Somatics is a field of body‑mind study that invites you to meet yourself where you are—inside the body, from the inside out. The word comes from the Greek soma, meaning “the living organism in its wholeness,” and it points to the body as it is personally experienced, not merely as an object observed from the outside.

Somatics centers on internal physical perception—what you feel, sense, and notice in the moment. By cultivating that inner awareness, you can:

• Recognize subtle cues of stress, safety, pain, or ease before they become overwhelming.

• Re‑connect to your own choices, consent, and agency in movement and daily life.

• Bridge the gap between what’s happening in your nervous system and how you respond, supporting self‑advocacy and well‑being.

In short, somatics works through the body to engage the whole person—thoughts, emotions, intentions, and actions—so you can move, breathe, and live from a place of embodied clarity rather than external expectation.

Other somatic modalities include:

• Alexander Technique

• Feldenkrais Method®

• yoga

• Pilates

• tai chi & qigong

• Hakomi Method

• Somatic Experiencing®

• Rolfing Structural Integration®

• Body-Mind Centering

• TRE® (Tension and Trauma Release Exercises)

• Focusing

Some somatic modalities are incorporated with psychotherapy (talk therapy) and some, like Feldenkrais® and Autistic Somatics, stand alone as nonverbal practices that don't require describing your sensations, analyzing, or making meaning of your experiences.

The Feldenkrai​s Method® is a somatic‑education system that uses gentle, awareness‑based movement to help the brain and nervous system reorganize how it controls posture, movement, and self‑use. Developed by Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais—a physicist, engineer, and martial‑artist—the method stems from his own search for alternatives after serious knee injuries. Rather than prescribing “exercises” or “treatments,” it invites participants to explore subtle variations of movement while paying close, non‑judgmental attention to the sensations that arise.

Through this focused attention, the nervous system receives fresh sensory information that can reshape habitual movement patterns, reduce pain, improve balance and coordination, and increase overall well‑being. The method is offered in two formats:

• Awareness Through Movement® (ATM) – group‑based, verbally guided movement explorations.

• Functional Integration® (FI) – one‑to‑one hands‑on guidance that tailors the experience to the individual’s needs.

Because the approach is rooted in physics, biomechanics, learning theory, and modern neuroscience, it works for people of all ages, abilities, and health conditions, and it does not aim to “fix” anyone but to expand the repertoire of movement options the brain can draw upon.

"Moshe Feldenkrais was a pivotal figure in the science of somatics. Grounded in physics, biology, and learning, his method remains the most advanced and comprehensive basis available for developing human potential." (A Life in Movement: The definitive biography of Moshe Feldenkrais by Mark Reese)

“Genius, of the magnitude possessed by Moshe Feldenkrais, defies categorization… He could function at the highest level in nuclear physics, as a martial artist, as an inventor, as a developer of top-secret counterespionage projects, and as one of the most prescient observers of neuroscience.” - Norman Doidge, MD

You can also watch this 6.5-minute YouTube video: What is Feldenkrais ?

Neuroplasticity means your brain can change and rewire itself throughout your life.

Think of your brain like a sledding hill with paths worn into the snow:

• Old paths = habits, automatic responses, ways you've learned to move and react

• New paths = new ways of moving, sensing, thinking, feeling, and responding that you can create

Every time you do something, those paths get stronger. But here's the important part: you can make new paths, even if old ones are deeply worn.

Why This Matters for You

For late-identified autistic adults, neuroplasticity matters in several concrete ways:

• Masking has become automatic, but gentle somatic work creates space for new, unmasked responses

• Awareness Through Movement® lessons improve body awareness and brain pathways for interoception

• New nervous system patterns can interrupt the cycles of burnout

• Earlier detection of pain and overwhelm becomes possible through rewiring neural pathways

The Key Connection

This Feldenkrais-based approach works with neuroplasticity (how your brain learns best):

1. Bottom-up learning – Movement and sensation bypass the thinking brain that often fails under stress

2. Easy, non-forced movement – Creates safety signals that allow new pathways to form (stress blocks neuroplasticity)

3. Awareness over correction – Builds interoceptive pathways without shame or "fixing"

4. Repetition without strain – Strengthens new neural connections gradually

Important Truths to Hold

• Neuroplasticity isn't magic – It requires time, repetition, and safety

• It doesn't erase neurodiversity – It builds capacity within autistic nervous systems

• Late-identified adults face unique barriers – Decades of masking create deeply worn paths that take patience to shift

• Not all plasticity is positive – Chronic stress and trauma also wire the brain; somatic work can help reverse harmful patterns

The more consistently you engage in the practice, the stronger and more lasting these neural adaptations become.

