Faulty Sensory Appreciation comes about when we do not receive accurate sensory feedback about our physical condition and use.  This feedback comes to us through our kinaesthetic and proprioceptive sense mechanisms.

As Alexander discovered: ‘I had proved in my own case and in that of others that instinctive control and direction of use had become so unsatisfactory, and the associated feeling so untrustworthy as a guide, that is could lead us to do the very opposite of what we wished to do or thought we were doing’.

F M Alexander ~ The Use of the Self p23

This concept has been given a clever and up to date description: ‘Think of Faulty Sensory Appreciation as Fake News from your senses‘

‘The Alexander Technique for Young Musicians’ p4

This can be illustrated by someone who habitually slumps over when sitting.  This slumped position will ‘feel right’ to them even though they can see in a mirror, for instance, that they have ‘bad posture’.  The converse is also true.  If this person comes to an Alexander lesson and the teacher helps them to re-align their body use, the pupil may initially experience this new way of sitting as ‘feeling wrong’.

The fact that our usual body sensations and feelings ‘feel right’ to us, makes learning the Alexander Technique on our own, even with the help of books, extremely hard to do.  This is because we continually revert back to our misuse, which feels familiar and therefore ‘right’ to us, so it is very hard to bring about any change in the way we use ourselves, because the new improved use initially feels wrong to us. With an Alexander teacher’s help and guidance we can, with time, re-educate our bodies so that we gain a more accurate sensory appreciation and understanding about our use.

The term ‘Directions’ is used in the Alexander Technique with two different but frequently overlapping meanings.

1 ‘Directions’ are the mental instructions we learn to give ourselves before and during an action, in order to bring about changes in the way we use ourselves whilst performing the action.

2 The instructions that are given also indicate the ‘direction’ in which we wish to release and lengthen muscles. For instance, letting our knees and thighs ease out and away from our hip joints.

Directions

It is important to notice the word ‘Allow’ in these directions. When we stop interfering with how the body wants to work, we allow it to function as it was designed to.

• Allow my neck to be free

• Allow my head to go forward and up

• Allow my back to lengthen and widen

• Allow my knees to ease out and away

Example

After experimentation, Alexander discovered he could change his habits of misuse, in which he pulled his head back and down when speaking, that resulted in his having vocal problems.  First he had to inhibit, stop his habit, then give himself a set of new directions.

In Alexander’s rather convoluted language:

‘Once this misdirection was inhibited, my next step would be to discover what direction would be necessary to ensure a new and improved use of the head and neck, and, indirectly, of the larynx and breathing and other mechanisms… and in its place employ my reasoning processes…. to select… the means-whereby a more satisfactory use could be brought about’ and then ‘to project consciously the directions required for putting these means into effect.’

During lessons, Alexander teachers aim to give pupils the experience that Alexander describes. First pausing and inhibiting their old habits of misuse.  Then ‘projecting the directions for the new and more satisfactory use in their proper sequence, primary, secondary, etc “all together, one after the other”… whilst the teacher at the same time with his hands makes him familiar with the new sensory experience’.

F M Alexander ~ The Use of the Self pp. 25/ 64

F M Alexander used the term ‘Primary Control’ to refer to the way in which our Head Neck Back relationship is a primary influence and dynamic organiser, for the co-ordination of our body mechanism and our movements. Elisabeth Walker, who trained with Alexander, says that he saw the primary control as being ‘a master reflex in co-ordinating the whole psychophysical organism’. This subtle control is only possible when we do not interfere by tightening our neck muscles, but allow the head to balance freely and easily on the atlanto-occipital joint at the top of the spine. ~ Forward and Away ~ Elisabeth Walker 2008.

Alexander discovered that his vocal mechanisms and whole organism functioned best when he stopped tightening his neck muscles when he spoke and moved around. This tension pulled his head back and down, restricted his voice, shortened his stature, interfered with his balance, his co-ordination and the way his body worked. This happened both at rest and in movement.

Inhibition and Direction

Alexander found that to change, he first needed to inhibit this habit of tightening his neck muscles, which interfered with the way his body worked naturally. Then he needed to give himself directions to act in a way that allowed him to freely and easily lengthen into movement. Importantly, Alexander discovered ‘that to lengthen I must put my head forward and up. As is shewn…. this proved to be the primary control of my use in all my activities’.

F M Alexander ~ The Use of the Self p.14

In Alexander Technique lessons we learn to be aware of how we interfere with this primary control relationship through our habitual patterns of tension, contraction and ‘mis-use’. We then ‘inhibit’ and unlearn those habits. We learn to give ourselves instructions and direct before and during activity. This allows the Head-Neck-Back relationship to re-establish itself and function as it is designed to do.

‘End gaining is a universal habit’ (F M Alexander ~ The Use of the Self).  End gaining is the tendency we have to keep our mind and actions focused on an end result whilst losing sight of, and frequently at the expense of, the means-whereby the result is achieved.

