Lessons in The
Alexander Technique
| Issue No. 30 |
NASTAT
NEWS |
Autum 1995 |
|
The North American Society of Teacher of the
AlexanderTechnique |
|
An Approach to Pain Control
by Judith C. Stern, M.A., P.T.
It was the last week in October 1986, when the
phone rang in my office. The caller was typical, a man who introduced
himself as a chronic back pain sufferer of 20 years, asking for
my help.
I am an Alexander teacher. I am also a physical therapist. This
gentleman was calling me because his doctor had heard from other
patients that I practiced "an unusual form" of physical
therapy which he didn't understand, but which seemed to be successful.
The man stated that he was at the "end of his rope." Plagued
with pain for over 20 years he was willing to try "anything."
His name was Tom and his medical, social and emotional histories
were remarkable. He was injured in 1969 lifting a heavy object.
The injury seemed minor but pain persisted, and over the course
of the last 20 years, he had had four surgeries in a vain attempt
to alleviate the pain. Acupuncture, hypnosis and other alternatives
were tried. Nothing had helped the pain. Tom was 45 years old,
married and the father of a 10 year old son. He worked for
IBM and led an incredibly productive life despite his limitations.
His limitations however were enormous. Tom could drive no longer
than the short distance to and from work. He worked at a standing
desk, (sitting was impossible due to pain.) And he enjoyed
no extra-curricular activities. His daily pain was so great
he would not sit with his family for dinner. He managed his
pain with analgesics which barely got him through his days.
He was miserable and was looking for help to improve his lifestyle.
Basically he couldn't stand for long periods of time, could
sit for only short periods of time and had great difficulty
walking. He described life as "living in a tunnel in which
I push to get through the necessary work and then collapse."
After meeting Tom at my office the following day, we began
Alexander lessons. I explained that the Technique was a mind-body
approach to the problem of chronic back pain. Tom was a willing
student, highly motivated and open to a new way of thinking
about what was causing his pain. "Thinking" was the
key word. Tom began taking 2 lessons a week along with one
physical therapy session to guide him gently into increased
physical activity. The lessons were remarkable. Tom had spent
the last 20 years divorcing his mind from his body to cope
with his daily pain. His skill at mind-body separation was
excellent. Twenty years of suffering had made him an expert
at blocking his pain experience. Now I was asking him to focus
on this connection but in the opposite way! I wanted Tom to
be acutely aware of his discomfort and to use it as a feed-back
mechanism to be more effective with the Technique. It worked.
Tom became facile at reconnecting his mind to his body, as
I taught him what it was like to sit, stand, and move in a
different way.
Tom studied the Alexander Technique for almost a year. Some
of his significant milestones during that time were:
1. AT THREE WEEKS:
The interaction between mind and body is a recognized medical
phenomenon which has been applied to alter heart rate, blood
pressure, skin temperature and brain waves. The Alexander Technique
utilizes this same mind-body connection to achieve improved conscious
control of the neuromusculoskeletal system. If back pain persists
without objective physical findings, one may assume the pain
is a result of poor postural habits. Exploring these postural
habits and increasing one's conscious awareness of how these
habits create musculoskeletal imbalance opens the door to controlling
back pain.
The Alexander Technique is a "thought process" which
when applied by people like Tom to control musculoskeletal tension
can bring significant pain control and/or pain relief. TheTechnique
is a relatively untapped resource for the medical community and
specifically for suffers of chronic pain syndrome.
