What happens to my body when I am surprised? I tense. First in my neck and then my shoulders and my back and everything else. My thinking and breathing will also be disrupted. Whether the surprise is pleasant or otherwise, my body will go into the startle response. How long I will stay in startle is up to me.

If I use the Alexander Technique, I can release that excess tension and better handle anything that comes after the surprise. How do I get out of startle? The first thing I must do is NOT try to get out of it and instead just pause. That pause is what FM Alexander referred to as “inhibition.” I inhibit trying to do anything, for if I do try and force myself out of one tension pattern, I’ll just be creating a new one. After I inhibit, I can use my Alexander directions to ease myself out of the startle response. This may seem like a long process, but in real time it is only a moment.

Here’s an example:

BAM!

I jump at the loud noise. My entire body compresses and my breathing becomes shallow. I pause. I notice what is happening within my body and I expand my awareness to include my environment. I notice without trying to change. Only after I am present in this moment can I move on the the next step: the Alexander directions.

1. I allow my neck to be free (to undo its tension)

2. I let my spine lengthen

3. My shoulders widen

4. My legs release away from my torso

These are just thoughts I have for myself. I am not forcing my neck to undo, I am merely wishing it to be so. With time, my body will respond to my thinking. All of these directions allow my body to take up more space than my startled body would. I feel calmer when I am able to release the tension. I breathe more fully and I think more clearly. It is at this point that I am able to realize the source of the noise was a door slamming closed.  

I may not be able to predict a startling moment before it happens, but I can inhibit. I can be present and I can breathe. I may still startle, but I know how to release the tension so I will not live in startle.

If you would like to learn to inhibit, contact me!