ACCESS TO SOMATIC THEORY AND APPLICATIONS:

SOCIO-POLITICAL CONCERNS
Martha Eddy, CMA, RSMT, Ed.D.

The Need for “Social Somatics:” Somatic disciplines are those systems of study
that view physical reality and specific bodily or even cellular awareness as a source
of knowledge, usually to be gained through touch, movement, and imagery as
processes of embodiment. Somatic experience focuses on self-awareness and
tends to be internal and indulging in time, occurring in a “neutral” environment. This
century’s use of the term “somatic” (as a model of holism derived from bodily
wisdom), was intended by early thinkers (e.g., Thomas Hanna, Don Hanlon Johnson,
John Vasconcellos) to also be applied to external action and social change. Hanna
(1984) defined somatic study as a study of the living body existing in relationship
to at least five somatic assumptions. One such assumption regards “somatic
ecology” in which the soma demonstrates interdependence with the environment,
“social as well as physical” (p.34). This talk will focus on somatic movement
disciplines, especially as applied to dance, and their role in world interchange.

Dance is a field filled with options regarding philosophical paradigms, pedagogical

models, aesthetic choices, and research designs. In the business of dance, daily
decisions are made that resist or contribute to the continuation of the Cartesian
split. The somatic model generally resists it. A somatic model may or may not be
selected by a particular dance specialist or organization. No matter what choices
are made, from the perspective of societal power, dance is a predominantly
marginalized field (of art; predominantly of women; of the body). Often dance
leaders have chosen to ally with those models that are accepted by the mainstream
in order to re-invoke some power, often hierarchical, elite, Cartesian, or
reductionistic models. These currently favored models dilute the somatic
experience that acting from the unified body-mind-spirit inclusive of related
emotions makes a unified and powerful statement. “Social Somatics” battles the
myths:
1. Holism/Somatics is a weak and undeveloped perspective./ Somatic theories
provide strong and integrative concepts, and applications, that generate healthy
and creative solutions to age-old problems, many of these problems as of yet left
unsolved by the status quo.
2. Holism/Somatics can not be studied systematically./ Somatic practices lend
themselves to a variety of research methods. Qualitative descriptive studies
inclusive of phenomenological approaches and quantitative research methods

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emergent from quantum physics are especially suitable. Basic surveys can also
make large contributions.
3. Holism/Somatics is only for the privileged. / Somatic practice can be free of
cost. For example, anyone can choose to pay attention to the breath process while
walking down the street.

Access to Somatics. “Social Somatics” implies taking context and culture into
account and being activists to strive for holistic models centered in physical
experience. Having access to somatic theory and practices is a component of
“Social Somatics.” Some current challenges to “social somatic” inquiry and access
to it include:
• Lack of consistent use of word “somatic” across different disciplines. For
instance, the meaning of the term somatic differs in the following uses: somatic
nerves, psychosomatic, somatic beliefs.
• Continuation of Cartesian thinking in society despite other trends and
paradigmatic shifts.
• Complications of existing within a market economy.
• Lack of appreciation of holistic movement and dance practices that already
exist in ancient traditions and are constantly being rediscovered spontaneously
during on-going creative processes.
Even more problematic is that somatic disciplines sometimes buy into elitist models
or can be experienced as oppressive. For example, teaching methods may or may
not be inclusive and based in empowerment. Most obvious is that it usually costs a
good deal of money to become educated in the most renowned systems: Alexander
Method, Bartenieff Fundamentals, Body-Mind Centering, Feldenkrais Awareness
through Movement, Laban Movement Analysis, and other Somatic Movement
education and therapy programs. However, this is not philosophically driven.
Somatic practices have lived outside of the mainstream of educational and health
institutions. Without institutional support these programs have limited access to
student loans and scholarships or other forms of governmental and corporate
support. For those people interested in private lessons (by definition an expensive
service, albeit a powerful form) there are few reasonably priced insurance options
or inexpensive types of access to these individually tailored lessons/sessions.

Issues Related to Access: I have come to identify numerous themes that affect
access to somatic theories and application during my work at Moving On Center –
The School of Participatory Arts and Research. Dialogues often ensue about “how
to get the somatic work out into the world,” inclusive of our own neighborhood in

© Martha Eddy 2000 www.WellnessCKE.net

downtown Oakland, CA. I have found myself arguing the importance of “fighting
for” Time, Space, Quiet, and Understandable Language. I also make a case for the
importance of teaching transitions from Neutrality to Action, and the role of both
Nature and Nurture, or the Body and Education in the life growth process. These
are all treasures; critical to somatic awareness and social change and especially in
order for more people to have access to the somatic experience. They all are
expensive in our culture. The costs for these treasures must also include our
creative output in engaging in a deep process, the risks involved in honest
communication, and the energy consumed in forming networks.

