Who is Thomas Hanna?

Thomas Hanna was a Philosopher, a pioneer of neurology and he founded the field of Somatics setting up the Novato Institute for Somatic Research and Training in California. He authored several books, including Bodies in Revolt: A Primer in Somatic Thinking (1970), The Body of Life: Creating New Pathways for Sensory Awareness and Fluid Movement (1979), and Somatics: Reawakening the Mind’s Control of Movement, Flexibility and Health (1989). He was also Editor of Somatics: Magazine – Journal of the Bodily Arts and Sciences.

Hanna spent time learning from F.M Alexander and Moshe Feldenkrais, and their influences can be felt throughout his method. However, Hannah’s understanding of brain plasticity, the connections between our brain, central nervous system and our muscle function, and significantly, his finding and understanding of Sensory Motor Amnesia is what sets his method apart from others.