For instance, how many people push to the extreme in order to win a race or goal, or continue to write yet more pages when exhausted – and then tear a muscle or develop RSI, both of which may jeopardise their careers?  

From a global perspective, it worth the temporary end of gaining more wealth by cutting down the rainforests, whilst ruining the environment and putting the lives of people and many species of animals and plants at risk? Far better, surely, is to consider the means whereby we are earning our money and move towards sustainable development, which protects man and the environment.

When we end gain, we habitually rush into or continue an activity, often in a driven manner, without due consideration of the means-whereby we are using in order to reach our goal. Very often we will find that the more we try to reach our goal in this manner, the more distressed we become and the worse our performance of the task tends to get. When we do this, we often ignore the warning signs that could draw our attention to the fact that a problem is developing but instead, continue towards our goal.  This frequently results in conditions such as poor co-ordination, strains, injury and even illness.

An interesting exploration of learning not to end-gain, albeit from a Buddhist perspective, describes this process in archery. The student is aware that ‘drawing the bow is a means to an end and I cannot lose sight of this connection’ to which the Zen master replies ‘The more obstinately you try to learn how to shoot the arrow for the sake of hitting the goal, the less you will succeed’

Eugen Herrigal ~ Zen in the Art of Archery p. 46

The author Aldous Huxley, who had lessons with Alexander, describes the Alexander Technique as being :

‘a technique of inhibition, working on the physical level to prevent the body from slipping back, under the influence of greedy ‘end-gaining’, into its old habits of mal-co-ordination, and working… to inhibit undesirable impulses… on the emotional and intellectual level’.

Aldous Huxley ~ Ends and Means p. 223

Alexander Technique term Misuse

The term misuse, as applied in the Alexander Technique, is a person’s inappropriate use of their body, involving poor muscle tone and co-ordination. This disturbs the body’s intrinsic poise and balance and the whole way in which it functions.

As Alexander researched the reasons for his vocal problems he found that ‘this new piece of evidence suggested that the functioning of the organs of speech was influenced by my manner of using the whole torso, and that the pulling of the head back and down was not… merely a misuse of the specific parts concerned, but one that was inseparably bound up with a misuse of other mechanisms which involved the act of shortening the stature.’

(F M Alexander ~ The Use of the Self p.13)

Common examples of misuse are:

• Slouching and collapsing
• habitual tension and stiffening
• fixing or locking your joints, for example your knees
• crossing your knees when sitting
• standing on one leg
• contracting the neck muscles, so that you pull the head back and down
• thrusting the head and neck forwards beyond the central point of balance

Overuse is also a type of misuse. This creates increasing levels of pain and tension, resulting in problems such as Repetitive Strain Injury,  RSI.

‘The means-whereby’ is the term F M Alexander used to describe how we use ourselves when performing actions.

Instead of focusing purely on the goal we wish to attain and forcing ourselves towards it at any cost, in Alexander lessons we learn to have an ‘increased consciousness of the physical means employed to gain the ends proposed by the will’ (Aldous Huxley ~ Ends and Means).

When we learn to inhibit and stop the habits of end-gaining and mis-use which interfere with our ability to perform a task, we can move towards having conscious control over the action to be performed. In preparing to act, we need to consider our mental attitude and remember that ‘the act performed is of less consequence than the manner of its performance’ (FM Alexander ~ Man’s Supreme Inheritance).

When we thus consider the means-whereby we will attain our goal, we can consciously direct our activity to have a new and improved use whilst performing the chosen task. This usually results in the goal being gained with more freedom and efficiency.

Alexander explained (rather wordily) his use of the term ‘means-whereby’ as being:

‘to indicate the reasoned means to the gaining of an end. These means included the inhibition of the habitual use of the mechanisms of the organism, and the conscious projection of new directions necessary to the performance of the different acts involved in a new and more satisfactory use of these mechanisms’.

F M Alexander ~ The Use of the Self p. 27

Inhibition comes from the Latin for restraint and in Alexander Technique terms, has nothing to do with repression (as is used in psychology).

In Alexander lessons, when we meet a stimulus, we learn to consciously pause, to inhibit our habitual reactions to something.  This allows us a brief moment before we act in which we can choose whether or not to respond to the stimulus and if so, how to perform our response. Do we want to do the same habitual thing, something different, or nothing at all?  In other words

Stop  ~ Think and Direct ~ Act

Inhibition is perhaps the trickiest part of learning the AT.  Our habits are so strong, are familiar and usually feel ‘right’ to us. So choosing to say ‘no’ to our usual way of doing things and do something different, can often be quite a challenge!