Time : We need to find funding for more time since it takes time to receive
information, especially when learning by practice, and then more time to absorb and
integrate the new knowledge. Educators and therapists, alike need to advocate for
the time needed to give classes with substantial length.

Space : Generally space needs to be open, clean, and accessible all of which may
cost money to achieve. And at times we need variation in our environment and thus
access to a space that is perhaps chaotic or at least art-filled might be called for.
At times we may need access to nature to best confirm somatic knowledge.

Language: Somatic language needs to be learned through experiences, which takes

time. Language that hasn’t been “experienced” and accepted can be alienating.
Language needs translation to make concepts or principles accessible in varying
settings. Concepts need to be checked within distinct cultural context to
determine if they are appropriate and still empowering in different venues.

Quiet: Quiet is less available than ever before. Noise pollution is prevalent even in
rural setting due to air traffic. Sound-proofing is expensive. Whereas students
of somatic work thrive in quiet, educators can also creatively choose to use sound
stimuli as part of the educational structure. This process is a model of making a
transition from neutrality and receptivity to responsiveness and action.

Neutrality into Action: Somatic processes often begin in a relaxed state.

Kestenberg (Loman, 1990) postulated that 33% of life occurs in “neutral flow,” a
state of rest. Often sleeping for 8 hours a night accommodates this. However
when the need for sleep is not met or when sleep is other than “relaxed,” we need
more rest, more neutral experiences. The somatic practices provide deep rest. To
move toward “social somatics” however, we need to be skilled in taking action as

© Martha Eddy 2000 www.WellnessCKE.net

well. Some somatic systems also help us to shift into action. In my experience the
Laban/Bartenieff system – Laban Movement Analysis (LMA) and its related
modalities (i.e., Action Profiling, Body-Mind Centering, Kestenberg Movement
Profile, Movement Pattern Analysis, & Movement Signature Analysis) are great
tools for this transition. One of the four primary themes that LMA espouses is
that movement includes a fluctuation of exertion and recuperation (Bartenieff,
1980; Eddy & Whitacre, 1984). In order to accomplish much in life a person can
find what movement provides recuperation for a particular type of exertion. LMA
provides models of making efficient transitions from neutral flow to activity with
dynamically varied types of engagement. LMA teaches this through embodied
experience. Dance is also a natural inroad to dynamic action. Dance understands
creative process and how to take a potent stand, step or leap! These skills need to
be practiced in becoming effective activists.

Nature/Nurture as Equal Keys in Somatic Practice: Two basic concepts stemming

from the influence of nature that come to mind are: Breath is a reality that can be
relied upon while living. The body has limitless resources. A third physical
phenomenon, that of development and growth, is less explicitly the domain of
nature alone. Developmental theories debate whether growth is neuro-
maturational or influenced by nurturing forces. Developmental observations can
establish a basis of our human universality, and our common experience. However,
the somatic movement systems such as Bartenieff Fundamentals, Body-Mind
Centering and Feldenkrais Awareness through Movement (Eddy, 2000) begin with
shared qualities of the body and almost immediately introduce movement and touch
as avenues for bringing awareness to a person’s idiosyncratic and habitual patterns
of crawling, creeping and walking. This process implies recognizing both nature and
nurture as potent forces. These views of development perceive movement
practices as keys to changing patterns and introducing new neural pathways.
Dynamical systems theory (based in new physics also known as quantum theory,
chaos theory or complexity theory) sees the introduction of disruption as a way to
destabilize a habitual pattern, and thereby induce new learning and change (Thelen,
1995). This destabilization often comes from changes in the environmental
constraints that our bodies cope with when dealing with a task. A “soma
interacting with the environment” learns from environmental change. Somatic
movement experiences by definition introduce a change to a task and frequently
invite practice in new and varied environments. Regarding other aspects of the
influence of “nurture,” we can consider that in humans our structure and our
behavior change constantly. The nervous system is capable of great change due to

© Martha Eddy 2000 www.WellnessCKE.net

neural plasticity. Healing and learning have almost limitless capacities. Similarly
we change our awareness by opening up our senses, inclusive of intero and extero
reception. The ensuing perceptions from these sensations can provide entry points
for inviting even our expectations to change. In western society people, inclusive
of dance and/or somatic professionals, can become entrained as “user, takers, and
manipulators” (Fitt, 1996) easily. Changes in perception, together with a “social
somatics” perspective can support another choice, becoming active agents.

