A Delightful Find

I came across the following description of Alexander's work which I found to be the closest to my experience of my work as an AT iPAC teacher and wanted to share this with others.

I found this piece written by Andrew Rugg- Gunn who was an eminent eye specialist and life long friend of Alexander in a book written by Alex Murray called: FM Alexander. In his own words, and in the words of those who knew him. The book has all sorts of gems in it about Alexander and his work. I highly recommend it to all those interested in this great man and his great legacy to mankind.

You can purchase the book from - www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/3391835

The Technique of Re-Integration.

Shape is perceptible to and is appraised by the eye, supplemented by touch; surface texture by touch, supplemented by the eye. Both eye and touch must be trained. The trained eye is a familiar concept, but the trained touch, is more difficult to define. It involves the sense of touch, but it includes much more, and is better described, as in clinical medicine, by the word 'palpation.'

Certain secrets of the living body are revealed only through palpation by the educated hand. For in the living body there is an individual organic consistency, the proper elasticity and spring of an organism as a working whole, which reveals to the experienced hand its state of internal equilibrium and adjustment, the quality of its functioning, and its general organic well-being, i.e. its integration as a whole or reverse. This natural resiliency or plasticity is an expression of the distribution of parts, particularly of the axial elements of the body; of the free play of elastic structures; of the optimal (or sub-optimal) level of muscle tonus and its substratum of nervous energy neuromuscular system serving posture and movement. It is an index of the dynamic state of the organism, a tactile sign of an indwelling harmony and grace. It is an index, however, which few possess the ability to assess. Much knowledge and experience underlie the correct interpretation of these perceptions.

Closely correlated with the feel of the body by perceptive hands is its objective shape, which also is an index of importance not only for the individual but for the species. Form follows function. It is evident, therefore, that shape characteristic of any species is a norm around which individual variations fluctuate, and that there is an optimal shape for the individual within this range. It follows, further, that a technique of individual re-integration must restore both the inner consistency and the outer shape which is optimal for that individual. Matthias Alexander possessed this quality of palpation to a supreme degree. His insight into the living body had the quality of genius, the product of natural endowment and great experience. Alexander's mode of palpation must not be misunderstood. His aim was not the exploration of anatomical structures but an assessment of physical and physiological forces, their distribution within the body and their collective co-operation to one end. This end is the integration of the whole man, and is based ultimately on the efficient use of man's complete anti-gravity mechanism. Alexander's conception of the body as an indivisible unity, with function as the unifying force, and the sense of touch which defines it, underlay this technique and explain his success as a re-educator.

A "Means-Whereby" Real Life Story

The story below was written by Jane’s husband. Jane is a student of mine who is working courageously to change her habitual self. Jane has suffered greatly throughout her life. Her symptoms have been interpreted, diagnosed and labeled through the medical model as a patient with “mental health problems or issues”. For years she followed her medical advisors prognosis taking pills and attending therapy sessions from psychiatrists, psychologists and counselors.

She experienced some relief and periods of stability, however, she also experienced continuous relapses and side-effects from her medications.

She finally, took her problems into her own hands and began to research other options. She found AT the iPAC way and is now working courageously to wean herself off her medication and work towards the restoration of her health through the re-education of the use of herself.

Her husband has been very supportive of her decision to go the AT iPAC route and one day Jane emailed me this little story that her husband had emailed to her in his attempts to understand the two primary underlying principles involved in this model for changing human behaviour. Those two underlying principles are:

1. Means-Whereby vs End-Gaining and

2. The Principle of Unity: that the self is a psychophysical whole system and cannot be treated by separating the self into mind, body or spirit.

Here is Jane’s husband’s account of his real life story to illustrate his growing understanding of what his wife is learning about the principle of Means-Whereby vs End-Gaining:

“I remember Dad talking about the huge pile of wood that he was discouraged about starting to split. He would say, now I will do a little each day and then before you knew it, it would be completed. I remember once it was a large pile of wood and he would be proud of it. Actually people would drive up from Port Hood to view since they would never see a pile of wood that big.

My point is that in my experience good things came to people I know and myself through gradual day to day continuous commitments. I have no fond stories or memories of people who received something instantly and it made them happy. Where are all the happy stories of people who won lotteries or gained money from inheritances?

Jane,your persistence to not accept your mental anguish is not only improving your life, your future, but it’s spreading like wild fire first at home to me and the kids, but soon to more. If you don’t stop it may get out of control. Ha ha.”