“…my experience may one day be recognized as a signpost directing the explorer to a country hitherto ‘undiscovered,’ and one which offers unlimited opportunity for fruitful research to the patient and observant pioneer.” — F. Matthias Alexander

Ted’s Work

As an educator and writer, Ted’s work has centered on the evolution of the human being toward higher levels of consciousness. Based on the premise that the human being is an orderly machine, he argues that the raising of the working of this machinery to a conscious level is the basis for a new field of health and development. Over the course of three decades, he has taught and written on various aspects of this singular theme.

Origins of an Emerging Field

Early in his career, in attempting to solve a persistent back problem, Ted investigated various mind/body methods and was particularly intrigued by the work of F. Matthias Alexander. Alexander (1869-1955) discovered that, in humans as in other vertebrates, muscular tone is organized around a head/trunk relationship that is often interfered with, and developed a “technique for the … control of human reaction.” Interested in the educational implications of Alexander's work, Ted trained in the Alexander Technique and, in graduate school, focused on its applications to performance and learning.

While training, Ted made a detailed study of his own performance at the piano. He found that, although it was possible to bring about an improved working of the musculoskeletal system while sitting quietly, the tensions returned during activity. He discovered that, by refraining from action and redirecting his muscles, he was able to bring about a more natural condition in his muscular system and, against this improved background, could detect the harmful tensions and play in a coordinated and conscious way. Based on these experiences, he began to frame a theory about the possibility of raising action to a more conscious level as a new principle in adult and child development.

Research and Study

Soon after his period of study, Ted went to graduate school, where he began to research the field and to explore the possibility of creating an Institute for its study and development. Over the next two decades, he began to write a series of books in which he articulated an educational and evolutionary approach to the human being based on an informed knowledge of its complex musculoskeletal design. Seeing that humans are capable of new levels of awareness, he began to formulate a model of human development based on an understanding of mind and body as a series of evolving systems that could be elevated to greater levels of control.  

Founding of the Institute

In 1997, Ted created The Dimon Institute, a center dedicated to learning and study in the new field. Located in New York City, the Institute offers classes, trains professionals, and conducts research. Ted has developed an entire curriculum for the training of professionals in the field.