“Social Somatics” arising from within dance communities can be exemplified by this
conference (Dancing in the Millenium) which involved building networks and
supporting political action on Capital Hill from diverse dance and movement
perspectives. Dance professionals can also assist in applying somatic theory by
following the natural flow of health and communication that stems from dancing.
Including direct connections with indigenous cultures and traditional practices
during dance and cultural events can help to build stronger networks. However, we
must be careful not to co-opt knowledge. Rather, it is wise to find experts to
share their knowledge whenever possible and to be selective in choosing those
experiences from traditional knowledge that encourage insights from within,
leading to empowerment. Meanwhile we also need to be open to change in response
to experiencing these forms. At the very least, it is important to make time to
credit sources. In teaching experientially we often struggle to have enough time
for embodiment, let alone “background” information or resources. I believe we
must prioritize providing access to information for it is this access to either
internal or external sources of information that deepens knowledge and empowers
people. One exercise I devised is to have people move. Simultaneously they are
asked to feel and name out loud the teachers that the body memory retraces as
important sources of movement learning. Tracing a lineage or otherwise sharing
resources can be equally important for participants or observers/listeners,
students and audiences alike.

As educators, there are numerous points to consider in creating a “Social

Somatics” curriculum or a dance or movement course with a “social somatics” point
of view. Some possibilities include:
1. Consciously determine when the uses of Euro-centric models of health (e.g.,
language of anatomical sciences) are useful or limiting for the larger goals at hand.
2. Provide readings from the early thinkers of somatic theory and the proponents
of “Social somatics” (e.g., Green, Hanna, Johnson. Kleinman).

© Martha Eddy 2000 www.WellnessCKE.net

3. Seek to develop programs that cite the underlying influences within the somatic
theories. The strong influence of Eastern philosophies is most notable. For
instance,
Bartenieff = Chi Gung
Cohen = Katsugen Undo of Seitai / Aikido / Zen
Feldenkrais = Judo
Laban = Eastern European Folk Dance and its potential overlap with Eastern
cultures.
5. Open the avenue of research to look into the lives of Rolf, Trager, Erikson,
Alexander and other somatic leaders, to discover what philosophies guided them to
turn to self-reflection as well as touch and movement as primary sources of
information.
5. Provide resources for a wide variety of research views and tools (Capra, 92/93;
Eddy, 1999).
6. Give students opportunities to share their “lived” or embodied knowledge
through and at performances, in classes and at home, with people who otherwise
have less access to the language or experiences that they have valued.
7. Take a cue from qualitative educational research to observe astutely and “Hear
Students’ voices. Listen and develop programming that addresses real issues in
students’ lives.

Next, I will share some examples of programs and their problems in meeting
socially responsible criteria. In the formation of our school in Oakland, Moving on
Center -- School of Participatory Arts and Research we developed a mission
statement that aims to integrate body-mind health and interdisciplinary arts with
community activism. In the five years that we have been implementing this mission
struggles have included:
• Helping students to feel secure with their somatic knowledge and confident
enough to share it. Often the warmth of the somatic experience creates a
womb-like relationship that then necessitates a series of “birthing processes” in
order to support activism. Some steps that have helped this process have
included teaching “participatory values” and then requiring that these values be
applied in the final performances.
• Flowing in and out of the community of Oakland with our philosophy and
knowledge. Whereas just being in Oakland, and specifically housed in the Alice
Cultural Arts Center has afforded us with numerous heartfelt opportunities to
exchange ideas and solve problems with people with diverse backgrounds and

© Martha Eddy 2000 www.WellnessCKE.net

 styles, we also have had inevitable misunderstandings and conflicts. We view
these as opportunities for conflict facilitation (Schaub, 2000).
• Dancing-making from a somatic source often gets lost in personal experience
and only grows to the level of personal ritual. We are creative in developing
venues for the sharing of personal rituals. Furthermore we strive to
differentiate between what is appropriate for intimate audiences and what
must be crafted and cultivated to have meaning, albeit derived from deep bodily
knowing, across a wider range of individuals. This held particularly true for the
outdoor festivals that we sponsored at Jack London Square and our
performances in downtown San Francisco venues.