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Eleven Principles of the Feldenkrais Method® From The Brain’s Way of Healing: Remarkable Discoveries and Recoveries from the Frontiers of Neuroplasticity by Norman Doidge M.D., 2015 (Viking Press)

In his book The Brain’s Way of Healing, Dr. Norman Doidge describes Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais as a scientist who was decades ahead of his me and one of the world’s most important, early “neuroplasticians”. Dr. Feldenkrais made a series of discoveries about how the human brain processes and learns new information and about the conditions that support successful sensory-motor learning.

In Chapter Five of The Brain’s Way of Healing, Dr. Doidge presents eleven of Moshe Feldenkrais’ discoveries, which later became core principles of the Feldenkrais Method®. In his book, Dr. Doidge goes into detail on each of these ideas, which you may recognize as being the basic principles in Awareness Through Movement® lessons.

1. The mind programs the functioning of the brain.

2. A brain cannot think without motor function.

3. Awareness of movement is the key to improving movement.

4. Differentiation—making the smallest possible sensory distinctions between

   movements—builds brain maps.

5. Differentiation is easiest to make when the stimulus is smallest.

6. Slowness of movement is the key to awareness, and awareness is the key to learning.

7. Reduce the effort whenever possible.

8. Errors are essential, and there is no right way to move, only beer ways.

9. Random movement provides variation that leads to developmental breakthroughs.

10. Even the smallest movement in one part of the body involves the entire body.

11. Many movement problems, and the pain that goes with them, are caused by learned

    habit, not by abnormal structure.

Hypermobility often comes with a weird mix of lots of movement capacity and not enough stability or clear feedback.

So you can move far…
but not always safely, efficiently, or comfortably.

The Feldenkrais Method® helps by teaching your nervous system how to organize movement better, not by stretching or strengthening harder.

In plain language, it helps you:

• improve proprioception (actually feel where your joints are in space)
• build stability without bracing or gripping
• distribute effort through your skeleton instead of overworking muscles
• reduce joint pain, fatigue, and injury risk
• find healthy boundaries inside large ranges of motion
• move with more balance, coordination, and confidence
• calm your nervous system, breath, and anxiety responses
• feel your body as connected and predictable, not wobbly or fragile

Because the lessons are slow, small, and gentle, they work with your neuroplasticity. Your brain learns safer, easier patterns that stick, instead of forcing your body into position.

So instead of:
“Hold yourself together harder.”

You get:
“Let your structure support you.”

Less effort.
Less guarding.
More comfort.
More trust in your body.

For hypermobile folks, that shift can be life-changing.

Fibromyalgia often feels like a nervous system stuck on high alert.

Touch hurts.
Movement feels risky.
Fatigue lingers.
And pushing through pain usually makes things worse, not better.

Feldenkrais® offers a different approach.

Instead of forcing strength or stretching harder, we use slow, gentle, low-effort movement to calm the nervous system and help your brain find easier, more efficient ways to move.

This can help you:

• reduce muscle tension and “tender point” sensitivity
• decrease pain and flare-ups
• improve energy and reduce fatigue
• move with less effort and strain
• breathe more freely
• feel safer and more comfortable in your body
• rebuild trust and confidence in everyday activities

The lessons are small and non-invasive, so they don’t overwhelm an already sensitive system. Many people notice more comfort and ease even after the first session.

Over time, your brain learns new patterns that replace the old cycles of bracing, guarding, and exhaustion.

Less pushing.
Less fear of movement.
More ease.

For many people with fibromyalgia, that shift opens the door back to daily life.

Because the digestive tract is regulated largely by the autonomic and enteric nervous systems—networks that also shape anxiety, sensory overload, and the “fight‑or‑flight” response—working with the body’s core (spine, diaphragm, and surrounding “ring” and “sheet” muscles) can create a more welcoming internal landscape for food, breath, and movement.

Absolutely. The patterns I'm most familiar with are sensitive nervous systems, AFAB folks gaslit by patriarchy and the medical system, and bodies that go a little haywire trying to survive capitalism.

I'm also familiar with the high-achieving/high-performing demands of classical music, dance, studio art, and academia.

The reason I focus on autistic folks is that people of similar neurotypes tend to understand each other better (see ‘double empathy problem’ and ‘triple empathy problem’), and working with autistic providers is often a game-changer for many autistic folks seeking support.

