I strongly encourage our readers to check out the newly published book “Move Into Life”, authored by a highly distinguished therapist (and personal friend) Anat Baniel. Anat was originally trained by Moshe Feldenkrais, who developed a novel empirical perspective about physical/cognitive/perceptual rehabilitation that is broadly consistent with the principles of brain plasticity neuroscience. She has very significantly elaborated those practices, and has gradually encorporated a richer scientific perspective into them. Anat summarizes this deeper understanding in this important book — which is full of good information and advice, both for the therapist, and the patient. At the core of her approach is the understanding that awareness, cognition and movement are really inseparable, and that the establishment or recovery of ability in any one of these domains requires the integrated engagement of the impaired individuals and their brain in all of these dimensions of recovery. Put another way, isolated weakness or loss in ‘movement’ or ‘awareness’ or related ‘cognition’ is a human IMpossibilty. Movement is inextricably controlled on the basis of ‘feedback’ from our bodies and brains, and movement control is guided very directly by the cognitive resources that guide all of our behaviors. They are weaker or stronger, enabled or disabled TOGETHER. Neurological processes that control the flow of cognition and thought are not really different from those that control the flow of movement — and in fact are complexly, inextricably inter-twined!
Anat Baniel provides many examples of these relationships, then provides the therapist or patient with a set of principles that can guide them toward more rapid and complete and more holistic recovery. I think that most readers of this book shall value it as an important source of new insight and understanding. If you would like to hear a little more about it, in Anat Baniel’s own words, check out the video!
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Dr. M,
I became deaf at 44, I have bilateral cochlear implants now at 57. I believe to study adult cochlear implant recipients who became as completely deaf as I became in a short time would be of interest to you.
I received my second (bilateral) cochlear implant in June 2008, my first working one in July 2006, both at Johns Hopkins. It is only in the past month that I have begun to overcome my feelings that I’d aged quite rapidly, mentally and physically. For example, I felt as if I had developed an extreme inability to focus and concentrate, even read. This past month I took an online course and ace’d it. But the way I did that was from experience with relational databases 25 years ago and concentrating my focus from four months to eight days. For the pain I developed, I began, again, physical exercise training, massage and now chiropracty sessions (something I would have snubbed as a former public health epidemiologist). My pain was gone was a short while and I will maintain my self-intiated, self-directed physical training. There is much more to add, I just think what you are doing is terrific. I am seeking how to help myself and would appreciate any direction you’d share. I believe in what you are saying because I believe I have experienced it.
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