What Causes Functional Limitations?
When a person suffers damage to their brain or to their body it interferes with the spontaneous process of differentiation and pattern formation in the brain. Sometimes it is just the natural progression of (dysfunctional) habit formation. Restarting this process involves guided movements to engage the mind and the body in recognizing new possibilities.
Sessions, which are referred to as “lessons” because they truly are a process of relearning, are conducted one-on-one or in a group setting. They are not at all invasive and in fact, consist of such gentle, minute movements you may not be aware of any changes taking place until you complete your first lesson.
One of the main principles of this method is to present the brain with new options for movement. The brain can then select the movement patterns that require the least effort and are the most comfortable for any given action. The new options are communicated to the brain directly through the nervous system using movement. This is a very potent way of learning since more can be communicated through this method than through linear, academic-type learning because the brain is able to process a lot of the information in the “background” without conscious thought.
The Challenges
Our methods address limitations resulting from:
Working With Children
When a person suffers damage to their brain or to their body it interferes with the spontaneous process of differentiation and pattern formation in the brain. Sometimes it is just the natural progression of (dysfunctional) habit formation. Restarting this process involves guided movements to engage the mind and the body in recognizing new possibilities.
Sessions, which are referred to as “lessons” because they truly are a process of relearning, are conducted one-on-one or in a group setting. They are not at all invasive and in fact, consist of such gentle, minute movements you may not be aware of any changes taking place until you complete your first lesson.
One of the main principles of this method is to present the brain with new options for movement. The brain can then select the movement patterns that require the least effort and are the most comfortable for any given action. The new options are communicated to the brain directly through the nervous system using movement. This is a very potent way of learning since more can be communicated through this method than through linear, academic-type learning because the brain is able to process a lot of the information in the “background” without conscious thought.
The Challenges
Our methods address limitations resulting from:
- Poor/ Dysfunctional Habit Formation
- Cerebral Palsy
- Scoliosis
- Sensory Integration Issues
- Learning Delays
- ADD/ADHD
- Stuttering
- Stroke
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Muscular Dystrophy
- Loss of function due to Aging
- Brain Trauma
- Brachial Plexus Injury
- Fibromyalgia
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Repetitive Stress Injury
- Other Chronic Pain Syndromes
- Other Nervous System Disorders
- Other Genetic Disorders
- Other Injuries or Traumas
Working With Children
At Evolution Through Movement, one of our special interests is in working with children with developmental disorders and special needs. It has been shown that many diseases and traumas of childhood interrupt the normal and spontaneous process of pattern formation (learning) in the brain by interrupting the communication that needs to take place between the child’s body, the world around it, and the child’s brain.
Parents bring their children to Evolution Through Movement to improve function compromised by injuries, learning delays or genetic disorders. Many of these parents have exhausted the traditional medical options and are astonished at how quickly their child responds to the gentle, almost playful, methods we employ.
Traditional modes of therapy place great emphasis on trying to make the child do what he or she is “supposed” to be doing based on their age. Many traditional treatment modalities involve painful braces or mechanical aides to force the body to function or to take the place of normal function.
Evolution Through Movement methods take an entirely different approach. We don’t try to “fix” a problem directly (i.e. stretching a spastic muscle, etc.), but focus on the place where solutions actually begin – with the brain.
The Anat Baniel Method (ABM), ABM for Children, and the Feldenkrais Method all draw on cutting edge brain research, which, when applied, provides the child’s brain with the conditions and information necessary in order to begin learning. What we do relates to movement, but what we are impacting is the plasticity of the brain.
We don’t make it our objective to get a child to accomplish a particular outcome from the start (like rolling over, or sitting up, or standing). Our objective is to get the process of forming patters to “kick in” in the child’s brain; in this manner learning begins. Movement is simply our source of information. What we are achieving is a more skillful brain. Just like the heart has a job, the kidneys have a job, just like the muscles have a job, …the brain, as we all know, has a huge job. But when it comes to the development of children, the traditional methods used to help them in their development seem to overlook communicating with the brain. Everyone knows that learning is in the brain, but nobody is talking to the brain. We talk to the brain.
Through this process, your child’s brain will begin forming new neural patterns that were missing due to their injury or illness. Once enough of these missing elements are in place, your child will spontaneously begin doing what he or she couldn’t do before.
“Tony has picked up some amazing fine motor skills today. Completely took us by surprise. He is doing things with ease that he struggled to do just yesterday! …I also wanted to let you know that in the last few days he has been doing very well with bending his knees to get down. And we know that it can be attributed to your work because it is the bending into side sitting that you focused on last time.”
