MHC: Beyond "You're Doing it Wrong" and Overuse

The Backwards Brain Bicycle: What Having Musician's Focal Dystonia is Like

This is what it's like having Musicians Focal Dystonia. Except after 20+ years of daily practice, performing, and refining your skills to a high degree, you can see why it's significantly worse when the brain pathways get even slightly crossed; sensory/touch goes haywire and motor control goes out the window.

All those years of learning become our enemy and everything must be deprogrammed and reprogrammed and even though you can adapt and modify, it's never quite the same or as smooth as the old pathway that was dug.

The hardest part is letting go/stopping your brain from yelling at your body, "You're going to fall!! I must do something!!" and thus it keeps trying to resort to your default control/old pathway that no longer works. It takes tremendous work to build a new pathway, a ton of failing and relapses, and for some it seems impossible or takes years because your body and brain lack enough plasticity to overcome the damaged circuit. Also everyone is affected to various degrees and it's hard to gauge severity levels.

We really don't know how deep the rabbit hole is, so that's why I'm against those who make the notion that they have the one and only cure, or a one-size-fits-all formula to overcoming the disorder. One way of doing things won't work for everyone, and not everyone can overcome it so easily or within the same time frame. Rehabilitating is an individualized process. And a true cure means it can be scientifically tested over and over again with a proven 100% success rate in each and every individual.

Auff! Frustrating to say the least. This comes very close to a great example of what it's like having this disorder. I know there are a lot worse things in life, but when it is your livelyhood and a part of who you are, it's catastrophic losing your ability to play. 💕

Musician's Health Collective Articles

Recently I've been reading a lot of Musician's Health Collective! The author Kayleigh also teaches yoga. I wanted to share a couple of her articles that I really enjoyed recently and can't help but feel strongly about. I agree with a lot of what she says....

"If It Hurts, You're Doing It Wrong" and other Confusing Proclamations

"When We Tell Clients that Their Bodies are Tight, Weak, Strong, or that They're Doing it Wrong"

"Teacher, Am I Doing it Right?" : Searching for Meaning While Teaching

Psychological Aspects of Recovery: Mental and Emotional Obstacles Faced with Musician's Dystonia (FTSED and FTSHD).

In the past I would have refrained from writing about this area of recovery because of the tendency of others to immediately hop on the psychological bandwagon belief that Musician's Dystonia is simply an underlying psychological or emotional disorder. As I have stated throughout many of my writings that I do not support that belief whatsoever, nor do I believe it is the true cause of this neurological disorder. That is not to say that there is no psychological effect involved that must be addressed.

It is what I consider one of the 3 major stages of rehabilitation; (1) Educating oneself on the disorder, treatments, rehabilitation methods, other related injuries/areas, the body (movement and anatomy), and literally anything involving musician's health. (2) retraining the mind (psychological cognitive restructuring). (3) Rebuilding Neuro-pathways (Physical Rehabilitation). 

These are my own opinions. However, it is safe to say that without a doubt anyone who has been marked with a major physical setback or injury naturally inherits emotional hurdles afterwards. As it takes a huge blow to ones self worth, it leaves us with doubts in our capabilities, dislike in our concept of sound, we start to over-analyze out of pure confusion and trying to fix what is going wrong with technique, and it leaves us overwhelmed and lost in the stages of grief. Sometimes we don't even realize that we are in grief or are in denial of it.

It is best to address the psychological aspects first and foremost before any musician tries to start physically rehabilitating. I believe they should be in a healthy frame of mind and emotionally stable. Many musicians who are hit with this disorder panic and want answers right away. They are very confused and don't want to accept the current state they are in. The only problem is that part of the answer IS embracing the current state. Mind you that embracing a temporary state/setback does not mean it defines you or that you're giving up. The disorder does not define who you are or who you will be. There is a difference.

Being diagnosed with what is considered a career-ending disorder is scary and devastating. It is hard to see the silver lining when it seems there are vague answers and not just one solution to overcoming it. It takes a great deal of courage and optimism to look at it in positive light, and no one is ready to do that until they've allowed themselves to grieve and face the possibility of their worst fears.

But I look at it as facing ones fears and saying, "Even though I believe I will beat this disorder, I'm not scared of the worst that could happen because here are the good things that can come out of it...." It's like facing your fear in order to overcome it. Once you experience it, it no longer holds a death grip on you.

I can already hear my musician friends saying, "What good could come out of this awful situation?" In order to come to that point, you have to go through the stages of grief. You must cry over the misfortune, get angry, yell, curse others, become bitter if you have to, go through highs and lows, desperately ask for help, ask "why me?"...whatever it takes to heal no matter how bad it feels. But then there comes a time where you do feel you have a choice; you can continue mourning or build up the courage and say, "I'm tired of being sad. I'm tired of hating the way I sound due to the spasms. I'm tired of fearing my instrument, being frustrated, confused, fearing the worst, and living like this in misery." Then you find the strength to fight. Once you are ready, there is a lot you must change about the way you think, and in a big picture type of way...

