Many AT teachers think that the support of the head or the support of the body should be done by a reflex or combination of reflexes. There are definitely reflexes involved in our supporting the body, but there are also voluntary responses involved.
My idea is based on the imperfection of our reflex system (automatical response). Actually, I think that our automatical response including using reflex system in terms of our supporting the body tends to be “end gaining”. We succeed to support our body (or don’t fall down) and complete our movement, but we tend to lose effectiveness and efficiency. It is because the cerebellum, a part of our brain, takes care of supporting the body and we mostly entrust it to the cerebellum. The function of the cerebellum is still marvelous, because it manages a lot of our complex movements automatically. However, it is not intelligent as the cerebrum and the cerebral cortex, another part of brain, where to think rationally. So, the function of the cerebellum doesn’t gurantee effeciveness nor effciency of movement. Some people may preserve effective and efficient pattern of movement in their early childfood at the cerebellum, and they move effective and efficient. These people are lucky and could be thought as a gifted person in terms of movement. Most people tend to learn “end gaining” pattern for supporting the body somewhere in their growth at the cerebellum, and they deteriorate their movement.
The implication of my idea is saying that it is not just stopping intefering with our reflex, but there are just advantageous manipulations for us to use our body and we can practice them. Most of these skills are already in the Alexander Technique. It is just difference in its interpretation of what we do, but the outcome are a little different by the interpretation. I keep working this idea for myself and for my clients, and so far it works well.
(I know some people do not hear the word “manipulation”, because it reminds “end gaining”. I know my idea is radical in this sense. I like to discuss about this interpretation with many people)
It is still a hypothesis, but I think that it can explain better than the existing idea of fully entrusting our reflex system.
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