LearningMethods Publications

Revealing the Obvious –
The Anatomy of Wholeness

A new book by David Gorman — in progress

This long-awaited book is still in manuscript but steadily evolving (100,000 words and growing).

It is a look at our amazing human structure and function, not in the same detailed way as The Body Moveable, but instead zooming out to the larger patterns of our system from the point of view of you, the whole thinking, feeling, responding, performing being... in other words, The Anatomy of Wholeness.

The book explores the larger whole-person patterns of organization in your system that are usually overlooked in all the anatomical detail. Individual parts — muscles, joints or 'organs' like the larynx — do not work in isolation but as part of an entire "pattern of organization" of your whole being which includes not just your "physical" functioning. but also your thoughts, your feelings and beliefs about yourself, and your activity.

Understanding the natural functioning of these built-in whole-system "patterns of being", and learning to get out of their way, allows you to eliminate interference and to regain your heritage of effortless wholeness along with greater support, freedom, ease and coordination, better healing, deeper in-touchness and more appropriate response.

The core of the book includes a full exploration of his revolutionary and profound discovery of "the pre-sprung elastic suspension system", as well as many practical and experiential demonstrations.

It is not just a User Guide for anyone with a body and curiosity about themselves, but will also be ideal as a reference and teaching tool for practitioners and teachers... 

See below for a list of chapters and synopsis of current headings.

 
Table of Contents (so far)

List of Illustrations
Dedication
Introduction – to the better side of ourselves
A Fundamental Question – A short preface

Chapter 1 – Where Did We Come From?
      A Long Line of Survivors
      The Way-back Machine
          — Being: Inner and outer
          — Stability: control and continuity
          — Awareness and Mobility: Sensitivity, Evaluation and Responsiveness
          — Dynamic Equilibrium: Expansiveness and security
          — A change is afoot
          — Differentiation: The basic tissues
          — A Directed Endedness – movement, intention and attention
          — Muscle and Movement
          — Form and Volume
          — Segmentation and Bilateral Symmetry
      The Vertebrates
          — The Internal Skeleton
          — A Flexible Lengthening Device
          — Rhythmic Elastic Engine
          — Internal vs. External Skeletons
          — The Earliest Fish
          — Jaws and Synovial Joints
      Preparation for Landing
          — Development of the bony limbs
          — Development of the lungs
          — Coming out onto the land
      Synopsis of rest of Chapter:
      Coming out onto land: The Amphibian Pioneers
          — Suddenly Support is Needed
          — A new kind of muscle
          — Locomotion shifts to Legs
      The Amazing Reptile Inventors
          — Aspiration - a new kind of breathing
          — Rotation of Limbs - more efficient support and faster locomotion
          — The Neck and Divergence of Limb Function
          — Changes in the torso
          — Bipedal Motion and Manipulation
      A Word about the Bird.
      The Active Mammals
          — Warm-blooded Metabolism and Diaphragmatic Breathing
          — Internal Gestation and More Time for Complex Development
      The Ape Apprentice
          — Visual Dominance, Grasping hands and Brain complexity
          — Hand over Hand - the Brachiating Apes
      Upright Humans
      What Now? — The Next Stage

Chapter 2 – A Most Instable of Creatures
          — The Levels of Organisation
          — The Most Instable of Creatures
          — The dilemma: stability vs. freedom
          — What it feels like to transcend the dilemma
      The Two Organizations
           — torso and limbs
          — Two main structural organizations
          — The container of life
          — The flexible lengthening device
          — The distortion nature of the torso
          — The elastic rhythmic engine
          — The limb for the head
          — Normal or "resting" position — a rant (may not be left in)
          — The freely-moveable limbs
      The Inherent Instabilities?
      Instabilities of the head and torso
          — Forward instability
          — Head, chest & abdomen
          — Instability of torso is irreducible
      Instabilities of the hips and legs
          — Constant tendency to instability in the legs
          — Side-to-side instability at the hip
          — Front-to-back instability at the hip
          — Backward instability at the knee
          — Front-to-back instability at the ankle
          — The Instability of the Arms and Shoulders
      The muscles dealing with the instabilities of support
          — Muscles dealing with torso instabilities
          — Muscles dealing with leg instabilities
          — Side-to-side at the hip
          — Forward instability at the hip
          — Backward instability at the hip
          — Backward instability at the knee
          — Forward instability at the knee
          — Forward instability at the ankle
          — Backward instability at the ankle
          — Instabilities as one simultaneous pattern
          — One whole flow of muscular response
          — The instabilities give us our human shape

