The ASO newsletter - Helping you stay connected to Alexander Technique related research.

The ASO Newsletter - 24th edition

This month we release a talk with Carolyn Nicholls about a first-of-its-kind research project for the Alexander world that achieved publication in the prestigious British Medical Journal in 2021.

Led and written by Joseph Little, this research paper helps us understand the effects of a combination of Alexander Technique individual lessons and group teaching on low back pain and demonstrated significant positive results. Moreover, this mixed-method study sheds light on the thoughts and perceptions of the students and the teachers involved - perhaps paving the way for future discussions and discoveries to be made.

A new Alexander Technique publication on low back pain in the British Medical Journal: An interview with Carolyn Nicholls

References

• Link to the study abstract and download a copy of this open access publication here: ‘Findings from the development and implementation of a novel course consisting of both group and individual Alexander Technique lessons for low back pain’.

• Find this paper and discover more AT research in the ASO research library here: https://www.zotero.org/groups/2389008/alexander_technique_studies/items/9SKME44W/library

Presenter Bio and Links

Carolyn Nicholls (Lynn) trained with Walter and Dilys Carrington (1979-1982.) She spent a year as Dilys’s apprentice. She gained a distinction for her Masters in Alexander Teacher Training and her opera on the Alexander Technique ‘Gravity and Light‘, written as part of her master’s thesis, was premiered at Oxford Town Hall in August 2004. She taught at The Melbourne Alexander Training School (from 1987-1990). Returning to England she became Co-Director of The Brighton Alexander Training Centre and launched The Brighton Alexander Technique College in January 2003. Carolyn runs postgraduate refresher courses for Teachers both in the UK and overseas. She has lectured all over the world, most recently as the keynote speaker for AUSTAT's conference on chronic pain. She has taught in NZ, Sweden, Germany, and the Mexican jungle. Carolyn is an AT advisor to the ASPEN trial, an NHS-funded trial looking at the effectiveness of AT on lower back pain. She has recently completed a second master's in Creative Writing. She still enjoys running the Brighton Alexander Technique College and tends her garden.

To learn more about Carolyn Nicholls you can visit https://alexandertechnique.co.uk/users/c-nicholls, see her personal website http://www.carolynnicholls.com/ and review a collection of her books at http://www.carolynnicholls.com/my-book/.

Thank You

Thank you for being here and supporting research on the Alexander Technique and its teaching. Special thanks to Carolyn Nicholls for her generous contribution to this post. To all community members who have contributed so far, your work is appreciated and making a difference!

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