Abuse Allegations in the Feldenkrais Guild Community
I am aware of the various allegations of sexual harassment and abuse that have come to light in the Feldenkrais Guild community.
Most of the allegations that I have seen are in regards to Guild Certified Feldenkrais Trainers and others involved in Guild Certified Feldenkrais training programs.
A 2018 Call for Accountability
In 2018, during an International Feldenkrais Federation meeting, a document was presented titled:
"Us Too – The #metoo Movement & Mature Behavior: A Call for Transparency, Action and Accountability in The Feldenkrais World"
“We, the Undersigned, have experienced, witnessed or have been informed of harassment and abusive behavior in Feldenkrais® Training Programs and Advanced Trainings by both teaching and administrative staff members and visiting practitioners (EDs, Trainers, Assistant Trainers, Practitioner Assistants and/or experienced Practitioners), which has negatively impacted students and staff members on many levels.”
“Some events are recent, others date back more than 35 years. Abusive behavior has been tolerated, dismissed, minimized, ignored, negated, covered up, and its seriousness disregarded by the leaders of the Feldenkrais Community for decades...”
You can read the full document here:
Feldenkrais Abuse Allegations
Reaching Out for Answers
Update from September 21st, 2022:
I have sent several emails to people in the FGNA and other international Feldenkrais Guilds, asking them to comment on the abuse allegations.
In particular, I contacted:
- Elinor Silverstein, longtime FGNA Board Member. Moshe Feldenkrais's Niece
- Roger Russell, a so-called Senior Feldenkrais Trainer in Germany
- Jerry Karzen so-called Senior Feldenkrais Trainer and Moshe's "traveling companion
- David Zemach Bersin so-called Senior Feldenkrais Trainer
Initially, none of them responded.
However, Jerry Karzen eventually did. He sent me an email saying that I belong in a mental institution for bringing the allegations to light. You can read his verbatim comments here.
Allegations Spanning 40 Years
The abuse allegations are numerous and cover a period of nearly four decades—starting with the Amherst Training in 1981 and continuing at least through 2017.
These include:
- Harassment and bullying of male and female students and Assistant Trainers
- Allegations of rape and coercion
- Claims that several Trainers held contests to see who could have sex with the most students
- Accusations of male Trainers blocking women from becoming certified Trainers or advancing professionally
The majority of these allegations appear to center around what are often referred to as "The San Francisco Trainers"—those who trained with Moshe Feldenkrais during the 1975 San Francisco training and later began calling themselves “trainers” after his death in 1984.
Not coincidentally, some of these same individuals are alleged to be working behind the scenes to suppress investigations into their colleagues.
A Short Timeline
January 30, 2018
FGNA reported that Frank Wildman “relinquished” his membership and status with the organization. Unfortunately, the Guild deleted the page discussing his departure. But a summary remains available via the Case Text legal research website:
“Wildman's relationship with the FGNA ended on January 22, 2018, when the FGNA and Wildman entered into a confidential agreement amidst allegations of misconduct... Wildman acknowledged that he is no longer an FGNA member... and agreed not to teach or practice the Feldenkrais® Method.”
Feldenkrais Guild of N. Am. v. Wildman, CASE NO. 18-cv-2340-YGR, 3-4 (N.D. Cal. May. 23, 2018)
I have since come into possession of this agreement. It notes that 14 people filed ethics complaints against Wildman.
You can view the signed PDF agreement here.
The “MeToo” Movement in Feldenkrais?
Around the time of Wildman’s departure, two private Facebook groups were created for Feldenkrais practitioners and students to discuss the incidents—one for women and one for men.
Years have passed, but to date, these groups have made no public statements, other than the 2018 IFF document mentioned above.
To the best of my knowledge, no Feldenkrais Guild has issued any official statement on the matter.
Many practitioners and assistant trainers have told me they don’t want to speak out in public. They say they want to “protect the method.” They want to deal with these issues in house, out of public view.
That is deeply unfortunate.
If the allegations are true, then there is a history of abuse and violence in the Feldenkrais Guild system that goes back more than 40 years. And it is clear that the various Feldenkrais Guilds have demonstrated very little ability to police the behavior of the Feldenkrais Trainers.
Something Must Be Done
It seems to me, that people in the Feldenkris Guild community need transparency and action.
The public, students, assistant trainers, and practitioners need to know what’s happening in Guild Certified Feldenkrais Trainings.
They need to know if their training environment is safe.
They need to know that sexual predators, abusers, and bullies are being protected by a system that values silence over accountability so that action can be taken to create a safe training environment.