– Natasha King, mother
"Isaiah independently climbed into a normal size rocking chair, from the floor, and turned himself around sitting in it. Never been able to do that before. : ) "
- Samantha Martin, mother
"I wanted to tell you I got a message from Clayton's school asking what we did different for Clayton this past weekend. They said he is so calm and focused - they have never seen him this way! I said Chad and ABM!!!"
- Patricia Marchack, mother
A healthy child goes through a developmental process, which is the direct result of a complex process of differentiation in the brain. This process allows for the formation of new neurological connections and new patterns.
Learning is an act of creation. Learning is not a linear process - it is a process of extraction. This is why we want to provide information to the nervous system in order for it to spontaneously pull together the pieces it needs in order to get the outcome that it wants.
Contrary to popular belief, babies don’t learn to stand up by standing up – they learn to stand up while lying down. In fact, the first time a child stands up (on their own, that is), it is an accident – they are only trying to get to something. Only after the second time they stand on their own does it become an intentional act. Children are not born with a program labeled “standing”, that, all of a sudden kicks in and the child stands. All of the pieces of information that are required to stand (efficiently, that is) are learned while that child is moving around, rolling, crawling, etc. on the ground.
During our early years, we are constantly engaged in this organic learning process that is kinesthetically (movement) based. This organic learning process enables a rate of learning that is absolutely amazing. For a myriad of reasons, this organic learning process stops around adolescence. For children with special needs, sometimes this natural spontaneous process doesn’t take its normal course. Cerebral palsy, brain and nerve injury, autism, birth defects, genetic disorders, sensory integration disorders, and a host of known and unknown causes interfere with the child’s ability to grow, learn, and perform like other children.
One of the distinguishing qualities of Evolution Through Movement and the work on which it is based, compared with traditional therapies, is that traditional therapies concentrate on making the child do what they are “supposed to do”. When a child cannot sit up, traditional methods say you prop them up and prop them up and hope that it will somehow “catch on”.
We know that if the child cannot sit up, the last thing we need to do is force the child to sit up. Because if the child could sit up she would! We realize that she can’t, which is why she doesn’t. The Feldenkrais Method and the Anat Baniel Method have each addressed this inability through movement based learning. We help the child learn that they can sit up by giving it the different pieces of the movement ”puzzle” - movement and differentiation, knowledge of their own body, and experiences from which they will extract the necessary patterns and form the skills just like a healthy child.
Every single time we are successful with a child who struggles with dysfunction it is because we teach that child to use its brain and body as if it were healthy. We don’t dance with the disease. We initiate the responses that lie dormant in the brain. When there is a problem the brain gets even more dormant, it gets inhibited. When it doesn’t experience success it does not explore. However, through movement, we can facilitate this exploration and the brain will discover options for functioning at a new, higher level.
What Your Child Will Experience
During the sessions (called lessons), your child should feel safe, comfortable, and happy. Our clients seldom cry or offer resistance because true learning is fun, satisfying, and overall a pleasurable experience. Learning is an empowering experience for anyone.
Moving and learning require energy and you may find that your child will become hungry even during the lessons. We’ll take breaks for your child to nurse or snack as the need arises.
What You Can Expect
When a child is in a learning mode, there will be noticeable change in their ability to move, to learn and to process and respond to stimuli. It is normal for your child to show progress and change within the first few lessons.
At home, you will see your child spontaneously begin to do on their own what they were doing and learning during the lessons. You will also begin to see your child make additional spontaneous improvements beyond what was accomplished during the lessons.
You will see:
Working With Adults
Parents bring their children to Evolution Through Movement to improve function compromised by injuries, learning delays or genetic disorders. Many of these parents have exhausted the traditional medical options and are astonished at how quickly their child responds to the gentle, almost playful, methods we employ.
Traditional modes of therapy place great emphasis on trying to make the child do what he or she is “supposed” to be doing based on their age. Many traditional treatment modalities involve painful braces or mechanical aides to force the body to function or to take the place of normal function.
Evolution Through Movement methods take an entirely different approach. We don’t try to “fix” a problem directly (i.e. stretching a spastic muscle, etc.), but focus on the place where solutions actually begin – with the brain.
The Anat Baniel Method (ABM), ABM for Children, and the Feldenkrais Method all draw on cutting edge brain research, which, when applied, provides the child’s brain with the conditions and information necessary in order to begin learning. What we do relates to movement, but what we are impacting is the plasticity of the brain.
