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  The LearningMethods Library

  An On-line Library of Articles
    by David Gorman, other LearningMethods Teachers and students

  
   LearningMethods Articles:
      in English   -|-  en Français   -|-  på Svenska   -|-  auf Deutsch

   Older Articles (Human Structure & Function,  Alexander Technique):
      in English   -|-  en Français

 
Many of these articles are now available in downloadable e-book format
or in a collected anthology in book form from
LEARNINGMETHODS PUBLICATIONS

Most Recent Articles   (these are also listed below)

LearningMethods Articles — in English  (newest first)


 

The Sound of Silence   
   by David Gorman (2021)
When a student in a workshop brought up his tinnitus problem and how the constant ringing in his ears was driving him crazy, we looked at it a bit closer and found something very different... and surprising.

Posture: The Great Big Rump   
   by Nick Drengenberg (2017)
There is much talk these days about the dangers of sitting. "Sitting will kill you", they say. But is this so? Or is it about HOW we sit, and what we do when we sit? This article explores the real habits behind it all.

I Wouldn't Start From Here   
   by Nick Drengenberg (2017)
Presence traditions, particularly mindfulness, are popular these days. But there is a trap that slows down and limits progress. Is there a faster way to achieve this sort of presence, and can we understand this trap a little better?

Patterns of Joy — Your Internal Compass
   by Babette Lightner (2016)
How your internal Response System coordinates you and helps you navigate towards Joy.

I Once Was Lost... but Now Am Found
   by David Gorman (2013)
An essay about those yummy experiences of "optimal functioning" and how we usually completely miss the hugely important information our systems are really trying to show us.

By Intention Alone
   by David Gorman and Marion Day (2013)
How an actor and singer changed her sound and voice quality simply by moving her "attention space"

What's the Opposite of Perfect?   
   by David Gorman (2010)
Imperfect? Inadequate? Not good enough?  The habit of "trying to be perfect" is not fun to be caught in. Neither is not being good enough. But what really is the opposite of trying to be perfect?

Floating in a Sea of Tissue    
   by Nick Drengenberg (2012)
An article clarifying the objective nature of gravity and what it really means for us when we let it activate us.

The Bearable Lightness of Being    
   by Nick Drengenberg (2010)
Nick summarizes the nature and implications of a truly whole model of human functioning — literally, the Anatomy of Wholeness.

Back to the Music   (2008) 
   by David Gorman
A trumpet player is caught in trying to release tension and change her breathing, but instead discovers a simple immediate choice to come back to the music and wholeness.  Aussi en français

Golf In Mind   (2008) 
   by David Robertson
David takes a golfer through the trap of getting too focused on winning and trying to be better, showing him what causes pressure and mistakes and how to have fun learning.

Good For Whom?  (2007) 
   by Elizabeth Garren
Elizabeth describes her process of discovery that self-judgment and what others think is not always what it seems, and how she got in touch with the value of her own responses.  Aussi en français

Beyond The Body  (2007) 
   by Babette Lightner
What's beyond the body? It's not the emotions or the spirit. It's you! The whole you. Babette describes the insights and experiences that opened her up to a new understanding and a new work.

Confessions of a Do-er  (2006)
   by Dr Nick Drengenberg
A fascinating journey of discovery that shows the power of curiosity and careful exploration as Nick follows a thread through his thoughts, experiences and researches to find a lasting place of peace and ease in every moment. Most of all, it shows how possible it is, with just a bit of help, to work things out for yourself.

Coordination of Being - Conducting   (2004)
   by Babette Lightner
A narrative of a seminar Babette gave for a group of 70 choral conductors where she explains the Patterns of Being model of the whole-person "coordination of being" and shows how the LearningMethods tools let us get underneath the symptoms and "poor body use" to a deeper level where we can really change problems permanently.

Can Our Experience Show Us The Truth?   (2003)
   by David Gorman
Can we rely upon our own experiences and perceptions to guide us successfully through life? Could we find the answer in our own experiences to the question that Einstein posed to us, "Is the Universe friendly?" David explores the question and his answers in this talk.

How Do We Know What's Right?   (2003)
   by Wayne Swanson
How do you tell what is right for you?  Wayne's article describes how he learned to use his feelings of right and wrong to guide himself, and also showed him that wrong isn't wrong — it is the wake-up call to learn what is right.

A Remarkable Encounter   (2003)  
   by Ben Kreilkamp
An account of the insights through a LearningMethods session that liberated Ben from depression and started him on an adventure of discovery and change for himself and others around him.

Just Ask the Right Questions   (2003)
   by Ben Kreilkamp
Another take on the process of rigorous and systematic questioning that shows how the LearningMethods work can get at essential information that other methods had not uncovered. (First published in Phoenix magazine.)