Alexander explained ‘Inhibition’ in his rather antiquated language:

‘all those who wish to change something in themselves must learn… to inhibit their immediate reaction to any stimulus to gain a desired end’.  In order to stop repeating ‘the familiar sensory experiences of their old habitual use in order to gain it, they must continue this inhibition whilst they employ the new direction of their use‘.     F M Alexander ~ The Use of the Self p. 115

He also put it more simply to a pupil :

‘Like a good fellow, stop the things that are wrong first’.   F Matthias Alexander  ~ Aphorisms p.47

Similar Definitions

In physiology, ‘inhibition’ refers to the restraining of an organic process, or the prevention of its initiation by neurological or physiological means (Penguin Dictionary of Psychology).

A Time Management entry in Wikipedia, defines Inhibitory control  or Response inhibition, as:

‘a cognitive process that permits an individual to inhibit their impulses and natural, habitual, or dominant behavioural responses to stimuli, in order to select a more appropriate behaviour that is consistent with completing their goals’

Stop Look Go – or – Stop Think Act!

Free

This is a small word of great significance in the Alexander Technique, and may be used many times during lessons.  ‘Free’ refers to a light and alert easing of muscle tension, which allows the body to balance and co-ordinate itself without interference.  ‘Free’ is different from ‘relax’.  Many people, when they try to relax, just let their bodies collapse heavily down so that they concertina their spine and torso, restrict their breathing and squash their internal organs.  They often become quite dull and sluggish in the process.  This unhelpful interpretation of the word ‘relax’ tends to create problems rather than relieving them, so teachers generally choose to use ‘free’  or ‘ease’ instead.  In Alexander lessons, we learn to give ourselves a set of directions and aim to ‘Allow the neck to be free’ whatever we are doing.

Freedom of Thought and Action

In order to gain freedom of thought and action Alexander realised that when we inhibit or avoid our habitual reactions, we are free to choose the way we wish to respond to a stimulus. This can be in relation to making a movement or in response to events in society.  Alexander explored the concept of freedom, when writing during the ‘criminal outrage’ of World War Two.  He believed that ordinary people could not be freed from blame because they were ‘shelving individual responsibility onto the shoulder of some leader’… and that ‘their desire to be told what to do’ made them ‘guilty in the manner of waging war’.   

Alexander also believed that democracy could only come about ‘through full development of man’s potentiality not only for individual freedom of thought and action, but for that individual freedom IN thought and action in the general use and functioning of the self, which gives in process control of individual and therefore collective reaction, in the way of life essential to the practice of democracy’.

F M Alexander ~ The Universal Constant in Living p.243

Psychophysical

F M Alexander believed the relationship of mind and body was such that they act as one unit, so that the human organism functions and responds to situations as a whole. He believed that we ‘translate everything, whether physical, mental or spiritual, into muscular tension’ and, as Alexander developed his eponymous Technique, he saw it as a form of psychophysical re-education.

Neuroscientists are today doing research that supports this theory. Baroness Susan Greenfield talks about the way the brain increases connectivity with learning and how London black cab drivers develop larger hippocampi as a result of learning ‘the knowledge’ – the names and location of all the London streets. It follows, therefore, that in re-learning how to use our bodies and minds, there would be significant neural changes taking places in our brains as a result.

In order to bring about any changes in the way we use ourselves, some of our attitudes, thoughts and feelings may need to change, along with any physical changes that may come about in our posture or the way we move.

Alexander wrote that ‘the term psycho-physical is used…. throughout my works to indicate the impossibility of separating “physical” and “mental” operations in our conception of the working of the human organism’ and that ‘the two must be considered entirely interdependent’ (p. 5)

When discussing education Alexander, in his inimitable manner, went as far as to argue that he considered it to be a problem that the ‘human beings to be educated’.… (have) ‘a more or less debauched kinaesthesia, in which psycho-physical reactions are abnormal and harmful’ and that ‘satisfactory education is incompatible’ with such unnatural reactions (p. 107). It is perhaps wise for us to remember that Alexander wrote this in 1923 and was expressing himself in the manner of that time!

Alexander believed that it was only when instructions given whilst teaching ‘include the correct “means-whereby” that the process of carrying them out involves the satisfactory use of the psycho-physical mechanisms concerned’ which would aid the whole learning process. (p. 109)

F Matthias Alexander ~ Constructive Conscious Control of the Individual

Up

This seems simple enough but up, as used in the Alexander Technique, is not necessarily up towards the sky. ‘Up’ is always referring to a lengthening flow through our bodies, up along our spine, whatever direction the spine is assuming at the time. So if you are lying down, up is actually a horizontal lengthening.

Importantly, it is a refusing to pull down and contract or shorten the neck, spine and torso, which would interfere with our primary control and general functioning.

As Alexander researched the causes of his vocal problems he found that

‘the best conditions of my larynx and vocal mechanisms and the least tendency to hoarseness were associated with a lengthening of the stature’… and that ‘it was necessary that my head should tend to go upwards, not downwards, when putting it forward; in short, that to lengthen I must put my head forward and up’.

F M Alexander ~ The Use of the Self  p.14

Above

In Primal Alexander online lessons, the term ‘Above’ is often used instead of ‘Up’. This is used to convey a sense of an upward flow of energy through the body.