There is an article in the New York Times about the "Feldenkrais Method," called Trying the Feldenkrais Method for Chronic Pain. I am sure that the article will go viral in the Feldenkrais community and spark all kinds of positive comments. And why not? It is nice to have validation from a third-party. And the article will likely help some people come to this wonderful work.
But the larger issues will likely be missed. Here it is quite simply: You do not need someone with "medical" or "PT" training to engage in the process of getting in touch with your bodily sensations and awareness. And neither do you need someone who is a "Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner."
Learning about one's self and one's body and movement only requires the ability and desire to engage with the world and access to reasonably-priced sessions and transcripts. Licenses and credentials are not required. In fact licenses and credentials get in the way, as they create radically higher costs and thus limit the ability of the work to reach and help more people. And more to the point - to those who salivate over the idea of scientific evidence and research - there is no evidence that a higher level of training leads to better outcomes. Though it most certainly adds to the income of those running certification programs and training.
There is much more that I could say here. But for now, just realize that Feldenkrais is great work. And you can experiment with it yourself and for your self.
Update: Look if you have taken or want to take an in-depth Feldenkrais training, good for you. Go for it! I did the same nearly 30 years ago. I have a great deal of respect for those that do so. But realize that the rules for who can train and what can be taught and how were not designed to help spread the work. They were not designed to open you up to your potential. They were designed to protect the financial interests of a small number of people who took control of Moshe's trademarked terms when he died. Whatever you chose to do with Feldenkrais, do it for yourself and those who are important to you.
Here are some rarely talked about aspects of the Feldenkrais training process and Feldenkrais history.
