraph description. Time frame is from the 1990’s until 2018. Criteria have generally included articles with active links, and free access. Simply click this link to access the following categories:

  1. About the Feldenkrais Method
  2. Improving Well Being – This category includes Chronic Pain, Neurological Challenges, Aging Well and More.
  3. Peak Performance – The Performing Arts, Athletics and the Martial Arts

PubMed database

This link goes to 79 articles within PubMed found using the search term Feldenkrais.

PubMed is a free search engine accessing primarily the MEDLINE database of references and abstracts on life sciences and biomedical topics. The United States National Library of Medicine (NLM) at the National Institutes of Health maintains the database as part of the Entrez system of information retrieval.

Resources of the International Feldenkrais Federation

IFF Academy Feldenkrais Research Journal  

Published by the International Feldenkrais Federation. There are journals for the 6 editions for 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2006, and 2018-19. Each edition has from 10 to 21 articles from international contributors.

IFF Research Bibliography:

There are over 500 articles, including journal articles, book chapters, PhD theses and curated collections. There is a search capability.

New to reading research? Here is a basic article to introduce you to the ways you can take advantage of scientific publishing.