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The Alexander Technique is a technique of body re-education and coordination, accomplished through physical and psychological principles. The technique focuses on the self-perception of body use and may be promoted for the alleviation of back pain, rehabilitation after accidents, improving breathing, playing musical instruments, acting, and singing.

The technique takes its name from F. Matthias Alexander, who first formulated its principles between 1890 and 1900.^[1] Alexander developed the Technique as a personal tool to alleviate pain and hoarseness that affected his ability to pursue a career as a Shakespearean actor. Alexander taught his technique for 30 years before creating a school to form other teachers of the technique. All current Alexander Technique teachers have participated in the 3-year, 1600-hour training, all with a pedagogical ancestry traced to Alexander himself.

The technique is taught in lessons, through a combination of hands-on coaching and verbal explanation. During lessons, which may last from 30 minutes to an hour, students, guided by the teacher, inhibit habitual reactions and instead find newer and more efficient ways to perform simple tasks, like walking, standing, and sitting.

Historically taught in private lessons, its principles have also been adapted to be taught in groups, often using short individual lessons which, in turn, act as examples to the rest of the class.^[2]

Contents 1 History 2 Technique 2.1 Basic premises 2.2 Disadvantages 2.3 Benefits 2.4 Influences 3 Scientific evidence 4 See also 5 Notes 6 References

[edit] History

Alexander was a Shakespearean orator who developed problems which resulted in losing his voice. After doctors informed him they could find no physical cause, he carefully observed himself in multiple mirrors. This revealed that he was needlessly stiffening his whole body in preparation to recite or speak. Further, Alexander observed that many individuals experiencing voice problems tightened the musculature of the upper torso, especially the neck, prior to phonation in anticipation of the act of voicing. He suggested that this pattern rotates the head backwards and downwards in relationship to the spine, disrupting efficient overall body alignment; later termed a "startle pattern." He attempted to change this reaction, using both direct and indirect means. After identifying substitution strategies and improving his ability to choose a new response, he found that the old pattern of voice loss not only ceased, but he continued to improve towards his original intention to become a better orator.

Later, Alexander came to believe that what he termed the empirical scientific method or self-observation and reasoning applied to one's own manner of moving, could be used to ease physical performance in general: sitting, standing, walking, using the hands and speaking. He recorded his methods by developing his "work" (termed Alexander Technique after his death,) so as to make experimentation and training repeatable, and also by recording his experiences in four books. He also trained educators of his Technique mainly while living in London from 1931 until his death in 1955, except for the wartime period between 1941 to 1943 which was spent teaching with his brother Albert Redden Alexander (1874–1947) in Massachusetts, USA.

[edit] Technique

[edit] Basic premises

The Alexander Technique is considered to be an educational technique to be practised by the student on his own, rather than a curative treatment or therapy. It is designed to be used while doing any other activity. There are no prescriptive forms or exercises intended to be done in separate practice time - with the exception of lying semi-supine as a recommended means of effective release of tension and as an opportunity to rehearse the conscious mental directions Alexander devised.

Physical freedom, efficiency and gradual continuing education are the prescribed values. The Alexander Technique teacher provides verbal coaching while monitoring and guiding with specialised hands-on assistance. Students are led to change their previous habitual and largely automatic routines that have been demonstrated to the student by the teacher as physically limiting and structurally inefficient. This specialised assistance requires Alexander teachers to demonstrate on themselves what they are communicating to the student.^[3]

Alexander developed some of his own terminology to talk about his methods, outlined in his four books. These terms are often used to discuss his principles. For instance, lack of "Sensory awareness" is about how repetition of a circumstance encourages habit design; harmful habits such as spine shortening, restriction of breathing and poor postural attitudes disappear after being successfully trained. Kinesthetic sensory awareness is a relative sense, not an indicator of absolute truth. Once trained and forgotten, habits may be activated without conscious awareness of their existence - hence Alexander's insistence on "conscious control" - once you are more aware of your habit tendency as being self harming, you may then take the opportunity to refuse to continue to indulge it.