Almost Dying in a Foreign Language   (2002)
   by David Gorman
A 4-part article about someone who is dealing with an issue of intense shame — a rabbi who doesn't know Hebrew the way he thinks he should and the resulting shame keeps him from being able to learn it. This exploration of his vicious circle of emotional identification solved the issue in one session. A long almost verbatim article in 4 parts.

The Coordination of Bliss  
   by Babette Lightner (2002)
Have you ever had a sudden experience of ecstasy or oneness?  Felt yourself wondering what it was an experience of?  Or been drawn to try to recapture it but found that difficult?  Here is an essay by Babette Lightner on how she came to reassess what happened to her and make sense out of her experiences of "bliss".

An Interview with David Gorman  (2001)
   Transcribed from a KFAI Radio broadcast
This is a transcript of a one-hour radio interview done with David on KFAI Radio in Minneapolis, MN in the USA on April 30, 2001. The interview explores the origin of the LearningMethods work, its principles and a bit of practice right on the show.

Losing Weight  (2001) 
   by Eillen Sellam       (aussi en français)
Eillen shares, step-by-step, the adventure she went through to lose some weight and how she ended up eating less, while also enjoying the quality and quantity of food more than before... but without the problems!

A Basic Fact and a Fundamental Question  (2000)
   by David Gorman
In a growing number of articles, David and other teachers describe the LearningMethods process as it is actually used to help specific people with specific issues they want to solve—fear of heights, depression, tension, relationship conflicts, anxiety and nervousness, chronic pain, learning blocks—you name it—and there are more examples coming. Those articles give an idea of how the work is used to help people. This article will serve as a bit more of a background explanation of why we go about it that way.

Failure is Hard, but Learning is Easy  (2000) 
   by David Gorman      (aussi en français )
What a joy for an artist, who loves to draw but was beginning to feel discouraged, afraid of failures and like she was a slow learner, to suddenly discover that there is a way to change all that in a few hours and rediscover how simple and easy learning is. She experienced how fast learning can take place and how much fun it is when we're not stopped by our misconceptions. Read the article and see how she did it.

On Auditioning  (2000) 
   by Ann Penistan
Is nervousness and tension before an audition necessary?   Is it possible to liberate yourself from these symptoms AND do a better job in the audition and performance too?  Ann Penistan who has worked with actors all over the world describes how she helps people understand why they are stuck in these reactions and how they can change it all.

On The Virtues - or having the experience, but missing the meaning  (1999)
   by David Gorman
We think of patience, honesty, courage, etc. as virtues—characteristics that are good to have. But how often do we find ourselves being the opposite—impatient, dishonest or lacking courage? If these virtues are so good, how come they seem so hard to live? Can one practice a virtue like patience by just trying to 'be' patient? Even if we manage one time, why do we find ourselves right back in the same difficulty again? Or is there more going on here than meets the eye? David shows another way of looking at these experiences that not only makes sense of them, but removes the 'problem' and the 'wrong' from them.

Conquering the Fear of Heights  (1998) 
   by Eillen Sellam      (aussi en français)
Ever felt stuck with a phobia like the fear of heights? Eillen describes the simple process that liberated her from this and other fears. The same principles have helped others with fears of dogs, fear of flying, of elevators, of wasps and spiders, etc.

Working with a Violinist  (1998)
   by David Gorman      (aussi en français)    (aven på Svenska)
Why do so many musicians have so much tension and nervousness that they cannot get rid of? This account of a lesson with a violinist shows how this can be changed when we see what is causing it.

The Rounder We Go, The Stucker We Get  (1996) 
   by David Gorman       (aussi en français)     (aven på Svenska)     (auch auf Deutsch)
Ever wondered why everything you do to escape a vicious circle only seems to dig you in deeper? And though you may have become better at dealing with your symptoms, why you still have them? Read this illustrated essay on the nature of circular habits and how to escape them.

Older Articles — in English
   — Human Structure and Function
   — The Alexander Technique


 

On Belief Systems and Learning  (1998) 
   by David Gorman
David Gorman writes about the journey of discovery that lead him in an evolution from the Alexander Technique to the LearningMethods work.

There was an extensive (often heated) debate on these discoveries among members of the on-line Alexander Technique community. You can download a free ebook of the whole debate which also includes new material as the correspondence continued.
 

In Our Own Image  (1986-89) 
   by David Gorman
A series of eight articles (now in its own downloadable e-book) in which David explores a new model of human functioning he discovered in 1982 — a model that reveals our design as inherently integrated, securely grounded and fully organized for effortless movement; a model where muscles act as sensitive detectors of instability and respond by suspending us in an elastic web of adjustable support which follows us, springing us into activity.
   Part 1 - The General Particulars (1986)
   Part 2 - The Nature of the Torso (1986)
   Part 3 - From the Ground Up (1986)
   Part 4 - Talented Tissues (1987)
   Part 5 - The Suspension System (1987)
   Part 6 - More Suspense (1987)
   Part 7 - It’s All Over Now (1988)
   Part 8 - The Primary Control (1989)
 

Thinking About Thinking About Ourselves  (1984) 
   by David Gorman      (aussi en français)
How our thinking and belief systems affect our functioning and vice versa. The 1984 F. M. Alexander Memorial Lecture given in London for STAT (the Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique).
This was the start of a direction of questioning that led David many years later to the LearningMethods work.