There are numerous other programs around the nation that are seeking to share
somatic knowledge with local communities and people in need. Moving On Center
invites programs to list innovative and activist somatic programming with us:
(info@movingoncenter.org). Other somatic systems, most notably those aligned
with psychology or psycho-dynamic models such as dance therapy, have offered
movement services for diverse populations for year. In the realm of hands-on
touch work however there are fewer opportunities. Two that come to mind are the
Lomi free clinic in Santa Rosa, CA, and the program of Somatic Psychology at the
California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) where participants provide sessions
for victims of torture and abuse.

Professional somatic organizations also desire inroads for providing access to their
work. Each professional association (e.g., BMCA, Feldenkrais Guild, ATI) prides
itself with those practitioners that have found ways to work with diverse ranges of
people with special needs. They also attempt to do research or provide services to
a broader constituency. The International Somatic Movement Education and
Therapy Association (ISMETA) strives to make the field of somatic movement and
education known, and to engage all somatic movement modalities in working for
national and international recognition together. Furthermore it supports research
and community building projects that will ideally contribute to a larger degree of
access to somatic practices. In other words, through ISMETA there is an on-going
effort to keep opportunities for healthy and skillful touch, movement and dancing
alive.

I personally endeavored to find more avenues for somatic applications in

educational settings through my dissertation research, entitled “The Role of
Physical Activity in Educational Violence Prevention Programs for Youth,” an

© Martha Eddy 2000 www.WellnessCKE.net

ethnographic cross-case analysis of six programs around the nation. Emergent
findings included a system of evaluating violence prevention program regarding the
selection of teaching methods that appropriate met curricular goals. I also
discovered a set of teaching “tactics” used by excellent movement teachers. In
general these tactics echoed values within somatic learning. For instance they
included the use of holistic models, acceptance of complexity, a willingness to be
vulnerable and express feelings, providing synthesis and opportunities for self-
reflection, and being real. (Eddy, 1998). Two of these programs demonstrated the
natural link between somatic experience (inclusive of emotional expression) and
social activism. Destiny Arts, of Oakland, CA, integrates dance (choreography,
contact improvisation, somatic exercises, modern dance and hip-hop), kung-fu and
theater to build moving stories of anti-violence and youth empowerment. The
Peaceable School Curriculum (Beardall, 1998), a middle school health curriculum,
developed (and presented at this conference) by Certified Laban Movement
Analyst, Dance Therapist and educator Nancy Beardall in Newton, MA., uses
movement games and dance to discover issues and reclaim strength in light of the
challenges youth face.

Somatic awareness informs active decision-making. As part of the Arts

Advocacy training this Wednesday (July 19, 2000) advocate Ozlu’s advice was to
“follow the heart” in order to be effective in speaking to politicians. The Dalai
Lama (1997) suggests we “listen to our solar plexus” in confronting violence.
Beardall (1998) teaches youth to regard the ‘body sense’ in making choices about
personal and school safety. As movement leaders we can model the possibility in
which “clues to difficult dilemmas live inside the body” and can be accessed
through reflection, movement and touch. This is a free and inalienable right of all
people. A strong goal is to advocate for the right of all to have substantial time
and space for embodied learning, self-reflection, and dialogue about meaningful
applications of body wisdom. The next step is to actually take “somatics” and dance
to the “power table,” where policies are decided.

Recommendations: As “social somatics” activists a mandate is therefore to work

for the preservation of time for self-reflection, in-depth education, and new
models of health care. This is part of appropriating holism. By claiming the right to
time we push back the trend toward compressing “lived” experiences. We are
reminded to enjoy the present. In asserting the need for space we engage in the
politics of holism seen in the view that the body is interdependent on our
environment. Time and space are economic issues that will be resisted. Others

© Martha Eddy 2000 www.WellnessCKE.net

may already be jealous that studios take up large spaces (and appear empty) and
that smaller size classes, and longer class periods, are a luxury. Be tenacious with
your values. I believe everyone has a right to know more about how best to take
care of him or herself. It can be powerful for dance-making and dance education
environments to add to the cry by choosing to instill these values and to claim the
significance of active, as well as neutral, time and space, inclusive of periods of
quiet. Classroom teachers can choose daily to dedicate three minutes of their
class-time to somatic practice. Administrators can value the skills of educators
trained in kinesthetic awareness especially as it informs socio-emotional learning.
Everyone can help with translating alienating language to more accessible language.
Schools can choose to counter anonymity, build accountability and community
interaction, as well as affirm learners as whole people (Eddy, 1998). Alliances
between movement and dance organizations can support a paradigm shift as well as
choose to heighten access to “social somatic” experiences (e.g., through
scholarships, web-sites, free events, outreach, locating in more diverse venues).

