Patterns of Physical Transformation

Our job, in working with you, is to notice whatever we can notice that seems to be less than optimal functioning and then to communicate that information through the nervous system to the unconscious mind that's in charge of running all the functions and then to notice if in fact you begin functioning better. The unconscious mind is monitoring everything through the network of sensors that are built into the body. These sensors respond specifically to changes in particular parameters like pressure, movement, temperature, or vibration. These kinaesthetic inputs are the native language that the unconscious mind processes all the time. Unconscious minds also learn language. Since most of the time we don't even choose the words we say they just magically come out of our mouths, which is to say, that our unconscious mind chooses them for us. So a lot of things considered higher functions, like beliefs and mental strategies, may be more directly conveyed to the unconscious mind through language, but all the patterns of physiology most naturally respond to hands-on inputs. So the techniques, in our mode of working, are nonverbal, hands-on attempts to elicit responses from the person's unconscious mind that demonstrate immediate improvement in some aspect of their functioning. We notice things like muscle tensions, postural asymmetries, poor coordination of various parts as well as skin texture, coloration and temperature. We selectively feed back information through the natural channels in the native language in order to get the unconscious mind to better notice that part or parts. It institutes a whole constellation of changes to improve the healthy functioning of the person in that area as well as whatever other areas the unconscious mind chooses to change for the better. Over and over again we notice that when we feed back a specific bit of information and that particular bit changes, it does so only in concert with numerous other changes that we didn't specifically ask for. Your unconscious mind has your best interests foremost in mind. Medically this is called homeostasis. It's unfortunate that medical techniques generally ignore that there is this active intelligence running the physiology that is capable of doing a much more elegant and effective job, than one can from the outside. Unconscious mind generated changes are generative. That is to say, they set off a process of healing, rather then being just one change. When changes for the better start happening, we can usually enhance the process by amplifying the changes and feeding them back to the unconscious. Normally the unconscious is noticing how its intentions are working out and modifying what it does as the process unfolds. When an area has been functioning poorly, frequently with pain, the unconscious may not be normally observant, so it's especially important to amplify and feed back the changes. In an area that has been malfunctioning, many times it's very useful to help the process along by making it clearer to the unconscious mind exactly what the changes are so that it can make further refinements and modifications as we progress. The process of working with someone in this way requires that we be able to notice something that could be improved upon and that we have the skill to communicate effectively to the unconscious mind about it. We get to find out, if we have been effective by using our ability to notice changes for the better; and then we feed them back to the unconscious mind. It is then up to us to notice the rate at which the changes are occurring and to continue applying our method only as long as the progress continues to accelerate. This is the core of what Moshe Feldenkrais' work was about. This is also the same methodology of Richard Bandler. This is all applied cybernetics dealing with human functioning. This is the information age, so we're told. So systems for working with humans that attempt to manipulate them from the outside don't make any sense. They exhibit a fundamental misunderstanding about who is in charge of the physiology. It's not you and it's not me. It's the unconscious mind.

When a massage therapist finds a muscle that seems to be too tight and forcibly stretches it out, or a chiropractor finds a vertebra out of place and forces it back into place, or a yoga student pushes herself into a particular posture, or you take a drug designed to change your biochemistry for you, then all too often your unconscious mind contiIt keeps you healthy by monitoring what's going on and deciding if something needs to be done, or if whatever it's doing is complete, so that it can stop. Think about what happens with a small cut. Someone has to notice that blood is leaking where it shouldn't. That someone is not you, your conscious self, but rather this other mind. It's a good thing that it's not up to you because you wouldn't know what to do anyway. Certain clotting factors have to be activated. Sometimes blood flow patterns have to be altered or muscle tension patterns changed in order to help stop the flow of blood. Then only just the right amount of clotting has to be done and signals sent to stop the process at that point. Then cells need to be told to begin dividing and multiplying to make replacements for those that were damaged, regardless of whether to muscle cells, blood vessel, or skin cells of various types. All that has to be coordinated and noticed so that proper restructuring is accomplished. It takes incredible skill. We would have no idea how to manage all the variables in even this one simple physiological problem.