How can learning and using the Alexander Technique enable us to reduce and better manage chronic pain?
The ASO Newsletter - 42nd Edition
Enabling greater understanding of the Alexander Technique.
Introduction
This month, neuroscience researchers and Alexander teachers, Mari Hodges and Tim Cacciatore are in conversation with ASO’s Julia Woodman. Tim and Mari run a continuing professional development course for Alexander teachers who want to deepen their understanding of pain neuroscience, and refine their skills in working with people living with long-term pain. They have also written on this topic (see Resources below).
Our conversation is in two parts and this first episode explores the revolution in pain science that has occurred in the past couple of decades. Tim and Mari explain how pain is now understood as a whole person experience and how this new understanding opens up greater potential for self-help. They highlight how Alexander teaching encompasses many of the benefits offered by other current interventions; and also describe what they think makes it distinctive. They describe their approach to researching and delivering the pain course and the article. We also discuss the implications of this new understanding of pain for Alexander teacher training and the curricula of training courses. In passing Tim and Mari describe their own journeys with pain and the Alexander Technique.
Resources
Modern Pain Science and Alexander Technique: How Might Alexander Technique Reduce Pain? Publication by Mari Hodges and Tim Cacciatore; accessed via Alexander Technique Science
Upcoming Course Dates and Link: The dates for the next 8-week online webinar on the Science of Pain for Alexander Teachers are Mondays, Sept. 9 - Oct. 28 at 2pm ET (7pm UK except for last session is 6pm UK). Registration for the course can be found here.
About
Tim Cacciatore, PhD, is an expert in the neuroscience of postural tone and its relationship with movement coordination. He was motivated to study postural control because he thought the scientific literature lacked plausible explanations for how the Alexander Technique affected posture and helped his own back pain. His research has aimed to use somatic methods as a tool to reveal properties of the motor system. He has published numerous peer-reviewed articles with leading experts in motor control such as Drs Victor Gurfinkel, Fay Horak, and Brian Day at institutions that have included University College London, Oregon Health Sciences University, and the University of California, San Diego.
Mari Hodges, MScMed (Pain Mgmt), TPS completed her Alexander Technique teacher training at the Escuela de Técnica Alexander Buenos Aires and became STAT certified in 2014. She holds a BA in sociology from UCLA, a Therapeutic Pain Specialist certificate from Purdue University, and a Master of Science in Medicine in Pain Management from the University of Sydney. Her interest in pain arose from her own experience with chronic neck and back pain. She is also certified as an Art of Running instructor. She has a private Alexander Technique practice in Montana, USA, and also works as a pain coach and pain educator. In her free time Mari enjoys reading up on pain science, dancing tango, cross-country skiing and playing the violin.
Julia Woodman, PhD is part of the ASO team.
Thank You
Special thanks to Mari Hodges and Tim Cacciatore for the generous contribution to this post; and to Julia Woodman for her work. To our community members, your engagement and contributions are making a difference. To support ASO you can subscribe here for free, share this post, leave a comment below, or send us an email; your voice matters!