Here’s how to communicate clearly with your brain and nervous system:

• Move slowly
• Keep your movements small and simple
• Stay in the range that feels easy and comfortable
• Use the least amount of effort possible
• Pause and rest between movements
• Don’t aim to “do it right” — messy, playful, or goofy is perfect
• Skip anything that feels uncomfortable or forced
• Rest whenever you want — no pushing, no proving, no strain
• Pay attention to what you notice and feel (no need to label or explain it)
• When you’re finished, take a quiet moment to sense what feels different

I never require you to have your camera on, but I do highly encourage it. The way I teach, I’m following you to gauge pacing and what comes next. I’m noticing, for example, does your left shoulder or your right shoulder move more easily (not psychoanalyzing you or judging whether you’re doing it “right”).

It also helps me to know whether I’ve explained things clearly, so I can explain a different way if my instructions aren’t clear.

You’re encouraged to be messy, show up in your pajamas, and just be as you are in that moment. I won’t correct you, you don’t need to look at the screen, and you’ll never be recorded. If it’s a group class, the other participants will be doing the lesson themselves, not watching the screen. If your camera is off, I’m limited in my ability to personalize the lesson to you and your needs.

The Feldenkrais Method® has over a thousand different lessons that involve all different kinds of functional movement patterns. There are lessons that involve bigger, whole-body movements with the arms and legs, and there are lessons that work specifically with the eyes, for example. Repeating the same lesson is great, but you can also expect a large variety in the lessons we do and lessons available for a wide range of movement themes.

You can do the lessons sitting in a chair or lying on your bed. If there are movements that aren’t available or comfortable for you, you can do them in your imagination.

Because this works through neuroplasticity – the brain’s ability to reorganize its structure and connections as you learn – consistency is key. The more regularly you engage with the gentle movement practices, the more the new patterns become integrated into your nervous system and everyday life.

Often clients experience a noticeable shift after a single session, but it often takes more time, depending on how long you’ve been dealing with a specific difficulty, to really integrate the changes you’re looking for into your everyday life in a way that they last.

A Feldenkrais® lesson gently loosens old, automatic patterns and opens space for new ways of moving, breathing, and being in your body. Right after a lesson you may already feel subtle shifts—more ease in posture, a little extra range, lighter breathing, or a quiet lift in mood.

Take a moment to notice.
In the hours following a session your nervous system is still integrating those fresh possibilities. Stay present with yourself in a relaxed, non‑critical way. Simple actions such as:

• resting for a few minutes,

• taking a slow, mindful walk (preferably in comfortable shoes and without a heavy load),

• checking in periodically on how you’re moving, breathing, thinking, and feeling,

can reinforce the new pathways that are forming.

Avoid jumping straight into stress.
If you dive immediately into a demanding or stressful situation you’re less likely to register the changes, and the benefits may fade quicker.

Consistent, gentle practice leads to a steady, cumulative improvement over time.

In short: after each lesson, pause, observe, and move lightly—letting the neuroplastic shift settle before you return to the day’s demands. This small habit maximizes the lasting benefit of every session.

• Neff, Megan Anna. The Autistic Burnout Workbook: Your Guide to Your Personal Recovery Plan. Adams Media, 2025.

• Van der Kolk, Bessel. The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Penguin Books, 2014.

• Price, Devon. Unmasking for Life: The Autistic Person's Guide to Connecting, Loving, and Living Authentically. Harmony: 2025.

• Janae Elisabeth - Trauma Geek: Nervous System Education from a Neurodiversity Perspective traumageek.com, traumageek.substack.com

• Empire of Normality: Neurodiversity and Capitalism by Robert Chapman

• Our Autistic Lives: Personal Accounts from Autistic Adults Around the World Aged 20 to 70+, edited by Alex Ratcliffe

• The Neurodivergence Skills Workbook for Autism and ADHD: Cultivate Self-Compassion, Live Authentically, and Be Your Own Advocate by Jennifer Kemp, MPsych, and Monique Mitchelson, MPsych

• Strong Female Character by Fern Brady

• Ten Steps to Nanette: A Memoir Situation by Hannah Gadsby

• Being Twice Exceptional by Melanie Hayes

• Feldenkrais Illustrated: The Art of Learning, excerpts from the writing of Moshe Feldenkrais, edited and illustrated by Tiffany Sankary 

• The Brain's Way of Healing: Remarkable Discoveries and Recoveries from the Frontiers of Neuroplasticity by Norman Doidge M.D. (2016)

• Moshe Feldenkrais: A Life in Movement: The Biography of Moshe Feldenkrais
  by Mark Reese

• Body Awareness as Healing Therapy: The Case of Nora​ by Moshe Feldenkrais

• Embodied Wisdom: The Collected Papers of Moshe Feldenkrais

• Grow Wild: The Whole-Child, Whole-Family, Nature-Rich Guide To Moving More
  by Katy Bowman M.S. (2021)