Don't use AT to fix a broken leg
When I just started AT, I was so enthusiastic about this wonderful discovery that I thought it could fix anything, from my stiff neck to dealing with stiff-necked people around me. But although I apply AT principles on some level or other in most of my daily activities, I've let go of the dogma of 'The Only Right Way Is AT'. I've realised that some other strategies work better for me in some cases. So, when I end up in a situation where I think my neck could be a bit more free, I first decide whether AT is the thing that will get me there, because, to be honest, sometimes it simply doesn't.

Some examples of other things that I've tried and still use on a regular basis:
- Chi Gong: similar to AT in that it is a way, with both a physical and a strong spiritual/ philosophical element. Different in that it doesn't use any kind of verbal explanation during the exercises, and there's no wrong or right way of doing the exercises posture-wise (although energy-wise, a lot of things can go wrong if you're in the hands of an unskilled teacher), no theory to understand or concepts to grasp. Whereas AT sometimes only increases the speed and number of thoughts in my head, Chi Gong, with its absence of verbal queues, is a relatively easy way to calm my brain a bit.
- Chiropractic: I see this as a shortcut to freeing up the channel through which I send directions. Works wonders, as long as you realise that you're not handling the root cause of your trouble (misuse, overtension, over-stressedness). But it's a great way to fix any physical problems and improve the overall state of your physical well-being.
- Physiotherapy: same. I ended up with a physiotherapist when I jumped myself into a whiplash in my calf muscle at a U2 concert. Not something I can see fixed by a series of AT lessons. We've got an in-company physiotherapist; I sometimes go there to have my shoulder muscles loosened up.

Funny enough, I keep meeting people in the 'physical department', like chiropractors and physiotherapists, that are actually very supportive of AT principles, without knowing about AT. My physiotherapist, for example, talks about the importance of a loose jaw in relation to my shoulders, because "your neck is a key to de-stressing the rest of your body". I think this may be part of a general tendency to move away from 'just a problem in limb/muscle/joint x' to a more integrated approach, which is wonderful and necessary.

Edit: even though I do use different approaches, I try not to mix them. So when I do AT, I don't use Chi Gong principles, even though they both deal with flow/direction, and when I'm being manipulated by a chiropractor, I don't do AT, even though they both involve tables and necks. This way, I don't run the risk of mismapping concepts that may seem similar, but are still slightly different. Of course, I do notice similarities between approaches, but I try to leave it at just that: similarities.