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NEUROPHYSIOLOGY OF HANNA SOMATIC EDUCATION
By Caroline Wright
My intention in writing this paper is to present a clear outline of what Hanna
Somatic Education (HSE) is and how it works. Since the methods of HSE are all
scientifically based and work directly with the brain and nervous system, I will
provide an overview of the structures and functions involved.
Created by Thomas Hanna, HSE is the use of sensory-­­motor learning to
reawaken the mind’s control of the neuromuscular system. When contraction
patterns become neuromuscularly habituated, they can cause a host of functional
issues including chronic pain, stiffness and postural distortion. The word Somatics
comes from the Greek word Soma, which means “the living body in its wholeness.”
To learn somatically is to have a first-­­person experience of one’s self and to create
changes from the inside out.
As HSE practitioners, we teach clients how to improve the functioning of
their nervous systems, release contracted muscles, gain conscious control of
movement and improve their health. Our knowledge of neurophysiology informs
our practice and enhances our ability to facilitate this transformative process.
THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
The nervous system is a complex network of systems that coordinate our
voluntary and involuntary actions, transmitting information throughout the body. It
is divided, both structurally and functionally, into the Central Nervous System (CNS)
and the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS). The CNS is the core of the human body
and consists of the brain and spinal cord. The PNS consists of cranial and spinal
nerves that serve as messengers between the CNS and the rest of the body. With the
exception of primitive reflexes, our movement patterns are learned. HSE takes full
advantage of this fact, recognizing that since we learn our way into dysfunction and
pain, education is the way out. HSE utilizes all three functions of the nervous system:
sensory, integration, and motor.
The brain is the main control center for the body, and is the initiator of
voluntary movement. It connects to the spinal cord via the brainstem. Thirty-­­one
pairs of spinal nerves branch out from the right and left of the spinal cord, carrying
both sensory and motor information. Through ascending sensory tracts and
descending motor tracts, the spinal cord transmits signals between the brain and
the rest of the body.
The Nervous System has two basic divisions: the Somatic Nervous System,
which can be controlled voluntarily, and the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS),
which refers to neurons that control our bodily functions that can go on without
conscious input. The ANS has two main branches that have largely opposing effects
on the body: the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) and the Parasympathetic
Nervous System (PNS).
The primary function of the SNS is to defend the body against attack. When
there is a perceived threat, either internally or externally, it’s nerves help mobilize
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us for what is commonly referred to as the “fight or flight” response. Typical effects
of this include an increase in heart rate, blood pressure and blood sugar, elevated
stress hormones and decreased digestive activity. This stress response stimulates
the reticular activating system (RAS), which increases mental alertness and
contributes to overall muscle tone. Unfortunately, SNS dominance is a very common
condition, especially among people who are in chronic pain.
The PNS serves to heal and regenerate the body, facilitating a state of “rest
and repair.” The PNS activates the digestive system; improves immune function and
sleep; and allows detoxification to take place. The PNS helps reduce the activity of
the brain and muscles, leading to a calm, relaxed state of readiness. From this place
of neutrality, we have the most options, and we are better prepared to perform at
our best.
The PNS helps tune down the RAS, which contributes to an overall
reduction in muscle tension. One of the benefits of HSE is that we help clients move
into PNS dominance.
THE BRAIN: 3 LEVELS OF MOTOR CONTROL
The brain can be divided into three portions. From the bottom up, these are
the hindbrain, which includes the cerebellum, pons and medulla; the midbrain,
which contains the reticular formation; and the forebrain, which is comprised of the
thalamus, hypothalamus, basal ganglia and the cerebral cortex. Voluntary actions
follow a command hierarchy from the most conscious level of our brain down to the
spinal cord. The association cortex and limbic system influence motivation and work
together to produce a motor plan. Once the intention to move has been set, the
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motor cortex, cerebellum and basal ganglia help select an appropriate motor
program. The brainstem and spinal cord carry out the intended action by
transmitting the movement information from the brain to the muscles. A motor unit
has two components: an alpha motor neuron cell body within the CNS and the
contractile muscle fibers it innervates. When more motor units are recruited, the
muscle can contract with more force. Gamma motor neurons function in a loop with
alpha motor neurons to determine the amount of force needed. Gamma motor
neurons innervate muscle spindles: sensory feedback mechanisms that are sensitive
to the resting length of the muscle, and the speed at which lengthening occurs. This
feedback loop determines the resting level of skeletal muscles and helps us to
maintain posture and balance.
