Hanna Somatic Education™
Frequently Asked Questions

How is this different than chiropractic?
How does it work?
How many sessions are required?
What are the qualifications of Hanna Somatic Educators?
What does it cost?
Does insurance cover it?

How is this different than chiropractic?

Chiropractic works primarily with skeletal alignment (and to some extent, nutrition) to improve bodily functioning.

Hanna Somatic Education deals with the effects of muscular tension on skeletal alignment and bodily functioning (including the muscular tension of emotional stress): bones go where muscles pull them; that's what muscles do. Chronically tight muscles produce chronic misalignment, stiffness, and often, pain.

In chiropractic, a chiropractor adjusts you; the adjustment is "done to" (or for) you. Generally, your tendency to return to your familiar feeling of movement and position recreates your habitual muscular tensions.

In Hanna Somatic Education, a somatic educator shows and assists you (often, hands-on) in movement maneuvers that awaken you more to your body and improve your muscular control; you gain more natural control of your muscles. Involuntary muscular tensions end or significantly lessen. As with all learning, the improvements you gain soon seem second-nature.

Somatic education makes chiropractic adjustments easier and longer-lasting. Problems resolve much more quickly, including those that have resisted various methods of treatment.

In short, chiropractic deals primarily with the "hardware" (skeletal system); somatic education deals with the "software" that controls the "hardware".

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How does it work?

Hanna Somatic Educators teach a kind of slow-motion movement maneuver that rapidly improves muscular control. With the coaching and hands-on assistance of a somatic educator, this maneuver enables the client to locate, sense, and gain control of muscles in various areas of the body that are too tight or are not doing their job properly.

What are the qualifications of Hanna Somatic Educators?

Certified clinicians (presently fewer than fifty, worldwide) undergo a three-year course of training that includes anatomy, functional and structural kinesiology (the study of movement from within and without/experientially and objectively), physical evaluation, neurophysiology, and practical methods.

How many sessions are required?

Between two and eight sessions resolve most complaints, (i.e., eliminate chronic pain and improve body functioning to superior levels). Each session improves how you feel and function. How many you do is up to you.

 

What does it cost?

Cost varies by practitioner, ranging from $50 (students in training) to $175 per session, depending on local economic conditions and the practitioner's abilities.

 

Does insurance cover it?

Possibly. Insurance may cover sessions prescribed by a physician and pre-approved by the insurer. One company, American Western Life Insurance Co., pays for it in their Wellness Plan; there may be others who do, as well. Check out Mutual of Omaha.

Hanna Somatic Education ^tm
is a registered trademark of The Novato Institute for Somatic Research and Training

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