Case History: Dizziness & Pain

Updated on Oct 5, 2025 at 10:56

N athalie R. was first drawn to the Alexander Technique because my brochure of the time talked a good deal about balance. Nathalie had severe problems with balance and was often falling “at the drop of a pin,” as she said.

As we began to work together I discovered that the problem wasn’t just about balance; Nathalie’s whole sense of position in space was confused. The ground and her difficulty with balance were only some of the ways the problem showed itself. She also had severe and constant pain throughout the body; no one seemed to know what was causing it or how to deal with it, but the doctors predicted that, at the rate she was deteriorating, she would be in a wheelchair before the end of the next two years.

Nathalie could “let go” momentarily and very effectively, but these moments alarmed her greatly, saying she felt like she was falling out of a plane. With much encouragement and persistence on her part, though, she continued as she felt sure she was improving.

About three months into the lessons she wrote me an astonished email: she had just taken a five-hour trip in a car, non-stop, and been comfortable the whole way. Just a couple of months before, a trip of this duration would have necessitated a fifteen-minute break every forty-five minutes of driving, and a painkiller to alleviate the bodily agony. Although she had been seeing improvement in herself during the lessons, she was amazed by the extent of her progress. What’s more, her balance was also better. Previously, on any car trip, when the car went around a corner Nathalie had great difficulty in knowing how to “bank,” and would invariably end up against the window or the driver, depending which way the car was turning. Banking in the car had now become no problem.

Nathalie continued with her lessons for over two years and, in the end, was very stable on the ground, no longer fell, and her days were no longer full of agonising physical pain.

Next case history: Knee Trouble