Golgi tendon organs are located within the tendons and respond to muscle
tension. They help us modulate the force needed to initiate and complete
movements with smooth transitions while maintaining stability and balance.
Throughout the intricate process of motor control there is continuous
interaction between the brain, brainstem and spinal cord. Sensory feedback from
peripheral receptors is crucial to the success of the intended movement. In short, we
sense to move and move to sense.
SENSORY MOTOR AMNESIA
Thomas Hanna coined the term sensory motor amnesia (SMA) to describe
the loss of voluntary control of a muscle. This “forgetting” is actually an adaptive
response of the nervous system. The sensory motor system responds to a stimulus
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and adapts to do its best given the circumstances. This adaptation can become an
unconscious pattern, whereby conscious control of the muscles involved has been
given over to the brainstem. This means that the muscles are receiving sub-­­cortical
output from the brain, instructing them to contract day in and day out. This chronic
contraction deprives the muscles of the blood flow and oxygen they need to
function well, leading to a build up of lactic acid and a feeling of weakness.
Joint
mobility becomes restricted, often resulting in pain and inflammation.
Many conditions that are often thought of as structural problems (such as
arthritis, sciatica, carpal tunnel, bursitis, and tendonitis) have a functional
component: SMA. This functional component can be addressed through HSE.
THE REFLEXES
Sensory Motor Amnesia takes over our posture and movements in three
basic patterns. Thomas Hanna identified them as the Red Light Reflex, Green Light
Reflex, and the Trauma Reflex. The Green Light Reflex is a natural action response
that activates the extensor muscles. It is first seen in infants as the Landau response,
and it is part of our innate desire to stand upright. When it becomes habituated,
however, it can cause an exaggerated lumbar curve, heavy heel strike and tight
hamstrings. The Red Light Reflex is a protective withdrawal response. Also known
as the Startle Reflex, it is associated with fear and apprehension, and causes
contraction of the flexor muscles. When it becomes habituated, it can cause the
upper body to round forward, slumping the shoulders and compressing the lungs
and viscera. The head is no longer optimally supported by the spine, which makes
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additional muscle contraction necessary to maintain an upright position. It can
progressively limit gait, causing the feet to shuffle along the ground. The Trauma
Reflex is a response to injury that helps guard against pain, as seen in limping, for
example. It can also be an adaptive response to repetitive, asymmetrical tasks such
as holding a baby, talking on the phone, or playing a sport that utilizes one side of
the body more than the other. Habituation of the Trauma Reflex can cause lateral
flexion and rotation of the spine. It may appear as though one leg is longer than the
other. The contralateral motion of walking becomes restricted. Thomas Hanna also
recognized a fourth postural reflex called the Dark Vise, or Senile Posture, which is a
simultaneous activation of the Red Light and Green Light Reflexes as a stop-­­and-­­go
response.
APPLICATION OF HANNA SOMATIC EDUCATION
Sensory Motor Amnesia requires sensory motor re-­­education. We can offer
this to groups, leading students through slow, gentle movements. The classes are
designed to give students a first-­­person experience of themselves, enabling them to
create changes in their neuromuscular systems from the inside out. One-­­on-­­one
clinical sessions are the most rapid way for clients to free themselves from SMA.
Assessing a client’s posture, gait and overall muscle tone allows us to identify their
dominant reflex pattern, the memory of which is stored in the cerebellum.
Specialized protocols help us to be precise in addressing the clients’ SMA
accordingly. With a gentle, hands-­­on approach, we work with the client to break the
pattern down into slow, simple movements. Once we have re-­­programmed the
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components of the pattern to be both functional and conscious, we give the new and
improved motor plan back to the cerebellum and brainstem to reinforce muscle
memory. By reprogramming the nerve supply to the muscle, voluntary control is
restored.
THE TECHNIQUES
In a typical clinical session of HSE, three primary techniques are utilized:
Means Whereby, Kinetic Mirroring, and Pandiculation. Means Whereby, a strategy
first employed by F.M. Alexander and Elsa Gindler in the early 1900s, helps clients
gain a first-­­person awareness of the internal process
involved with their
movements. We slowly move the clients’ extremities within a comfortable range of
motion and ask that they inhibit their tendency to either help or hinder the
movement. The client has a chance to experience, often for the first time, what it
feels like to simply allow a movement to take place without effort. This technique is
applied actively as well. We ask a client to pay close attention to the “means
whereby” they are performing a movement. Their awareness increases cortical
activity and helps improve the functionality of their motor plan.