We don’t make it our objective to get a child to accomplish a particular outcome from the start (like rolling over, or sitting up, or standing). Our objective is to get the process of forming patters to “kick in” in the child’s brain; in this manner learning begins. Movement is simply our source of information. What we are achieving is a more skillful brain. Just like the heart has a job, the kidneys have a job, just like the muscles have a job, …the brain, as we all know, has a huge job. But when it comes to the development of children, the traditional methods used to help them in their development seem to overlook communicating with the brain. Everyone knows that learning is in the brain, but nobody is talking to the brain. We talk to the brain.
Through this process, your child’s brain will begin forming new neural patterns that were missing due to their injury or illness. Once enough of these missing elements are in place, your child will spontaneously begin doing what he or she couldn’t do before.
“Tony has picked up some amazing fine motor skills today. Completely took us by surprise. He is doing things with ease that he struggled to do just yesterday! …I also wanted to let you know that in the last few days he has been doing very well with bending his knees to get down. And we know that it can be attributed to your work because it is the bending into side sitting that you focused on last time.”
– Natasha King, mother
"Isaiah independently climbed into a normal size rocking chair, from the floor, and turned himself around sitting in it. Never been able to do that before. : ) "
- Samantha Martin, mother
"I wanted to tell you I got a message from Clayton's school asking what we did different for Clayton this past weekend. They said he is so calm and focused - they have never seen him this way! I said Chad and ABM!!!"
- Patricia Marchack, mother
A healthy child goes through a developmental process, which is the direct result of a complex process of differentiation in the brain. This process allows for the formation of new neurological connections and new patterns.
Learning is an act of creation. Learning is not a linear process - it is a process of extraction. This is why we want to provide information to the nervous system in order for it to spontaneously pull together the pieces it needs in order to get the outcome that it wants.
Contrary to popular belief, babies don’t learn to stand up by standing up – they learn to stand up while lying down. In fact, the first time a child stands up (on their own, that is), it is an accident – they are only trying to get to something. Only after the second time they stand on their own does it become an intentional act. Children are not born with a program labeled “standing”, that, all of a sudden kicks in and the child stands. All of the pieces of information that are required to stand (efficiently, that is) are learned while that child is moving around, rolling, crawling, etc. on the ground.
During our early years, we are constantly engaged in this organic learning process that is kinesthetically (movement) based. This organic learning process enables a rate of learning that is absolutely amazing. For a myriad of reasons, this organic learning process stops around adolescence. For children with special needs, sometimes this natural spontaneous process doesn’t take its normal course. Cerebral palsy, brain and nerve injury, autism, birth defects, genetic disorders, sensory integration disorders, and a host of known and unknown causes interfere with the child’s ability to grow, learn, and perform like other children.
One of the distinguishing qualities of Evolution Through Movement and the work on which it is based, compared with traditional therapies, is that traditional therapies concentrate on making the child do what they are “supposed to do”. When a child cannot sit up, traditional methods say you prop them up and prop them up and hope that it will somehow “catch on”.
We know that if the child cannot sit up, the last thing we need to do is force the child to sit up. Because if the child could sit up she would! We realize that she can’t, which is why she doesn’t. The Feldenkrais Method and the Anat Baniel Method have each addressed this inability through movement based learning. We help the child learn that they can sit up by giving it the different pieces of the movement ”puzzle” - movement and differentiation, knowledge of their own body, and experiences from which they will extract the necessary patterns and form the skills just like a healthy child.
Every single time we are successful with a child who struggles with dysfunction it is because we teach that child to use its brain and body as if it were healthy. We don’t dance with the disease. We initiate the responses that lie dormant in the brain. When there is a problem the brain gets even more dormant, it gets inhibited. When it doesn’t experience success it does not explore. However, through movement, we can facilitate this exploration and the brain will discover options for functioning at a new, higher level.
What Your Child Will Experience
During the sessions (called lessons), your child should feel safe, comfortable, and happy. Our clients seldom cry or offer resistance because true learning is fun, satisfying, and overall a pleasurable experience. Learning is an empowering experience for anyone.
Moving and learning require energy and you may find that your child will become hungry even during the lessons. We’ll take breaks for your child to nurse or snack as the need arises.
What You Can Expect
When a child is in a learning mode, there will be noticeable change in their ability to move, to learn and to process and respond to stimuli. It is normal for your child to show progress and change within the first few lessons.
At home, you will see your child spontaneously begin to do on their own what they were doing and learning during the lessons. You will also begin to see your child make additional spontaneous improvements beyond what was accomplished during the lessons.