Summary: Through embodied experiences of holism we can all become more

comfortable with the vulnerabilities and imperfections of our bodies, the outrage
and outcries of our emotions, and the insights of spirit (especially by weaving dance
and movement more fully into the social fabric). We can empower ourselves to
take the “expected and unexpected” in life’s lessons seriously and move into action.
By embracing “social somatics” we can strengthen our own perceptions, self-
awareness, and efficiency and in turn have the energy to strive to build a stronger
community of thinkers, movers and activists. Using somatic perception we are more
equipped to open to new awareness as well as make personally-informed and
impassioned decisions. As activists we need to recognize that time and space are
precious and can and are co-opted all the time. It helps to construct an
expectation that all people involved benefit from each other’s experience of
wholeness and strength. Whenever possible, it is worthy to give due recognition to
traditional cultures which have a long history of holism and honor them by crediting
them. In general, it helps to determine ways to embrace somatic theory with
inclusion of all, and activism for all, as a clear intention.

References:
Bartenieff, I. (1980). Body Movement: Coping with the Environment. Amsterdam.:
Gordon & Breach.

© Martha Eddy 2000 www.WellnessCKE.net

Beardall, N. (199 ). Creating a Peaceable School: Confronting Intolerance and
Bullying. Comprehensive Health Unit Guide: 6th Grade. Newton, MA: F.A. Day
Middle School.
Capra, F. (1992/92). The Systems View of Life: Five Criteria of Systems Thinking.
Elmwood Quarterly. Winter Issue.
Dalai Lama (1997). Global Peace Plenary. Peacemaking: The Power of Nonviolence
Conference. San Francisco, CA: Tibet House.
Eddy & Whitacre. (1984) The Use of Bartenieff Fundamentals in the Practice of
Massage. Rutgers University Laban Movement Analysis Conference Proceedings.
NY: LIMS.
Eddy, M. (1997). The Educational Mission of Moving on Center: A Radical
Curriculum? Curriculum and Reference Book. Oakland, CA: Moving on Center.
Eddy, M. (1998). The Role of Physical Activity in Educational Violence Prevention
Programs for Youth. NY: Teachers College, Columbia University; UMI Dissertation
Abstracts.
Eddy, M. (1999). The Role of Observation in Dance, Dance Education and Research.
Unpublished Poster Session. Teachers College, Dance Advocacy Week.
Eddy, M. (2000). Course Materials. Movement Retraining: Experiential Approaches
to Perceptual-Motor Development. NY: Teachers College, Columbia University.
Green, J. (2000). Social Somatic Theory, Practice, and Research: An Inclusive
Approach in Higher Education. Dancing in the Millenium Conference Proceedings.
Fitt, S. (1996). Keynote Panel. Estivale 96: Training For Dancers -- Kinesiological
and Somatic Perspectives. Universite du Quebec a Montreal.
Hanna, T. (1976). The Field of Somatics. Somatics. Autumn Issue. 30 – 34.
ISMETA (2000). International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy
Association Newsletter. NY, NY. Spring/Summer.
Johnson, D. (1987). Bodywork and Being: The Deeper Significance of Somatics.
New Realities. Washington DC:
Heldref Publications. September/October, 20 –23.
Johnson, D. ed. (1995). Bone, Breath & Gesture: Practices of Embodiment.
Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books.
Kleinman, S. (1986). Somatics in Higher Education: The Movement Arts.
Somatics. Summer Issue, 26 –27.
Schaub, L. (2000) Once More with Feeling: Conflict as an Opportunity for
Harnessing Emotional Energy. The Communities Directory. Rutledge, MS:
Fellowships for Intentional Communities.
Thelan, E. (1995). Motor Development: A New Synthesis. American Psychologist.
50 (2), 75-95.

© Martha Eddy 2000 www.WellnessCKE.net

Vasconcellos, J. (1995). Resurrecting the Body Politic for the 21st Century.
International Somatics Congress: The Living Body. Berkeley, CA: Conference
Recording Services.

Martha Eddy, CMA, RSMT, Ed.D. is Director of the Center for Kinesthetic
Education in NYC and Director of the SOMAction Movement Therapy Training
affiliated with Moving On Center in Oakland CA.

© Martha Eddy 2000 www.WellnessCKE.net