Thinking and Doing

This article is part of the Legacy Feldenkrais Books Archive.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Thinking and Doing grew out of Moshe Feldenkrais’s early engagement with the ideas of Émile Coué, a French psychologist known for his work on autosuggestion. In 1929 Feldenkrais published a Hebrew translation of Coué’s book The Practice of Autosuggestion by the Method of Émile Coué.

Alongside the translation, Feldenkrais added his own observations and reflections in two additional chapters. In these writings he explored how imagination and mental rehearsal influence human action.

Feldenkrais observed that many people rely primarily on willpower to improve their abilities. However, he argued that imagination and mental imagery often play a far more powerful role in shaping human performance.

These ideas foreshadow concepts that later became fundamental to the Feldenkrais Method®, particularly the role of awareness, self-image, and the relationship between thinking and movement.

For readers interested in the origins of Feldenkrais’s work, Thinking and Doing provides a rare glimpse into the early development of his ideas about learning and human potential.

KEY IDEAS IN THE BOOK

• Imagination often influences action more strongly than willpower.
• Autosuggestion can be used to improve performance, not only to solve problems.
• Mental imagery plays an important role in learning and coordination.
• Self-image influences how we think, move, and act.
• Thought and action are deeply interconnected.

EXCERPT

From Thinking and Doing by Moshe Feldenkrais

Most people believe that success depends mainly on willpower. Yet in many situations imagination proves to be the stronger force. When imagination and willpower are in conflict, imagination almost always prevails.

If we learn how to direct imagination properly, it becomes possible to influence our actions and improve our abilities. Instead of struggling through effort alone, we can use imagination to organize our behavior more effectively.

In this way, thinking and doing are not separate activities. The way we imagine ourselves acting has a direct influence on what we are able to do.

CLOSING REFLECTION

Thinking and Doing offers a remarkable window into the early intellectual development of Moshe Feldenkrais. Though only a brief monograph, it contains the seeds of ideas that would later grow into the Feldenkrais Method®.

For students and practitioners of the method, the book reveals how Feldenkrais began exploring the relationship between imagination, awareness, and effective action—questions that continued to guide his work throughout his life.

Related Reading

About Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais
What is the Feldenkrais Method®
Research on the Feldenkrais Method®
Other books by Moshe Feldenkrais