Anne McGuiness

BA French / German UCD

• Solicitor
• Higher Certificate in European Law College of Europe Bruges
• Feldenkrais Training (Sussex V 2010)
• Integrative Counsellor and Psychotherapist (Tivoli Institute 2016)

2 Auburn Villas Rathgar Dublin 6 +353 86 8141702 annemcguinn@gmail.com

Classes:

Mondays 76 Kimmage Rd W. Kimmage Dublin 12 not running due to Covid check with Anne for updates

Workshops:

Sundays check with Anne

Individual lessons:

Auburn Villas Rathgar Dublin 6 - by appointment

Practice:

I work with a broad range of people some of whom come to classes and individual sessions to address specific physical difficulties including back, knee, hip, neck and shoulder pain, repetitive strain injuries, fibromyalgia, postural issues and neurological conditions as well as rehabilitation following injury and operations. I work with others who use Feldenkrais to enhance their feelings of comfort, ease, enjoyment, wellbeing and mastery in their lives in areas such as generalised stress and tension reduction and increased movement range and possibilities whether in sporting or artistic activity or in ordinary daily living. I work also with others who use it more specifically in helping them in meeting the challenges of living with the emotional and physical impact of trauma.

Biography:

I have been practising Feldenkrais myself since 2002. In early 2006 I was in a serious accident which left me with two broken legs, a reconstructed left knee and damage also to my right knee. The medical prognosis was poor- arthritis and restricted mobility even after a long period of rehabilitation with early full knee replacement a real possibility. I was lucky that I was already practicing Feldenkrais attending both group classes and individual sessions with great improvements in many areas of my life and knew just how wonderful it is in rehabilitation following injury. I undertook the 4 year Feldenkrais professional training as my (alternative) rehabilitation starting later in 2006 (initially on crutches but these were soon discarded) and it has proved itself as a very successful approach. I can happily say I now have better functioning of my entire body than I had before the accident and enhanced rather than restricted mobility as compared to pre-accident.

I was introduced to Feldenkrais as part of a training in integrative psychotherapy which I did from 2000 to 2002 (Institute of Creative Counselling and Psychotherapy- now closed). Feldenkrais as well as some other body based approaches were part of the curriculum in recognition of how trauma- emotional, relational, physical- and adverse life events and circumstances impact not only on feelings, thoughts, relationships and behaviour but also on our physical being in the form of collapsed posture, reduced breathing and consequent loss of vitality as well as restriction of movement possibilities. These physical consequences are adopted outside of our awareness as vital and protective safety measures to help close down on emotional overwhelm. I found Feldenkrais to be far and away the best of those body based approaches presented on the psychotherapy course aimed at unwinding in a safe way some of the physical limitations which emotional overwhelm entails (not a substitute for psychotherapy -rather a valuable addition to it). I also found Feldenkrais to be of huge benefit to me in a general way in stress reduction and self care. I withdrew from that psychotherapy training to explore more fully what Feldenkrais has to offer in these areas. In the intervening years my views on the usefulness and efficacy of Feldenkrais in these areas both from my own experience and, since completing my professional Feldenkrais qualification, in working with clients has only increased.

I enjoy helping people who come to my classes and to individual sessions to discover for themselves that Feldenkrais can enhance their lives too in so many directions. It gives me pleasure to see them find in Feldenkrais a valuable tool that helps them to become more fully authors of their own well being both physical and emotional no matter what challenges they face in life.

I am a fully qualified Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner, a member of Feldenkrais Ireland and a member of the Feldenkrais Guild UK.