Chapter 3 – Talented Tissues
      Connective tissue – Guarding the borders
          — Connective tissue prevents disconnection
          — Different kinds of connective tissue
          — A note on elasticity and elastic limit
          — Adaptation of fibre direction in connective tissue
          — Graph of resistance vs. stretching forces
          — Strength of connective tissue before failure
          — Taut connective tissue has stored elastic energy
          — Tendency to constantly shrink up
          — Analogy – dust accumulation
          — Adaptation of length works both ways
          — Connective tissue is your servant not your enemy
          — Three factors affecting connective tissue adaptation
          — Three factors of connective tissue damage
      Muscles
          — bundles within bundles
          — Primary function of muscle is stability/support
          — Organization of the Muscle
          — Active and passive parts of the muscle
          — Going to the microscopic level
      How Muscles Meet Instability
      The Excitation System of Muscle
      The Activation of Muscle (Contraction)
      Stretch is Important Information
          — The Stretch Detectors (muscle spindles)
      The two talents of muscle
          — Able to change its length
          — Able to resist disconnecting forces
      All the details you'll ever want (see Chapter 12)

Chapter 4 – The Elastic Suspension System
      The Pre-sprung Elastic Suspension System
          — Using the potential energy of mass
          — When gravity pulls up
          — Going around and around the suspension system
          — Suspension is automatic unless interfered with
          — The tubular trampoline
          — The two talents of muscle revisited
          — Releasing into activity - a spring assist
          — The tensegrity toy model
          — Differences between you and the tensegrity toy
          — Using the model to show interference by holding in your abdomen
          — A little more about tensegrity

Chapter 5 – Muscle Adaptation and Bending
      Muscle Adaptation — You Are What You Do
      Adaptability of Muscle tissue – Length changes
          — Distinguishing two different kinds of length
          — On length adaptability.
      Adaptability of Muscle tissue – Strength changes
      Adaptability of Muscle tissue – Red & white fibres
      Bending – Monkey is as monkey does

The following chapters are partially written and as such only have some main headings

Chapter 6 – The Spine and Back Problems
      The Core of the Problem
      The Disks
      The Abdominals

Chapter 7 – Breathing, The Voice and Emotion
      The Suspension of the Breath
      The Larynx and the Voice
      Emotion and Freedom

Chapter 8 – The Arm, The Hand and Manipulation
      The Arm as Collection of Possibilities
      The Eye-Hand and Manipulation
      Repetitive Strain and Over-control

Chapter 9 – All Together Now – Balance and Coordination
      Balance, Coordination and the Proprioceptive Mechanisms
          — Active Perceptual Systems
          — Eyes and Blindsight
          — Inner Ear – Semicircular canals
          — Inner Ear – Otolith organs
          — Neck reflexes
          — Contact senses
      Head leads and body follows
          — Coordination
          — Interference
          — Poise and Grace

Chapter – 10 Awareness and Choice
      Intelligence over Reaction
      The You Who is Aware
      Using Intelligence to Make Sense of Experience
      Reasoning Over Reaction

Chapter 11 – Where Do We Go From Here?
      Inheriting Ourselves
      Do We Have Tickets for the Future?
      There is Only One Present
      The Tools Needed to Navigate Your Life
          Synopsis:

Chapter 12 – Muscles: All the Details
          — The Myofibrils
          — Organization of the Sarcomere
          — The Bands of the Sarcomere
          — Structure of the Myosin Filaments
          — Structure of the Actin Filaments
          — Structure of the Titin Filaments
      How Muscles Meet Instability
      The Excitation System of Muscle
          — The Innervation system
          — The Tubule systems
      The Excitation of Muscle
          — The Excitation Phase
          — The Refractory Period
      The Activation of Muscle (Contraction)
          — The Attachment Phase
          — The Power Stroke Phase
          — The Detachment Phase
          — The Reactivation of Myosin Phase
          — The Relaxation Phase
      The factors affecting force generation in muscles
          — The Motor Unit and Recruitment (the number of muscle fibres active)
          — The Frequency of Muscle Stimulation
          — The Length-Tension relationship (overlap of actin and myosin)
          — From sarcomeres back to whole muscles - internal and external tension
          — Muscle Fatigue
      Stretch is Important Information
          — The Stretch Detectors (muscle spindles)
          — Dynamic Bag 1 Fibre Response.
          — Static Bag 2 Fibre Response
          — Nuclear Chain Fibre Response
      Summary so far.
          — The two talents of muscle
      Synopsis of Rest of Chapter
          — The two primary functions of muscle
      Adaptability of Muscle tissue
      Miscellaneous bits to maybe use
          — Motor Units and Tension Production
          — Muscle Tone
      Isotonic and Isometric Contractions
          — Isotonic Contractions
          — Isometric Contractions
          — Resistance and Speed of Contraction
          — Muscle Relaxation and the Return to Resting Length
          — Connective Tissue Failure
          — Tendon Injury
          — Rate-Dependency of Connective Tissue

 
Coming soon - an e-book extract!
The central core of this book will be excerpted in e-book format soon — stay tuned...
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