Musings from Think Somatics + Kristin Jackson

Sensory Motor Amnesia (SMA) is a term coined by Thomas Hanna PhD, the creator of Hanna Somatics, also referred to as Clinical or Essential Somatics. What is Sensory Motor Amnesia? In a nutshell, Sensory Motor Amnesia happens when your brain and nervous system--specifically your sensory motor cortex, the part of your brain that controls and senses movement--have lost voluntary control of how your body functions. All motor patterns --good or bad--are learned. Let's back up a bit and talk about how we learn to move in the first place. When we are actively learning motor patterns--from holding our heads up as babies to swinging a golf club, from eating with a spoon to riding a bike-- neural pathways become well established between your brain and muscles. This learning period takes place in the conscious part of the brain that is eliciting voluntary actions. Over time, once you have mastered a pattern, the learned pattern shifts from the learning part of the brain to the low

Your brain is plastic. In a good way. :-) Neuroplasticity means your brain can change at any age, and with changes in the brain, you can change things in your life and body. Here is one of my favorite videos to explain neuroplasticity. Take a look. But just as the video says, you can create positive changes, but you can also establish patterns that aren't good for you. That's why Clinical Somatics is so effective for helping people get out of pain. With simple, safe, down right enjoyable movements, called pandiculations you can rewire your brain to move you with ease and freedom. Humans are faced with a gazillion choices a day. How we show up in our lives and what we do with them is predominately a series of choices. If you want to learn to move well so you can live well, visit my website, thinksomatics.com  to learn more. I work with clients in person in my Portland Oregon studio, on the road teaching and online. If you choose freedom, get in touch! freedom and ea