Another example is the term "End-gaining," which means to focus on a goal so as to lose sight of the means by which the goal is achieved. According to Alexander teachers, this "end-gaining" increases the likelihood of selecting older or conflicting compensatory coping strategies with the potential for cumulative, ongoing unpredictability or injury. End-gaining actions are usually carried out quickly and with little awareness of how the organism is used in the process. They are almost automatic.

In the Alexander Technique lexicon, the historic term "Inhibition" describes a moment of conscious awareness (which with practice can become a continuous on-going process of self-awareness rather than merely "a moment") that interrupts or stops a habitual pattern of "misuse." Once habits are observed and interrupted in this way they can be eventually stopped, whereupon the person tends to resume a freer capacity and range of motion. The prescribed act of thinking of one's own series of "Directions" selects and reinforces the proscribed Head-Neck-Back relationship that emerges when habitual misuse is stopped. "Giving Directions" are meant to be suggestively thought rather than willfully accomplished. These paradoxical characteristics are reinforced in further more global concepts of "Psycho-physical Unity" and "Constructive, Conscious Control." ^[4]

The Alexander Technique, unlike other methods done for directly physically therapeutic goals, is applied to every activity in daily life. For this reason, F.M. Alexander preferred not to recommend exercises for his students to perform, and most teachers follow his intent. His approach was to emphasise the use we each make of our whole selves in every act of living.

[edit] Disadvantages

In the United Kingdom, there is some coverage of the costs for Alexander lessons through the Complementary and Alternative Practitioners Directory. Otherwise, individuals must pay for their Alexander education out of pocket. Those who are used to getting instant results may complain at a commitment of twenty to forty private lessons, which is what most Alexander teachers advertised is required to gain proficiency. Private lessons usually cost in a similar range to private music lessons. Outside of the United Kingdom there is little or no insurance coverage. Inexpensive classes are rarely available. Workshops do exist, but usually do not last long enough to fulfil educational requirements for most students, who must then attend private lessons if they want to gain proficiency.

The learning process often demands giving up "favoured" ways of thinking and acting. This challenge can result in unanticipated and illogical defensiveness. If a student must halt lessons at an awkward stage, this can leave them without practical substitutions for the "bad" habits they just learned to sense.

Practicing the Alexander Technique cannot directly affect structural deformities (such as arthritis or other bone problems), or other diseases, (such as Parkinson's, etc.) In these cases, the Alexander Technique can only mitigate how the person compensates for these difficulties.

[edit] Benefits

The Alexander Technique is used remedially to regain freedom of movement; it is used to undo the establishment of nuisance habits by performers, and it's used as a self awareness discipline and a self-help tool to change specific habits.

These first application areas include alleviating pain and weakness as a result of poor posture or repetitive physical demands, improving pain management for chronic disabilities, and rehabilitation following surgery or injury where compensatory habits that were designed to avoid former pain need to be revised after healing.

As an example among performance art applications, the Technique is used and taught by classically trained singers and vocal coaches. Its advocates claim that it allows for the proper alignment of all aspects of the vocal cords and tract through consciously increased air flow. With this increase of breathing capacity, singers are said to be better able to exercise proper vocal technique and tone. Because the Technique has allegedly been used to improve breathing and stamina in general, advocates of the technique claim that athletes, people with asthma, tuberculosis, and panic attacks have also found benefits.

Along the application of self-help, proponents of the Technique suggest that it can help performers manage stage fright, become more spontaneous, and to increase skill repertoire. It is suggested that A.T. can be an adjunct to psychotherapy for people with disabilities, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, panic attacks, stuttering, and chronic pain because using its principles can improve stress management abilities.^[5][6][7] The Alexander technique has been shown to be an effective treatment for chronic or recurrent back pain in a randomised study published Aug. 19, 2008.^[8]

[edit] Influences

Gertrude Stein's brother Leo called the Alexander Technique: "the method for keeping your eye on the ball applied to life".^[9]

The English novelist Aldous Huxley was strongly influenced by F. M. Alexander and the Technique so much so that he included him as a character in the pacifist theme novel Eyeless in Gaza published in 1936.^[10]

The American philosopher and educator John Dewey was very favourably impressed by F. M. Alexander and the Technique. In 1923, Dewey wrote the introduction to Alexander's magnum opus Constructive Conscious Control of the Individual.^[11]

The Feldenkrais method and the Mitzvah Technique were also influenced by the Alexander Technique.

