Nederlandse Vereniging voor Alexandertechniek

 
     
     
 

De Alexandertechniek

WAT IS HET?
F. Matthias Alexander heeft ontdekt dat er sprake is van een natuurlijke ritme in de sensorische en motorische zenuwbanen van het menselijk lichaam. Dit essentiële ritme is bij de meeste mensen verstoord geraakt en deze verstoring is de belangrijkste oorzaak van het merendeel van de zogenaamde mentale en lichamelijke ziekten.

WAT DOET HET?
De Alexandertechniek begint met het herleren van de sensorische en motorische zenuwbanen van het lichaam door een reeks lessen van een half uur. Door eenvoudige manipulaties van de ledematen en het lichaam door de leraar wordt de leerling zich bewust van het correcte gewaar-zijn van het totale lichaam. Deze sensorische gewaarwording wordt steeds sterker totdat de leerling in staat is het lichaam op een juiste wijze te gebruiken. De leerling kan nu het lichaam in de juiste houding zetten tijdens alle dagelijkse activiteiten. Hierdoor kan terugval naar oude gewoonten vermeden worden. Meer dan zestig jaar van toepassing door de weinige gelukkigen die de voordelen van de techniek ondervonden hebben, heeft overtuigend bewezen dat de Alexandertechniek het lichaam gezond houdt, mentaal en fysiek efficiënt, en dat zij bovendien een spirituele kalmte en vertrouwen geeft waardoor leven een plezier wordt en geen bestaan.

WAT IS HAAR WAARDE?
Een goede gezondheid is onbetaalbaar en de Alexandertechniek legt de best mogelijke basis voor een goede gezondheid. Als men zichzelf verkeerd gebruikt dan moet het mogelijk zijn dit verkeerde te corrigeren. Als de sensorische gewaarwording verkeerd is, dan is al het andere verkeerd.

Uit "De Alexandertechniek zoals ik die zie" van Patrick Macdonald, vertaling Anna M.T. Bosman. Te koop voor 15 € bij Uitgeverij Eenmalig te Hilversum.

Lees ook de rede die de Nobelprijswinnaar Niko Tinbergen hield bij de uitreiking van de Nobelprijs op 12 december 1973.

 
     
     
 

Wetenschappelijk onderzoek

Onlangs heb ik in een kort verslag geschreven over de Alexandertechniek en ontwikkelings- en leerproblemen. Misschien vindt u het interessant om dit te lezen.

De onderstaande referentielijst bevat artikelen over de techniek en wetenschappelijke publicaties over de effectiviteit van de Alexandertechniek:

Alexander, F. M. (1910). Man’s supreme heritance. Forgotten Books.

 

Alexander, F. M. (1923). Constructive conscious control of the individual.

 

Alexander, F. M. (1932/2004). The use of the self. London: Orion Books.

 

Alexander, F. M. (1941). The universal constant in living.

 

Austin, J. H., & Ausubel, P. (1992). Enhanced respiratory muscular function in normal adults after lessons in proprioceptive musculoskeletal education without exercises. Chest, 102, 485-490. doi:10.1378/chest.102.2.486

 

Bosman, De rol van de Alexandertechniek bij ontwikkelings- en leerproblemen. Orthopedagogiek: Onderzoek en Praktijk,  49, 473-476.

 

Cacciatore, T. W., Horak, F. B., & Henry, S. M. (2005). Improvement in automatic postural coordination following Alexander Technique lessons in a person with low back pain. Physical Therapy, 85, 565-578. Retrieved from: http://ptjournal.apta.org/content/85/6/565.long

 

Cacciatore, T. W., Gurfinkel, V. S., Horak, F. B., Cordo, P. J., & Ames, K. E. (2010). Increased dynamic regulation of postural tone through Alexander Technique training. Human Movement Science, 30, 74-89. doi:10.1016/j.humov.2010.10.002

 

Cacciatore, T. W., Mian, O.S., Peters, A., & Day, B.L. (2014). Neuromechanical interference of posture on movement: evidence from Alexander technique teachers rising from a chair. Journal of Neurophysiology, 112, 719–729. doi:10.1152/jn.00617.2013

 

Carrington, W.H.M. (nd). The F. Mathias Alexander Technique. A means of understaning man.

 

Clay, J. (1972). Self-use in actor training. The Drama Review, 16, 16-22.

