I have begun disentangling myself even more from the Feldenkrais name and trademarks. Though I have not been a member of the Feldenkrais Guild for nearly 20 years, I have always had an affinity for the Feldenkrais name and some of his ideas. But the recent abuse allegations against several of Moshe's direct students - and the resulting cover-up of the same - have convinced me to put the sometimes sordid and violent history of the Feldenkrais Guild behind me.
Feldenkrais was a genius in certain areas. And I give him great credit and respect for his work and work ethic. But he often acted in a violent and arrogant manner that was deeply and profoundly disrespectful to his students and their development. And given how imitative we human beings are (like it or not) many of Moshe's students have continued down the path of psychological and emotional violence.
Time to let it go and move on.
The future of somatics is yet unwritten.
And the authors of that future just might be you.
Update: February, 24th, 2023
Well, as of today, I am still using Feldenkrais. "Nagy Somatics" as a brand name does not work for me. "Second Order Somatics" does work for me, but the name is too geeky and strange, I believe. Even so, I have been fascinated by the topic of second-order thinking or recursive thinking for quite some time. In the movement realm, Moshe really got the idea that ever session and every movement had the ability to be refined more and more and that there are many avenues for continued improvement. He did not seem to understand that the same idea can be applied to human language. He often used language in a linear and limited manner, not understanding that his subjective ideas about his work - expressed in words -were but one way of phrasing individual and emergent understandings.
