Mabel Todd

Mabel Elsworth Todd is known as a major contributor to Ideokinesis, a field of bodywork and personal development that first came to prominence in the 1930's amongst dancers and health professionals. Todd's ideas involved of using creative visual imagery and consciously relaxed volition to create refined neuromuscular coordination. Her work built on and overlapped similar work by Heinrich Kosnick and Lulu Sweigard, who originally coined the term Idiokinesis.cite web |url=http://www.gse.harvard.edu/~t656_web/Spring_2002_students/grinfeld_julie_ideokinesis.htm |title='The Idea of Ideokinesis' |accessdate=2007-01-10 |author=Julie Grinfeld |year=2002] cite book |author=Franklin, Eric. | title='Dynamic Alignment Through Imagery' | year=1996 | publisher=Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics | isbn=0-8732-2475-2 | page=4]

Todd's work was originally published in her book 'The Thinking Body' (1937), which is now considered by modern dance schools to be a classic study of physiology and the psychology of movement. Her work influenced many somatic awareness professionals of her day, and is often cited along with The Feldenkrais method for it's focus on the subtle influence of unconscious intention and attention.

Publications

* Mabel E. Todd, "The Thinking Body", Princeton Book Company; N.e.of 1937 Ed edition (June 1, 1980), 314 pages, ISBN 0-8712-7014-5
* Eric N. Franklin,"Dynamic Alignment Through Imagery", Human Kinetics Publishers (January 1996), 320 pages, ISBN 0-8732-2475-2

References