You will see:
- Increased interaction with people and environment
- Higher level of muscular control
- Improved learning ability
- Ease in breathing
- Increase in flexibility
- Improved dexterity and range of motion
- Increase in energy and appetite
Working With Adults
Adult clients may have limited function due to genetic disorders, injury, stroke, aging, or dysfunctional habit formation. We know that if you continue to repeat what you do over and over again in your daily life (your movements, exercise routines, and limiting beliefs), you will continue to experience limited functionality and pain.
“Chad Estes is purely remarkable. I have been involved in the field of Athletic Training for over 15 years and have worked in every range from Special Needs Children, High School Athletics, Clinical Physical Therapy, Division 1 Athletics, and Professional Sports. In my rehabilitation experience for varied populations, Chad has an edge over most people because of his care, desire to help his students, and commitment to transform those that he works with. When you or a loved one works with Chad you feel safe, educated, and empowered in a way that makes the impossible possible.” - Charlie Murdach, MA, ATC/L
What You Will Experience
Learning at any age should be a fun and uplifting experience. Our clients find that this type of learning is no exception.
Our method uses a wide, low table and some props to help you position yourself ideally for you to relax and fully experience the changes that are taking place during your lesson. You will remain fully clothed, so wear loose comfortable clothing that will move with you.
Some movements are guided by your practitioner, some you will be asked to do with instruction. All movements are minute, allowing the brain to fully perceive and comprehend subtle differences.
You may feel very few changes during your lesson. Many clients experience intense physical and emotional release as the brain begins to open new pathways. Immediately following your lesson you may feel taller and lighter, and this “floaty” sensation may continue for a while. This work requires energy and your appetite may also surge just after a lesson.
What You Can Expect
It is normal that you will experience changes in your physical posture and abilities even after your first lesson. As you continue with lessons you will find that you become more aware of your body, its position and alignment, what works for you and what does not. You may be given lessons, a series of spoken instructions, to complete at home to augment the work.
You will see:
Overcoming Chronic Pain
Pain comes from many sources; in many instances, it is the body’s way of communicating to the brain a response to stimuli. That stimuli might be physical injury or dysfunction, it might be an emotional response to stress, perceived threats, or grief. There is also “neuropathic pain”, for which there is no external cause. Without a method for processing that response in the brain and the body, pain can become a cumulative, debilitating element in your life. HERE is an excellent article about how our " body maps" in our brains can become dysfunctionally wired and perpetuate chronic pain long after the source of the pain is gone. This dysfunctional wiring is a reversible process
The work we do at Evolution Through Movement is based on an understanding of how the brain forms patterns in response to that stimuli and how those responses result in chronic pain. It integrates all aspects – body, brain, emotion and spirit – and their relationship to pain. It offers natural pain relief solutions to help you manage pain with fewer or no drugs at all. Most of all, it addresses the elusive element of the quality of movement to allow you to recover from cumulative pain and to prevent future pain. By introducing movement sequences that provide the brain with better information, you will spontaneously form new neurological pathways that will enable you to rid yourself of pain.
What Success Looks Like:
Solutions for Stroke Patients
Even following a stroke, the brain has the capacity to work around those damaged areas in order to form new connections to replace the lost ones.
During the time following a stroke, the brain and nervous system of the affected person goes into a kind of “cortical shock”, which can last for several months. During this time, the neurons in the brain have difficulty firing. This results in a person developing what some doctors are calling “learned non-use”.
Learned non-use results from the early, unsuccessful attempts to move the affected limb during the “shock” period following a stroke. When a person no longer attempts to use the affected limb, they have “learned” that they cannot use it anymore. Recent research demonstrates that learned non-use can be overcome.
Because of this, we recommend our movement-based methods be employed with you or your loved ones as soon after a stroke as possible.
No matter what level of skill or degree of limitation one has, the brain can learn to replace limited and disorganized movement patterns with new and better organized ones. This holds true whether the brain has suffered a stroke or not. We do not lose the ability to learn; it just lies dormant.
“When I was first introduced to the Feldenkrais method, I had just been told to discontinue care with traditional Physical Therapy. I did not have the coordination or balance to get off the ground if I fell. Feldenkrais has given me my balance & coordination back, along with the confidence to get rid of my cane & walk on my own! I can't say enough about Chad Estes & the positive effect that the Feldenkrais Method has had on my life! It gave me back my independence. No more fear of falling! & I can't get up! My balance has improved so much I started playing golf again!”
