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Alexander Technique
to help tinnitus
The Alexander Technique is a method of self-awareness as one goes through activities of daily living. The
Alexander technique helps one to let go of tensions that may be responsible for
aches and pains that effect our musculoskeletal and neurological systems. Alexander technique is
a re-education in which you learn how to use your body appropriately, avoiding stresses on bones, joints and internal organs. You learn to become proactive
in your life rather than reacting habitually to a given situation.
The basic tenet of the Alexander technique is that when the neck muscles are not overworked, the head is
poised at the top of the spine. This balance ignites the body’s anti-gravity response. This response is an
oppositional force in the torso that easily guides us upward and invites the spine to lengthen instead of
compressing when we move.
Frederick Mathias Alexander, founder of the Alexander technique was Australian born in 1869. His profession
as an actor required him to recite. In doing so he began to have a problem with hoarseness and sought medical
attention. Doctors and voice coaches could not remedy his problem. Upon self-observation he noticed that he
pulled his head back and down and that his entire spine was compressed (this was the early
beginning of the Alexander technique). He realized that his body was in a pattern of misuse that involved his entire body and not
just one area, and his early attempts to remedy this was indeed the beginning of the Alexander technique. His
entire body affected the way any one area of it functioned. He realized the key was to look at the whole instead
of the part.
The pillars of the Alexander technique include three concepts. The first is the head-neck-torso unit. By correcting
the way these body parts are used, faulty habits may diminish or disappear. The second pillar of the Alexander
technique, mental instructions or directions are simply instructions used to guide the body. Lastly, inhibition is the
conscious stopping of a habitual response.
The Alexander Technique has been useful in helping people with a variety of physical dysfunctions. It has been
applied to people who have sustained traumatic injuries. The Alexander technique works with people with neck,
back and hip dysfunctions, repetitive stress injuries, neurological and respiratory dysfunction, posture and
balance disorders. And most importantly, the Alexander technique is effective with pain management. Patients
or students of the Alexander technique can attain a more upright posture with less muscular tension in the neck,
back and shoulders.
Physical therapists may integrate ideas from the Alexander Technique while treating their patients. Using verbal
and tactile cues to treat dysfunction in rehabilitation is done every day. The Alexander technique, by giving
patients cues in a different way, may help to enhance the rehabilitation process. Training to become an
Alexander technique teacher is a three year / 1600 hour process.
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