 

Cohen, R. G., Gurfinkel. V. S., Kwak, E., Waden, A. C., & Horak, F. B. (2015). Lighten up: Specific postural instructions affect axial rigidity and step initiation in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair, 29, 878-888. DOI: 10.1177/1545968315570323

 

Cranz, G. (2000a). The Alexander Technique in the world of design: Posture and the common chair. Part I: The chair as health hazard. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 4, 90-98. doi:10.1054/jbmt.1999.0162

 

Cranz, G. (2000b). The Alexander Technique in the world of design: Posture and the common chair. Part II: Body-conscious design for chairs, interiors and beyond. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 4, 155-165. doi:10.1054/jbmt.2000.0163

 

Dollerup Fjordbo, G. (2005). On the develoment of habit. From the viewpoint of the Alexander Technique and early neuromotor patterns of development. Thesis for the Audiologopedic Studies at the University of Copenhangen, Danmark.

 

Ernst, E., & Canter, P. H. (2003). The Alexander Technique: A systematic review of controlled clinical trials. Forschende Komplementärmedizin und Klassische Naturheilkunde, 10, 325-329. doi:10.1159/000075886

 

Frank, A. (1938). A study in infant development. Child Development, 9, 9-26. doi:10.2307/1125518

 

Gleeson, M. (2014). Improving balance and mobility in people over 50 years of age with vision impairments: can the Alexander Technique help? Unpublished Doctoral thesis, University of Sydney, Australia.

 

Gleeson, M., Sherrington, C., Borkwoski, E., & Keay, L. (2013). Improving balance and mobility in people over 50 years of age with vision impairments: can the Alexander Technique help? A study protocol for the VISIBILITY randomised controlled trial. Injury Prevention, 29, 244-260. doi:10.1136/injuryprev-2012-040726

 

Gleeson, M., Sherrington, C., Lo, S., & Keay, L. (2014). Can the Alexander Technique improve balance and mobility in older adults with visual impairments? A randomized controlled trial. Clinical Rehabilitation, 29, 244-260. DOI:10.1177/0269215514542636

 

Gruzelier, J.H., Foks, M., Steffert, T., Chen, M.J.-L, & Ros, T. (2014). Beneficial outcome from EEG-neurofeedback on creative music performance, attention and well-being in school children. Biological Psychology, 95, 86-95. doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2013.04.005

 

Gurfinkel, V., Cacciatore, T.W., Cordo, P., Horak, F., Nutt, J., & Skoss, R. (2006). Postural muscle tone in the body axis of healthy humans. Journal of Neurophysiology, 96, 2678-2687. doi:10.1152/jn.00406.2006.

 

Hiernaux, J. (1984). Natural head poise and urban-industrialized life. Current Anthropology, 25, 346-347. doi:10.1086/203144

 

Hollinghurst, S. (2008). Randomised controlled trial of Alexander technique lessons, exercise and massage (ATEAM) for chronic and recurrent back pain; economic evaluation. British Medical Journal, 337, a2656. doi:10.1136/bmj.a2656

 

Jain, S., Janssen, K., & DeCelle, S. (2004). Alexander Technique and Feldenkrais method: A critical review. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of North America, 15, 811-825. doi:10.1016/j.pmr.2004.04.005

 

Jones, F. P. (1976). Freedom to change. The development and science of the Alexander Technique. London: Mouritz Ltd.

 

Jones, T., & Glover, L. (2014). Exploring the psychological processes underlying touch: Lessons from the Alexander Technique. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, 21, 140-153. DOI:10.1002/cpp.1824

 

Klein, S.D., Bayard, C., & Wolf, U. (2014). The Alexander Technique and musicians: a systematic review of controlled trials. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 14 , 414. doi:??

 

Little, P. et al. (2008). Randomised controlled trial of Alexander technique lessons, exercise and massage (ATEAM) for chronic and recurrent back pain. British Medical Journal, 337, a884 doi:10.1136/bmj.a884.

 

Little P, Stuart B, Stokes M, Nicholls C, Roberts L, Preece S, et al. (2014). Alexander technique and supervised physiotherapy exercises in back pain (ASPEN): A four-group randomised feasibility trial. Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation, 1, 2014;1(2). DOI 10.3310/eme01020

 

Lyons, C., Payton, P., & Winfield, M. (1999). A study of the possible benefits of the Alexander Technique for children exhibiting comorbidity of dyslexia/dyspraxia. Dyslexia Review, 11, 18-20.

