The Use of the Self
by F M Alexander

Published 2001                        118 pages

The Use of the Self is the clearest and most approachable of Alexander's books. This issue published in 1985 and reissued in 2001 is a mass market presentation of this classic work, including an introduction by Dr Wilfred Barlow.

In the first and longest chapter of the book Alexander sets out the story of how he made his discoveries and the reasons that he set out on his quest. Having started on a successful acting career, he began to have trouble with his voice. He sought the help of voice trainers and medical men but nobody was able to help. Eventually he concluded that the problem was that he was doing something wrong - he was using his voice badly. He set out to find out what he was doing and in the process discovered that his interference was not just with his voice but with his whole way of using himself. It understanding this and developing a technique to improve his poor use of himself he evolved what is now known as the "Alexander Technique", a method by which anybody can improve their use and gain the benefits of so doing.