When an investigation comes to be made, it will be found that every single thing we are doing in the work is exactly what is being done in Nature, where the conditions are right, the difference being that we are learning to do it consciously.
FM Alexander

The Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique is committed to seeking and encouraging relevant scientific research. This section and its associated links are intended to provide information about work undertaken so far and future proposals.

As early as the 1940s, supporters and teachers of the Alexander Technique expressed interest in conducting objective research into both the validity and the effects of the Alexander Technique, and have endeavoured to undertake such research. In spite of the interest shown, research initiatives have progressed only gradually, for two main reasons. Firstly, since the inception of the Alexander Technique in the late 19th century, public recognition has increased only slowly. This is largely due to the requirement for individual instruction for each pupil, as well as the large commitment of time and individual attention required to train new teachers.

For many years, the profession focused on training and teaching, while the bodies that allocate funding for scientific research were unlikely to give priority to a discipline practised by a relatively small population. Secondly, it has taken time to identify appropriate, feasible methods for studying the Technique. A good deal of progress has been made in this direction, facilitated by the fact that the principles of the Alexander Technique are consistent with conventional physiology.

FM Alexander himself was ambivalent about research into his work. On the one hand, he was keen to establish the credibility of his technique. On the other hand, he feared that his work might be misunderstood if analysed according to the scientific knowledge of his own time. Some neurological discoveries made during Alexander's lifetime appeared highly relevant, but attempts by his supporters to link the Technique to particular findings tended to limit appreciation of its wider scope.

Only more recently has a clearer picture of the total neurophysiological pattern of human movement and balance emerged from academic research - a pattern which echoes many of the empirical observations made by FM Alexander over the course of his life's work. These new scientific developments have also made it easier to identify appropriate areas for targeted research.

Recently completed research and work in progress

Published pilot studies on the Alexander Technique

An overview of earlier investigations into the Alexander Technique

Possibilities for future research