 

MacPherson, H…… Watt, I. (2013). Alexander Technique Lessons, acupuncture sessions or usual care for patients with chronic neck pain (ATLAS): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. BioMed Central, trial, 14, 209. http://www.trialsjournal.com/content/14/1/209

 

Maitland, S., Horne, R., & Burton, M. (1996). An exploration of the application of the Alexander Technique for people with learning disabilities. British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 24, 70-76. doi:10.1111/j.1468-3156.1996.tb00205.x

 

Mehling. W. E., DiBlasi, Z., & Hecht, F. (2005). Bias control in trials of bodywork: A review of methodological issues. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 11, 333-342. doi:10.1089/acm.2005.11.333

 

Merry, S. (2000). Primary schoolchildren and the Alexander Technique. A guide for classroom teachers. Education.

 

Miller, T., & Langstroth, D. (2006). The Alexander Technique. Freedom in thought and action. Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada: Nous Publishing.

 

Payton, P., & Winfield, M. (2000). Interventions for pupils with dyspraxic difficulties. Dyslexia, 6, 208-210. doi:10.1002/1099-0909(200007/09)6:3<208::AID-DYS3172>3.0.CO;2-W

 

Reddy, P., Reddy, T., Noh, P., & Gaitonde, K. (2010). The impact of the Alexander Technique in improving posture during minimally invasive surgery. The Journal of Urology, 183, E519.

 

Ribeaux, P., & Spence, M. (2001). CAM evaluation: What are the research questions? Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 9, 188-193. doi:10.1054/ctim.2001.0468

 

Rootberg, R. (2010). The Alexander Technique and Parkinson’s disease: A case study in generating hope for a degenerative disease. AmSAT News, 83, 1-3.

 

Schmalzl, L., Crane-Godreau, M.A., & Payne, P. (2014). Movement-based embodied contemplative practices: Definitions and paradigms. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 8, Article 205. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2014.00205

 

Schulte, D., & Walach, H. (2006). F.M. Alexander Technique in the treatment of stuttering – A randomized single-case intervention study with ambulatory. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 75, 190-191.

 

Stalibrass, C. (1997). An evaluation of the Alexander Technique for the management of disability in Parkinson’s disease – a preliminary study. Clinical Rehabilitation, 11, 8-12. doi:10.1177/026921559701100103

 

Stalibrass, C., Frank, C., & Wentworth, K. (2005). Retention of skills learnt in Alexander Technique lessons: 28 people with idiopathic Parkinson’s disease. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 9, 150-157. doi:10.1016/j.jbmt.2004.06.004

 

Stalibrass, C., Sissons, P., & Chalmers, C. (2002). Randomized controlled trial of the Alexander Technique for idiopathic Parkinson’s disease. Clinical Rehabilitation, 16, 695-708. doi:10.1191/0269215502cr544oa

 

Suchowersky. O., Gronseth, G., Perlmutter, J., Reich, S., Zesiewicz, T., & Weiner, W.J. (2006). Practice Parameter: Neuroprotective strategies and alternative therapies for Parkinson disease (an evidence-based review). American Academy of Neurology, 66, 976-983.

 

Tarr, J. (2011). Educating with the hands: working on the body/self in Alexander Technique. Sociology of Health & Illness, 33, 256-265. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9566.2010.01283.x

 

Tinbergen, N. (1974). Ethology and stress diseases. Nobel Lecture. 12 December 1973.

 

Valentine, E.R., Fitzgerald, D.F.P., Gorton, T.L., Hudson, J.A., & Symonds, E.R.C. (1995). The effect of lessons in the Alexander Technique on music performance in high and low stress situations. Psychology of Music, 23, 129-141. doi:??

 

Woodman, J.P., & Moore, N.R. (2012). Evidence for the effectiveness of Alexander Technique lessons in medical and health-related conditions: A systematic review. The International Journal of Clinical Practice, 66, 98-112. doi:10.1111/j.1742-1241.2011.02817.x

 

Yardley, L., Dennison, L., Coker, R., Webley, F., Middleton, K., Barnett, J., Beattie, J., Evans, M., Smith, P., & Little, P. (2010). Patients’ views of receiving lessons in the Alexander Technique and an exercise prescription for managing back pain in the ATEAM trial. Family Practice, 27, 198-2014. doi:10.1093/fampra/cmp093