Page 68 - Total War on PTSD

CHAPTER 3 - ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE AND PTSD
Andrea Pollinger Bruno, Alexander Technique, Gestalt Certified, Reiki and Chios Master
Source: Chapter Author - Andrea Pollinger Bruno
Each of us has a way that we move that is recognizable to those who know us. Friends or family may be able to discern who we are by the echo of our footsteps before we are visible. They may also recognize us from afar by our gait despite the fact they are not close enough to identify our faces. The way we move is as ingrained in who we are as our likes and dislikes. Or is it?
“I feel like myself for the first time in ages.” This is the experience of a Veteran during an Alexander Technique (AT) lesson. It's a movement re-education that teaches you to include yourself and your environment in your thinking before and while you move.
Over time we take on a different or less mindful way of “using” our body. A combination of age, injury and cultural demands creates interference in our natural movement. The technique uses gently guiding touch that allows you to experience a way of moving that does not include the interferences you have learned and taken on with time. Tightening of your musculature is a common reaction to fear and pain that prevents you from sensing yourself in your environment. One Veteran expressed his experience in a lesson, stating, “I feel more connected to the ground with my feet.”
How we move is more complex than the mechanics our joints allow. Our entire being, the combination of mind and body, are responsible for the patterns of movement each of
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