Colleagues - ELKE MASTWIJK

Are you an Alexander Technique student or colleague?

Then this page is for you. Besides being an Alexander Teacher and a CranioSacral Therapist I am also a Reflex Inhibition Therapist since 2015.

I am passionate about The Alexander Technique but I also have an inquisitive nature which led me to explore in depth these methods which complement the Alexander Technique. I am inspired to translate relevant knowledge from CranioSacral Therapy and Reflex Inhibition Therapy to the Alexander Technique community. Through lectures, private sessions and workshops. Would you like to organize something in your country? Please contact me to discuss possibilities and details. If it is not possible for you to attend one of my workshops or lectures. we can address these subjects in a series of private sessions.

Travel dates

For (student) colleagues in the Netherlands and abroad I offer workshops, lectures and private sessions.

This is my agenda for the upcoming months:

Dusseldorf Germany October 9th, 10th 11th 2020 private sessions
Dorsten, Duitsland to be rescheduled because of the Corona outbreak.
Vienna, Austria, October 2020 dates pending

Contact

Click here to contact me

CranioSacral Therapy

Information on the CranioSacral systeem can be found in all anatomy books. But it rarely gets the attention it deserves. increased pressure on specific connective tissue (fascia) attachements to the skull, the spine and the pelvis have a huge effect on Primary Control. If you have had an accident, surgery, a blow to the head or invasive dental treatment, this can affect the connective tissue deeply. It can hold stress and tension for years which is transferred to the muscular system and resembles tension developed because of a habit of use. CranioSacral Therapy shows us this is not always the case. A CranioSacral problem is not a habit and cannot be addressed with the Alexander Technique through inhibition and direction. For you as an Alexander Teacher it is interesting to be able to distinguish between a habit to which you can apply the Technique, and a CranioSacral problem that requires very specific treatment. Once connective tissue is released it supports poise and balance and enhances the Alexander work.

Since my first lecture on this subject at the Alexander Technique Congress in Lugano 2008, my work has been shared and appreciated. I have been invited by Alexander Technique colleagues to the States, Switzerland, Belgium, Ireland, Germany, Spain, Norway and Austria to work with them and their pupils.

If you suspect you have a CranioSacral problem, we can explore this together in a private session. I am based in Amsterdam but I am available to travel for private sessions and for workshops and lectures on this subject.

Primary Reflexes

We all know that for some pupils it is much easier to apply the Technique than for others, regardless of the number of lessons. Knowledge of early childhood development helps you understand the possible influence of the seven Primary Reflexes. Which are key to early childhood development. These reflexes organise a baby’s nervous system in the womb and after birth. They provide the foundation for attention, balance and coordination skills later in life.

How do these reflexes work? Do they support or undermine the adult postural reflexes and stress coping skills? How do they influence a person’s ability to apply the Alexander Technique? How do you recognize problems with these early reflexes in yourself and in your pupils? These questions are answered during private sessions, lectures and workshops.

I wrote an article on this subject for the Dutch Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique. I can send it to you upon request.