- Dr. George L. Kraft, stroke sufferer
“Chad Estes is purely remarkable. I have been involved in the field of Athletic Training for over 15 years and have worked in every range from Special Needs Children, High School Athletics, Clinical Physical Therapy, Division 1 Athletics, and Professional Sports. In my rehabilitation experience for varied populations, Chad has an edge over most people because of his care, desire to help his students, and commitment to transform those that he works with. When you or a loved one works with Chad you feel safe, educated, and empowered in a way that makes the impossible possible.” - Charlie Murdach, MA, ATC/L
What You Will Experience
Learning at any age should be a fun and uplifting experience. Our clients find that this type of learning is no exception.
Our method uses a wide, low table and some props to help you position yourself ideally for you to relax and fully experience the changes that are taking place during your lesson. You will remain fully clothed, so wear loose comfortable clothing that will move with you.
Some movements are guided by your practitioner, some you will be asked to do with instruction. All movements are minute, allowing the brain to fully perceive and comprehend subtle differences.
You may feel very few changes during your lesson. Many clients experience intense physical and emotional release as the brain begins to open new pathways. Immediately following your lesson you may feel taller and lighter, and this “floaty” sensation may continue for a while. This work requires energy and your appetite may also surge just after a lesson.
What You Can Expect
It is normal that you will experience changes in your physical posture and abilities even after your first lesson. As you continue with lessons you will find that you become more aware of your body, its position and alignment, what works for you and what does not. You may be given lessons, a series of spoken instructions, to complete at home to augment the work.
You will see:
- Higher level of muscular control
- Improved learning ability and memory retention
- Ease in breathing
- Increase in flexibility
- Improved dexterity and range of motion
- Increase in strength and energy
- Reduced aches and pains
- Less rigidity in movement and in thought
Overcoming Chronic Pain
Pain comes from many sources; in many instances, it is the body’s way of communicating to the brain a response to stimuli. That stimuli might be physical injury or dysfunction, it might be an emotional response to stress, perceived threats, or grief. There is also “neuropathic pain”, for which there is no external cause. Without a method for processing that response in the brain and the body, pain can become a cumulative, debilitating element in your life. HERE is an excellent article about how our " body maps" in our brains can become dysfunctionally wired and perpetuate chronic pain long after the source of the pain is gone. This dysfunctional wiring is a reversible process
The work we do at Evolution Through Movement is based on an understanding of how the brain forms patterns in response to that stimuli and how those responses result in chronic pain. It integrates all aspects – body, brain, emotion and spirit – and their relationship to pain. It offers natural pain relief solutions to help you manage pain with fewer or no drugs at all. Most of all, it addresses the elusive element of the quality of movement to allow you to recover from cumulative pain and to prevent future pain. By introducing movement sequences that provide the brain with better information, you will spontaneously form new neurological pathways that will enable you to rid yourself of pain.
What Success Looks Like:
- Overcome back, neck, shoulder, knee or joint pain through learning more efficient movement
- Increase your overall strength and flexibility
- Eliminate repetitive stress injuries
- Regain ease of movement
- Sleep better
- Have more energy
- Enhance your mental clarity and emotional well-being
- Perform at a higher level
Solutions for Stroke Patients
Even following a stroke, the brain has the capacity to work around those damaged areas in order to form new connections to replace the lost ones.
During the time following a stroke, the brain and nervous system of the affected person goes into a kind of “cortical shock”, which can last for several months. During this time, the neurons in the brain have difficulty firing. This results in a person developing what some doctors are calling “learned non-use”.
Learned non-use results from the early, unsuccessful attempts to move the affected limb during the “shock” period following a stroke. When a person no longer attempts to use the affected limb, they have “learned” that they cannot use it anymore. Recent research demonstrates that learned non-use can be overcome.
Because of this, we recommend our movement-based methods be employed with you or your loved ones as soon after a stroke as possible.
No matter what level of skill or degree of limitation one has, the brain can learn to replace limited and disorganized movement patterns with new and better organized ones. This holds true whether the brain has suffered a stroke or not. We do not lose the ability to learn; it just lies dormant.
“When I was first introduced to the Feldenkrais method, I had just been told to discontinue care with traditional Physical Therapy. I did not have the coordination or balance to get off the ground if I fell. Feldenkrais has given me my balance & coordination back, along with the confidence to get rid of my cane & walk on my own! I can't say enough about Chad Estes & the positive effect that the Feldenkrais Method has had on my life! It gave me back my independence. No more fear of falling! & I can't get up! My balance has improved so much I started playing golf again!”
- Dr. George L. Kraft, stroke sufferer