The kinaesthetic effect of latte-ness

[NB The opinions expressed in this, and all other postings in this blog, are my personal opinions, and do not represent ITM policy.]

It is sometimes said that because the Alexander Technique is all about 'regulating the self ' we don't, or shouldn't, need institutional regulation. After all, the argument goes, practising the AT makes teachers better human beings, more in command of themselves, and able to inhibit - better able to stop wrong things from happening. Although you might get a roomful of Alexander teachers nodding in agreement at this, this is the kind of thinking that should set alarm bells ringing, and red lights flashing.

Many groups in the world believe that they are special cases, and that they therefore do not require scrutiny by regulatory agencies, because they believe themselves to be immune to the failings that afflict other human beings. But brief consideration of recent history should indicate how mistaken this view is. Catholic priests are bound by the ten commandments plus vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience - but that hasn't stopped some of them indulging in abusive sexual behaviour with children in their care. Doctors are bound by the Hippocratic oath ('Never do your patient any harm...') but some have harmed, indeed murdered their patients.

Ah yes, you might say, but it's just the very few - a very small fraction of one per cent of the total number - who are a problem, so we don't need the bureaucracy, the outside interference, that independent regulation requires. But let me tell you about my first Alexander teacher.

In our first lessons he had given myself, Estella my wife, and a number of other people wonderful Alexander experiences. I floated around the city (we were working overseas, the other side of the world at the time), with an extreme case of the 'kinaesthetic effect of lightness' for a couple of weeks. It was such a good feeling, that I attributed it to a particularly nice (also) first experience of cafe latte ('kinaesthetic effect of latte-ness') that I had about the same time as my first lesson. Then I reasoned that as Estella had not had the cafe latte experience, but she was feeling great as well, it was probably something to do with the Alexander work.

After our second lessons with him however, it became clear that he was taking advantage of the female pupils he was teaching. Bad news. We cancelled future arrangements with him (we had hosted his visits to our city, and found him premises and students) and we complained to his professional association. This was twenty years ago, and they wrote back apologetically saying that they could not pursue our complaint further, because it would be a case of our word against his, and besides the distance between where we were and their head-office made conducting enquiries impractical.

Three points arise from this experience. First, despite the abusive nature of our early experiences of an Alexander teacher, the power of the Alexander work was such that two of us are now (twenty years later) teachers of the Alexander Technique - so you could argue that he was a great professional. However, we think it regrettable that he is still practising (and, we hear, in much the same way), and we wish that his professional association had had the resources then, twenty years ago, to hear our complaint and to remove him from the register.

Second, this incident illustrates the fact that it is the practitioner who needs to be regulated, not the Alexander Technique itself. The Alexander Technique is not itself dangerous, the potentially 'dangerous' component in the situation are the teachers who are, in a one-to-one situation, in a position to take advantage of pupils - therefore pupils need some protection.

Third, however small a proportion of the total population of Alexander Teachers this person is, he will be for an unknown number of pupils be the first - and in all probability the last - Alexander Teacher that they have. Because many of them, like a number of our friends who were pupils for the first time along with us, will be put off doing any further Alexander work because of his behaviour.