Along with the Feldenkrais Method and yoga, the Alexander Technique is one of the three healing arts that help form the foundation of the Nia Technique.

[edit] Scientific evidence

A 2008 randomised controlled trial published in the British Medical Journal found marked improvement in addressing back pain with this technique. Those receiving 24 lessons had 3 days of back pain in a four week period, 18 days less than the control median of 21 days. The cohort receiving 6 lessons had a reduction of ten days in days-of-pain reported. Outcomes were also measured by Roland disability scores, a measure of the number of activities impaired by pain, with a control baseline of 8.1. 24 lessons reduced this by 4.14 points, while six lessons combined with exercise produced a reduction of 2.98. Hence the paper concluded that 6 lessons combined with exercise would be the most cost effective option for primary care.^[8] A subsequent review of the economic implications of the study concluded that "a series of six lessons in Alexander technique combined with an exercise prescription seems the most effective and cost effective option for the treatment of back pain in primary care."^[12]

Prior to this there was a lack of peer-reviewed studies in scientific journals regarding the effectiveness of the technique. In 1999, Dennis ran a controlled study of the effect of AT on the "Functional Reach" (associated with balance) of women older than 65 and found a significant improvement in performance after 8 sessions but this improvement was not maintained in a one-month follow up.^[13] Further, in 2004 Maher concluded that "Physical treatments, such as ... Alexander technique ... are either of unknown value or ineffective and so should not be considered" when treating lower back pain with an evidence-based approach.^[14] Finally, in 2002, Stalibrass et al. published the results of a significant controlled study into the effectiveness of the technique in treating Parkinson's disease. Four different measures were used to assess the change in severity of the disease. By all four measures, Alexander Technique was better than no treatment, to a statistically significant degree (both P-values < 0.04). However, when compared to a control group given massage sessions, Alexander technique was only significantly better by two of the measures. The other two measures gave statistically insignificant improvements (P-values of approximately 0.1 and 0.6). This appears to lend some weight to the effectiveness of the Technique, but more studies and data are required.^[15]

While there is an abundance of anecdotes which suggest that AT instruction contributes to improved vocal quality and vocal health (including its apparent success in treating the vocal health issues of its creator, Alexander), only two studies of AT use with voice were found,^[16][17] neither of which was published in peer-reviewed journals. In both, there was an apparent attempt to measure the effects of AT on voice and to analyze some data; however, neither methodology nor statistics were provided to lend scientific credence to the interpreted results (e.g., representative sampling, control groups or blind testing) or acoustic measurements (i.e., microphone type, microphone placement, microphone directionality, recording environment, recording media – all of which could affect the spectral characteristics of the recording). Thus, while both studies may report actual effects, one cannot have confidence that they demonstrate anything more than possibly placebo improvements without the inclusion of carefully designed methodologies, legitimate metrics or statistical analysis. With regard to the claims made for reducing the need for medication in patients with asthma, Dennis concluded that "robust, well-designed randomised controlled trials are needed."^[18]

[edit] See also

• Feldenkrais Method
• Mitzvah Technique

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Alexander, F. Matthias (1932). The Use of Self (1985 Edition ed.). London: Orion Books Limited. ISBN 0752843915. 
• Jones, Frank Pierce (May 1997). Freedom to Change; The Development and Science of the Alexander Technique. London: Mouritz. ISBN 0-9525574-7-9. 
• Jones, Frank Pierce (1999). ed. Theodore Dimon, Richard Brown. ed. Collected Writings on the Alexander Technique. Massachusetts: Alexander Technique Archives. ISBN ATBOOKS058. 
• Brennan, Richard (May 1997). The Alexander Technique Manual. London: Connections UK. ISBN 1-85906-163-x.