As I began the AT training course I didn´t know I was traumatized. Although I had previously talked my way through the difficult childhood experiences in psychotherapy, it had been like looking at something that had happened to a stranger: no feelings involved. As AT helped me gradually to re-connect with my body, I was amazed by the dimension of the locked-away emotions I got in touch with: grief, fear, anger . . . Being in a body that safely anchors me to the present moment and thus enables me to feel my feelings is truly transforming my life.

In this workshop, accompanied by my teacher Gabriele Fahrenkamp-Brandt, I would like to share experiences, thoughts and discuss the following topics.

• As AT unquestionably has the potential to get in touch with and release trauma in the body, what is the ‘Alexandrian way’ of dealing with the emerging emotions? FM Alexander was ahead of his time with his realization of the psycho-physical unity but it seems that with ‘psycho’ he rather referred more to thinking – inhibition, giving directions – than feeling. Expressing emotions was not something he felt comfortable with, neither in himself nor in others. Following this tradition, are feelings eventually still ‘inhibited’ and thus excluded in AT as it is being taught today? What kind of consequences does this have?
• What would have happened to me, had there been no possibility in the AT class to reflect and express the emerging emotions? (Could this be even re-traumatizing?)
• What should we as AT teachers know about trauma?
• Should ’emotional work’ generally be given more space during AT teacher training and if yes, what kind of abilities does the trainer need?