Structure determines function, and function gradually reshapes structure. This is a fundamental understanding of any system—living or non-living—that follows physical laws and, over a certain period, generates mutual influence aimed at increasing efficiency. Efficiency is governed by the law of efficiency, derived from thermodynamic principles, which manifests as the system’s tendency to achieve more order and organization with less energy. If conditions are suitable, the system evolves toward greater order and syntropy. If conditions prevent this, entropy develops—leading to breakdown, chaos, and inefficiency.
Function and structure must be aligned for a system to perceive reality and respond to it appropriately and in time. In a living structure such as a human being, this means that the structure of the body—muscles, connective tissue, and nervous system—must be capable of performing the tasks required by the environment. At the same time, the function must be sufficiently subtle and conscious to influence the ongoing shaping of that structure. When these two elements operate interdependently, the system achieves a high level of homeostasis—internal balance—and thus gains resilience to challenges, stress, and chronic disorders.
In cases of acute stress—physical or emotional—there is rapid synchronization of function and structure to ensure an adequate response, whether it involves increased physical performance or the shutdown of perception. The body mobilizes more life energy and increases the potential energy in tissues, which is then released as kinetic energy to solve the problem. This process is based on the activation of the sympathetic part of the autonomic nervous system. If the problem is not resolved or the situation becomes chronic, these functional changes eventually become imprinted into the structure. Neurologically, this means a change in the neural networks of the central nervous system. The organization of movement, emotional expression, and perception is remodeled. If this remodeling is effective, a new structure is formed that allows greater efficiency in similar future situations.
Function and structure are not only shaped within an individual—they are also passed on across generations through behavioral patterns, emotional responses, and relationship styles. Efficiency or inefficiency is transmitted to descendants not just genetically but primarily through somatic learning. Children learn to operate with the same level of energy tone, the same muscular responses, and the same degree of emotional maturity expressed by the parents. If an adult does not feel themselves, they cannot feel another. The child senses this and adapts by reducing awareness of their own needs. The protective function against excessive discomfort eventually becomes a structure that limits movement, perception, expression, and the ability to regulate relationships.
An example of such a process is the development of Raynaud’s syndrome in a child growing up with a parent who has a high level of sensory-motor amnesia and sensory-motor illusion. A mother who is disconnected from her emotions, needs, and physical tension cannot accurately perceive and respond to her daughter’s real needs. Due to a chronic inability to express emotions, set boundaries, and take responsibility for her feelings, the mother has been under prolonged sympathetic dominance in her autonomic nervous system. The child adapts by reducing sensory input and cutting off connection with the body’s periphery. The structure of the child’s body becomes defensive. Circulation in the fingers decreases, muscle tone in the membranes increases, and the fascial sheath thickens. The structure becomes a rigid armor, and the function shrinks to the bare minimum necessary for survival.
In such a case, it is not the child who should be practicing AEQ, but the mother. Her body and her behavior are the foundational conditions for a change in the child’s state. Because the child is still developing and energetically deeply tied to their primary environment—especially the mother—any change in her functioning becomes a direct stimulus for reshaping the child’s structure. When the mother begins, through AEQ exercises and breathing techniques, to reduce SMA and SMI, increase the sensitivity of her own membranes, lower muscle rigidity, and enhance energy flow to the periphery, she starts creating a new environment. The child’s body senses this change and begins to respond with more openness, greater fluidity, and increased conscious presence.
AEQ breathing plays a key role in this process. Slow, abdominal breathing activates the parasympathetic part of the autonomic nervous system, increases energy flow through the torso, reduces diaphragm tension, and enhances the stability of the internal space. This improves the connection between perception and emotional expression, restores neurological pathways, increases resilience to emotional and physical challenges, and reestablishes the capacity to regulate relationships on a higher level.
By understanding physical laws and engaging in deep self-reflection, the AEQ Method reveals the logic by which the inner and outer worlds of a person co-create. This dismantles illusion, removes the informational vacuum, and enables conscious change of structure through the change of function. When this occurs in the parent, the child receives the conditions for change without being directly involved in practice or comprehension. The parent’s structure is, after all, the environment in which the child’s structure is formed. Therefore, the AEQ Method must be applied first and foremost by the mother—not the child. In doing so, the processes of learning, regulation, and improvement are reconnected with the natural law stating that change always begins with the one who has greater influence over the environment. In the family system, that is always the parent.
Aleš Ernst, author of the AEQ Approach.
