Glossary

Adduction is the movement of a limb toward the midline of the body. It is the opposite of abduction, the movement of a limb away from the midline of the body.

Clinical Somatic Education, (or CSE), is a neuromuscular therapy utilizing the brain’s neuroplastic potential to reawaken communication between the brain and the muscles. This methodology re-educates faulty full-body reflexive patterns that are responsible for chronic body pain and stiffness. The root cause of most chronic pain originates in the brain. This is where any change must begin in order to obtain a state of optimal and long-lasting synergy, balance, and coordination throughout the body.

Clinical Somatics (also referred to as Clinical Somatic Education or CSE), was developed in the tradition of M.F. Alexander, Moshe Feldenkrais, and Thomas Hanna, who were early pioneers in the principles of educating self-awareness and “reawakening the mind’s control of movement, flexibility, and health” (T.Hanna).

Abbreviation for central nervous system.

The methodical system of mat work exercises developed by Joseph Pilates to correct imbalances and disabilities in the body. Joseph Pilates referred to Contrology as “A complete coordination of body, mind, and spirit”.

Abbreviation for Clinical Somatic Education.

See Inversion/Eversion.

A spinal reflex intended to protect the body from damaging stimuli. The reflex rapidly coordinates the contractions of all the flexor muscles and the relaxation of the extensors in that limb causing sudden withdrawal from the potentially damaging stimulus.

An organ located between the muscle and the tendon, whose function is to signal to the CNS the amount of force or tension being applied to a muscle.

An extension and positive action reflex to get up, go, and move forward. It engages muscles in the back of the body, propelling them into a forward motion. The reflex begins with the Landau reflex, an extension of the spinal extensors. By incorporating all of the major dorsal muscles in the body, this reflex extends to the periphery, up through the back of the neck and shoulders, and down the back of the legs, gluteals, hamstrings, calves, and into the great toe flexor. When habituated, this positive reflex can create stress in the back muscles, bringing symptoms of pain in the spine, hips, and knees.

Inversion and eversion are movements that occur at the ankle joint, referring to the rotation of the foot around its long axis. Inversion involves the movement of the sole towards the median plane so that the sole faces in a medial direction. Eversion involves the movement of the sole away from the median plane so that the sole faces in a lateral direction.

A technique developed by Moshe Feldenkrais in which the practitioner holds a certain muscle in a passive contraction in order to de-activate its chronic contraction and loss of voluntary control in the CNS.

Refers to a reflex seen in infants when held horizontally in the air in the prone position. When held in a horizontal prone position, a normal response of infants is to maintain a convex arc with the head raised and the legs slightly flexed.

Flexion is the movement of a joint that increases the angle between the joint and the body part. Lateral flexion is the movement of a body part to the side.

Either of a pair of large, roughly triangular muscles covering the lower part of the back, extending from the sacral, lumbar, and lower thoracic vertebrae to the armpits.

A term coined by Frederick Alexander. The practitioner assists the client in exploring a passive range of motion in a specific area of the body. This activates sensory feedback from the brain enabling the client to gain awareness of their own movement through a spectrum.

The ability of the brain to form and reorganize synaptic connections, especially in response to learning or experience or following injury.

A technique used in Clinical Somatics to reset a muscle’s resting length. It involves the voluntary shortening (concentric contraction) of the muscle, followed by a slow lengthening (eccentric contraction) of the muscle. This technique enables habitual movement held in the cerebellum (the part of the brain regulating muscular activity) to be pulled up into the cerebral cortex (learning brain) where the muscle can be re-educated. Pandiculating a muscle resets the muscle to a healthy resting length.

Pilates is named after Joseph Pilates, a physical trainer who immigrated from Germany to the US in the early 20th century. Through his experience of childhood illness and his work with severely injured WW1 soldiers, Pilates became a pioneer in therapeutic exercises which he developed to help people live healthier lives.

Apparatuses developed by Joseph Pilates which enable clients to develop muscle tone and strengthen safely. 

A sensory receptor which receives stimuli from within the body, especially one that responds to position and movement.

Abbreviation for quadratus lumborum, a paired muscle of the left and right posterior abdominal wall. It is the deepest abdominal muscle and is commonly referred to as a back muscle.

Also known as the startle reflex. It is related to a fear and withdrawal response. It is a flexion reflex of the muscles in the front of the body which begins in the torso, at the front of the spine, deep hip flexors, and pectoral muscles. Arms and legs roll inwards into forward adduction. The SMA in this reflex can evolve from an emotional response or from lifestyle postural habits, like sitting at a desk or working at a computer for extended periods. When habituated, this reflex can compound the symptoms of anxiety, as the depressed chest creates shallow breathing. With the head resting forward, cranial nerves are compromised and there is often neck and jaw pain.

A muscle that originates on the surface of the 1st to 8th ribs at the side of the chest and inserts along the entire anterior length of the medial border of the scapula.

Abbreviation for Sensory Motor Amnesia. A loss of voluntary control of the muscle and occurs as a result of emotional and/or physical trauma. Subconsciously the body learns to move in habituated stress reflex patterns which are inefficient and cause contractive imbalances throughout the body.  Techniques such as pandiculation are used in CSE to re-educate SMA in the soma by moving the habituated reflex patterns held in the cerebellum (the part of the brain regulating muscular activity) up to the cerebral cortex (learning brain), where the movement can be relearned and improved.

A Greek word for the living body, which Thomas Hanna redefined as the body experienced from within, where we experience mind/body integration.

Relating to the body, especially as distinct from the mind.

Clinical Somatic Education (CSE) is a Somatic education modality which has evolved over the last century from a lineage of Somatic movement educators in the tradition created by Thomas Hanna. There are three main components used by the Somatics practitioner which are core to the work of CSE: Means-Whereby, Kinetic Mirroring, and Pandiculation.

The muscles that enable a person to stand up and lift objects. The extensors are attached to the back of the spine.

A subconscious counteractive response by the CNS to a muscle being stretched.  Within a muscle there are the sensory receptors called muscle spindles, which are proprioceptors that receive information from the muscle. They sense stretch and the speed of stretch within the muscle.  When a muscle stretches to the endpoint of its safe zone, the muscle spindle sends an afferent (sensory) impulse warning to the spinal cord, which in turn sends an efferent (motor) impulse back to the muscle, signaling it to contract. Another set of receptors within the muscle are the Golgi tendon organs, located between the muscle and the tendon, and whose function is to signal to the CNS the amount of force, or tension being applied to a muscle.

Clinical Somatics is primarily focused on the three involuntary postural reflexes of the soma: the Green Light reflex, the Red Light reflex, and the Trauma reflex. During an assessment, the practitioner will look for imbalances and full-body contractive patterns to diagnose which reflex presents itself as the dominant habitual pattern. This will determine which pattern needs to be addressed first.

A reflex of lateral flexion on one side of the body, with rotation. It occurs as a result of a trauma injury to the body through impact and it functions as a voluntary protective reflex to shield the site from injury. The Trauma reflex may also manifest through occupationally repetitive movement over an extended period. This imbalanced motion favors movement (flexion and rotation) on one side of the body. Muscles that create the lateral flexion of the trunk, such as QL and obliques are involved, as are all three gluteals, latissimus, serratus anterior, and the muscles working down the legs into inversion/eversion of the feet.