Feldenkrais and Erickson on “Mistakes”

Rare is the day when I do an event in the Ericksonian and psychotherapy world and do not fit in a "plug" for Feldenkrais. The areas of overlap are deep and profound. I have been threatening for years to write a book or long essay demonstrating how Feldenkrais could be considered a brief strategic therapist....at least at times. Here a couple of quotes from both men that might demonstrate the point:

“No person is able to correct a movement that has been made because it is in the past. He could do an additional movement, a better one, a worse one, but it already is impossible to fix the same movement. In other words, it is impossible to correct mistakes, mistakes of action are lost.” (Moshe Feldenkrais, Alexander Yanai, ATM Lesson #359: Tanden with bending the knees.)

And here a similar statement from Milton Erickson. He is using it to end a hypnosis and psychotherapy session with a client, helping them to get deeply absorbed in a new way of viewing the world.

Well, the deed is done and cannot be undone, so let the dead past bury its dead. Bring me only one more good tomorrow and you will go home tomorrow with another good tomorrow and another and another, and all the other good tomorrows are forever yours.” (Milton Erickson, Collected Papers 1, The Nature of Hypnosis and Suggestion, page 354.)

Note: When I first published these quotes on my old blog (deleted), five years ago, someone wrote in the comment section: "I read the quotation from AY 359 and liked it. As I read Hebrew and have the AY books in Hebrew, I checked lesson 359 (Tanden with bending the knees, or as it is marked in the AY book: Reel 24, track 2 lesson 6) and didn’t find anything even similar to this quotation."

So the quote appears in the English version but not the Hebrew (?). If anyone can verify that I would be most apreciative.

2 Comments

  1. Read the Hebrew text of the lesson: AY reel 24, track 2, lesson 6 and didn’t find anything similar to that quote.
    Very strange indeed….

  2. Thanks Daphne. Much appreciated. Someone else told me that it was not there….but then another person said the quote was there in Hebrew…but not exactly the same! So, at this point, I do not know what to think.

    Could it be a mistranslation? Or perhaps there is a better translation?

    cheers!

    Ryan

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