My clients often ask me “how often should I receive a session?”
There is not a one-size fits all answer, but here are some questions to ask yourself when deciding how often to schedule.
1. Why are you coming in?
Do you have an injury, recovering from surgery?
Are you holding relentless tension in your body that is making life uncomfortable?
Have you experienced a stressful life event and you find it impossible to relax and let go of stress and anxiety?
Is your nervous system dysregulated? Do you feel anxious, stressed, irritable or have physical symptoms of stress and anxiety?
Do you feel dissociated from your physical body and physical sensations?
Do you have chronic jaw pain, frequent migraines, or other stress-related physical chronic tension and pain from which you’d like permanent relief?
Are you looking to improve your function in athletics — like running, cycling, playing tennis, golf, or even fishing and you’d like to be able to use your body more efficiently and without pain?
Do you spend 8+ hours sitting or standing at a desk all day and feel back, neck or shoulder pain?
Are you pregnant (or not pregnant) and have chronic sciatica, lower back pain, leg pain or some other lower body discomfort?
Are you nursing and have chronic neck and shoulder pain that’s impacting how you feel while you’re stepping into this new role as a mother?
Or do you generally feel good and you just want to relax and restore and have a physical or nervous system tune-up?
2. How long has this “issue” been part of your life?
Do you have a recent injury or you’ve noticed this issue in the past several weeks/months?
Are you experiencing physical symptoms of anxiety and stress?
Has this issue been with you for as long as you can remember?
Somewhere inbetween?
3. What is the impact of this issue?
Is it a minor nuisance, but you still live your life to the fullest?
Is it causing you to have to modify your activities or you find yourself pushing through the pain, but it’s taking it’s toll?
Can you no longer do the things you love?
Are you in constant discomfort or pain and can’t think about anything else?
Is it taking too much of your energy to “hover above” the physical discomfort or symptoms of anxiety?
4. What makes sense for your schedule?
You’re fine with quick relief for a few days once in awhile.
You can commit to a monthly session plus daily at-home practices.
You can commit to weekly sessions for a period of time, plus at-home practices.
You are super serious and will do whatever it takes to get your life back permanently, as long as you believe you’ll move toward your desired outcome.
5. What do you want to budget for this work?
Do you consider Feldenkrais to be part of your health and wellness program or is it purely for relaxation? There is no wrong answer, but understanding the value of this work to you will help you feel clear about how often to receive the work. I trust that each person knows what’s right for them. Learn more about how Feldenkrais® works to relieve chronic pain here.
Besides in-person private work, I also offer weekly group classes on Zoom as well in online private sessions. Any of these options will benefit you greatly.
Beginning the work:
I suggest you schedule your first session and see how your body and nervous system responds. The work is subtle, but you WILL notice a shift during or after the first session. See how you feel, and if you feel it’s something you want to invest your time, energy and money in. I trust that each person has their own body wisdom and you’ll know after one session if this resonates with you. For more information about the 3 phases of treatment, click here.
If any or all of the above resonates with you, and you are interested in making significant changes in your body and nervous system, then let’s have a discussion about partnering together and coming up with a treatment plan that works for your schedule and budget. You can schedule a FREE 15 minute phone or video consultation here or contact me at susan@restorewithawareness.com .
© 2005, Rosalie O'Connor. Used with permission of the Feldenkrais Guild® of North America.