Experiences and Experiments in the Alexander World  (1991) 
   by David Gorman
David's "Second-Generation Masterclass" at the 1991 International Alexander Congress in Engleberg, Switzerland where he challenged everyone to "be... without being teachers" ...with interesting results.

The Primary Control  (1989)  
   by David Gorman
This is part 8 of an 8-part series, "In Our Own Image". How do we make sense of the fact that when we stop trying so hard and give up, somehow we become more co-ordinated and integrated? What is it that takes care of things when we stop trying to? The answers may surprise you as this article presents a radical view of our in-built coordinating mechanism - the primary control.  This series, In Our Own Image, starts here.

On Fitness  (1989)  
   by David Gorman     (aussi en français)
How the Alexander Technique can shed some light on constructive and unconstructive aspects of fitness programs and exercise (also in French below):

Les Articles de LearningMethods — en Français 


 

Bon pour qui  (2007)  
   par Elizabeth Garren     (also in English)
Une chronique sur la trac, faire plaisir aux gens, et autres moments d'anxiété

Retour dans la musique  (2001)  
   par David Gorman     (also in English)
Une trompettiste qui a l'habitude d'essayer de relâcher ses tensions et de modifier sa respiration va choisir à la place de tout simplement revenir à la musique dans sa globalité

Perdre du poids  (2001)  
   par Eillen Sellam     (also in English)
Eillen partage son expérience en racontant étape par étape ce qu'elle a vécu pour perdre du poids. Cette aventure  l' a amenée à modifier son comportement alimentaire, elle mange moins mais avec plaisir !

L'échec c'est dur, mais l'apprentissage c'est facile  (2000) 
   par David Gorman      (also in English)
Une artiste qui aimait dessiner commençait a se sentir découragée en ayant l'impression qu'elle était lente a apprendre et avait peur de l'échec. Lors d'un stage, après quelques heures de travail, elle a découvert qu'il est possible de changer et de redécouvrir comme il est simple et facile d'apprendre. Cela a été une révélation qui lui apporte une grande joie. Elle a redécouvert a quel point elle peut avancer et avoir du plaisir a dessiner lorsqu'elle n'est pas bloquée par ses fausses interprétations. Lisez l'article pour voir le processus qu'elle a suivi.

Vaincre la peur du vide  (1998) 
   par Eillen Sellam     (also in English)
Avez-vous une phobie comme la peur du vide? Eillen décrit le processus simple qui l'a libérée de cette et d'autres peurs. Les mêmes principes ont aidé d'autres personnes à craindre les chiens, la peur de voler, les ascenseurs, les guêpes et les araignées, etc.

Travailler avec une violoniste  (1998) 
   par David Gorman      (also in English )
Pourquoi est-ce qu'autant de musiciens ont des tensions et nervosités dont ils n'arrivent pas à se liberer? Ce récit  d'un cours avec une violoniste explique comment cela peut être changé.

Plus nous tournons en rond, plus nous restons les mêmes  (1996) 
   par David Gorman      (also in English)   (auch auf Deutsch)   (även på Svenska)
La nature des habitudes circulaires et comment leur échapper.

Les Anciens Articles — en Français 
   — La Technique Alexander


 

Réflexions sur nos réflexions sur nous-mêmes  (1984) 
   par David Gorman      (also in English)
Conférence en Mémoire de F. M. Alexander, pour voir comment notre pensée et notre système de croyances ont un effet sur notre fonctionnement.

Être en forme  (1989)
   par David Gorman       (also in English)
Comment la méthode peut-elle vous éclairer sur les aspects constructifs ou non constructifs des programmes de remise en forme et la gymnastique.

Artiklar LearningMethods —  Svenska    —  Deutsch


 

Je weiter wir kommen, desto mehr stecken wir fest  (1996) 
   av David Gorman       (also in English )     (aussi en Français )   (även på Svenska)

Ju mer vi går runt, desto sammare brir vi  (1996) 
   av David Gorman       (also in English)     (aussi en Français)   (auch auf Deutsch)
Hur onda cirklar fungerar och hur vi undviker dem.

Att inte försöka spela bättre... är att spela bättre  (2003) 
   av David Gorman       (also in English)     (aussi en français)
Följande är en artikel som handlar om hur de inlärningsmetoder jag utvecklat hjälper till att lösa ett vanligt problem bland musiker.

Find out how to ORDER individual booklets of these articles
or a collected anthology of many of them in book form
from LEARNINGMETHODS PUBLICATIONS