Stephen Porges, PhD, is a neuroscientist and professor of psychiatry known for revolutionising our understanding of the autonomic nervous system through his Polyvagal Theory. First proposed in 1994, this groundbreaking framework explains how our nervous system evolved to support social connection, safety, and survival.

The autonomic nervous system operates in three distinct ways: the sympathetic ‘flight-fight’ response for active defence against a threat, the dorsal vagal ‘freeze’ response for passive survival, which is accompanied by dissociation and disconnection, and the ventral vagal state of social engagement and regulation. In this regulated rest and digest state, we can engage in restorative functions and meaningful social connection. Understanding how we move between these states is central to this science. These autonomic patterns operate below the threshold of conscious control,

Porges’ work may offer a neurobiological framework for understanding the efficacy of Alexander Technique. It can help us appreciate the physiological mechanisms at play when pupils experience improvements in their use and functioning. This invites crucial questions: How does Alexander guidance facilitate change in pupils? What lies behind the skilled hands-on work of the Teacher? Is the Teacher simply passing on useful postural information, or is there something unique and essential about the Alexander Relationship? And if so, what are the principles that underlie the efficacy of this Relationship?

Porges’ emphasis on safety as the foundation for healing aligns perfectly with Alexander Technique’s gentle, non-doing and non-invasive approach. Through this lens, we can understand the Alexander teacher-pupil relationship as a dynamic process of co-regulation, where the teacher’s presence and touch create a safe environment that allows the pupil’s nervous system to move toward balance and self-regulation. In other words, the use of the Teacher has a profound impact on the use of the pupil. Porges’ scientific framework helps explain why the quality of the Alexander relationship may be the primary element at play in contrast to any technical guidance provided.