To increase relaxation within the muscles on the spinal cord level, we use
Kinetic Mirroring, which originates from the work developed by Moshe Feldenkrais.
This technique involves bringing the origin and insertion of a muscle closer
together, followed by a slow release out of the position. “If a muscle is stretched, it
responds by contracting, and this is known as the stretch or myotatic reflex” (C&N,pg
73). Shortening the muscle, on the other hand, produces an inverse effect.
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Muscle spindles emit sensory information to the CNS that decrease the firing rate of
the motor units. To avoid triggering the stretch reflex, we return the muscle to a
lengthened position slowly.
Thomas Hanna developed the clinical practice of Pandiculation, a two-­­part
active movement that is neuromuscularly similar to yawning. As our primary
technique, it sets HSE apart from other forms of somatic education. The pandicular
response is instinctual and functions to refresh cortical awareness of muscle
contraction, allowing the muscles to then come to rest. This action is carried out by
the corticospinal tract, which is voluntarily controlled by the sensory-­­motor cortex.
It has the ability to synapse on interneurons that can inhibit the firing of the motor
units. By minimizing distractions and taking the client out of gravity, we quiet the
spinal tracts that are not conducive to our work and enhance the function of the
corticospinal tract. Golgi tendon organs, receptors within the tendons, respond to
the gentle change in force applied to the muscle by further inhibiting the firing of the
motor units. Most vertebrates, human and animal, instinctively pandiculate upon
waking. HSE uses hands-­­on techniques and specific verbal instructions to amplify
the benefits of this response. We ask the client to make a voluntary, concentric
contraction of the muscle we are working with. This activates the sensory-­­motor
cortex and increases the activity of the Alpha and Gamma motor neurons. Next, we
ask the client to make a slow, eccentric contraction, lengthening the muscle. This
action causes the alpha and gamma motor neurons to decrease in activity, inhibiting
the firing of the motor units. The client is in control of the movement, and part of
our role is to provide load or assistance as needed to help the client gain fresh
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sensation of the movement. After a few repetitions, it is sometimes helpful to follow
up with a quick-­­release and/or a lock-­­in. A quick-­­release is a ballistic movement that
returns the motor control to the brainstem, especially the cerebellum. A lock-­­in
utilizes reciprocal inhibition. By contracting the opposing muscle group, the target
muscle is further inhibited. Our goal as practitioners is to provide our clients with
the tools they need to maintain their results on their own. We provide daily
maintenance “Cat Stretch” exercises that the client can easily practice at home. We
also help the client integrate their neuromuscular changes into functional actions of
sitting, standing, and walking. Somatic learning is an ongoing process.
CONCLUSION
Knowledge of neurophysiology informs the principles by which we practice
and helps define our role as educators. We do not treat, or work on, bodies-­­-­­we
teach, and work with, the whole person. It allows us to explain to clients how SMA is
affecting them, and why it is so important for them to practice their HSE exercises
slowly and with maximum awareness. Understanding the structures and functions
involved with diseases such as Parkinson’s and MS make it possible for us to
customize our work to suit the needs of the individual. Sometimes clients are
working with a healthcare team, so our knowledge helps us to be clear and concise
with explanations and recommendations to other specialists, such as doctors,
trainers, and therapists.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Brooks, Vernon B. 1986. The Neural Basis of Motor Control. New York:
Oxford University Press.
Criswell Hanna, Eleanor. 1998. Drafts of HSE Lectures, Wave 4.
Crossman, A.R. and Neary, D. 2010. Neuroanatomy An Illustrated Colour Text,
Fourth Edition. Churchill Livingstone Elsevier.
Hanna, Thomas. 1980. The Body of Life: Creating New Pathways for Sensory
Awareness and Fluid Movement. New York: Knopf.
Hanna, Thomas. 2004. Somatics: Reawakening the Mind’s Control of Movement,
Flexibility and Health. Cambridge: Da Capo Press.
Hanna, Thomas. Autumn/Winter 1990. Clinical Somatic Education: A New Discipline
in the Field of Health Care. SOMATICS, Magazine-­­Journal of the Bodily Arts and
Sciences.
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