• The first and most important thing I have found is learning to separate your worth from the instrument and center yourself.

We are gifted with the love of (sharing) music. It initially started off as a feeling and transferred to an instrument that resonated with us personally. Yet this gift of the love of music is still with us, even if we can not play for the time being. The instrument does not define who we are or our gift, just like our disorder does not. We must believe that our knowledge of music and passion is meant to be shared, that all we've done in the field is not for nothing. Being gifted with music means we have the choice to share it in more ways than just one. Focusing on another area of music or field/activity that reminds us of that love surprisingly allows us to still remain connected to the gift. It may not give us as "full" of a feeling as we had before, but it can as time goes by and we find our confidence returning in something music or non-music related that we didn't know we had a talent for.

Having Dystonia allows us to focus on other areas of our lives that we didn't get to do while focused on performance. We have more time to build relationships, explore new areas, work on our health, study something we never got a chance to do.  Some are too afraid to try to live again, to seek out something similar out of fear that it won't be the same.

We are literally brought back to the major question of "Why do we love our instrument so much? and where do our priorities fall? It also makes us question what is success? Did we love our success more than the music? Dystonia really grounds us and brings us back to why we love music. Success and failure are one and the same. There are no rewards/praise for success. The reward we found in music when younger was that feeling of exploration. We could make a million mistakes and still love the way we sounded. Yet the more advanced you become you lose that sense of exploration, creativity, curiousity, and unconditional love and acceptance of how one sounds.

• That leads me to the second thing. You must embrace the way you sound and love it.

I am dead serious when I say it is vital that you revert back to that childhood state of mind in order to embrace your dystonia. Dystonia must be confronted with that same feeling of exploration, curiosity, and unconditional love and acceptance of how one sounds.

Seeing other people play music, even small children, reminds me of what a tremendous blessing music is in this world. It's meant to be used as a form of expression whether or not it sounds good or bad...it has meaning and that is all that matters. Technique no longer matters, all the blabbering about breathing, hitting the notes, using articulation, etc. All that matters is embracing the love of music and letting go of the ego, the success, or judgement, and really appreciating what a gift it is to have music in the world. I imagine my feeling is similar to that of someone who has lost one of their senses like sight or hearing. We don't realize how truly miraculous something is until it is gone. We appreciate it more, aim to protect it, and love it in a way that is no longer criticizing, demanding, or taking it for granted as we did before.

I'm serious when I say I absolutely love hearing beginning band students play.
I believe that is the kind of love it takes; to embrace music with no judgement, or at least an appreciation for it that is much deeper than before.

• Third. Shift your focus from the performance mentality to relaxed awareness. 

I learned to not fight my symptoms or judge them, but to let them happen and just relax into a state of awareness. (ex. "I'm noticing that it's easier to grab an F than a G, and the angle of my mouthpiece made a difference today"). That way you are focused more on feeling things out than fixing things with technique or judging the way you sound. Your body knows what to do and is trying to tell you something, so listen to it and get to know the symptoms well. I started taking an inventory of my symptoms and recording myself. The more I played with an open, loving, and aware mind, the more I discovered and adjusted my playing over time and saw improvement.

Performance mentality focuses on analyzing technique, physical agility, skills and accuracy. Relaxed awareness is what is needed instead. Focusing on embracing the symptoms, getting to know when they happen, looking at them with curiosity, exploring ways to lessen them through adjustments and modifications.It seems pretty simplistic and basic, but it works if you have patience and don't rush the process of recovery.

Though this may sound odd, there are some other things I did to help embrace my dystonia sound; telling my horn thank you and that I loved it no matter how it sounded, recording myself and listening to it with love, sympathy, and curiosity. Also practicing mantras, visualizations, building self-esteem, and treating myself like a survivor and not a victim were other major factors in changing my state of mind. Also farther down the road I liked listening to recordings of the horn before I fell asleep and visualized that my playing felt just as smooth and effortless. Pretty soon I started having vivid dreams about playing easily and this boosted my energy and happiness the more it occurred.

I started off practicing in a practice room with a piece of paper over the window. As I got more comfortable with accepting my sound, I removed the paper. Eventually I moved into a larger classroom, and then a stage. I adapted myself so that I did not fear the way I sounded in front of others. Whenever the thought that someone might be judging me popped up I would tell myself, "They are not judging me, I must be judging myself harshly to assume so. Even if they are, they do not know what they are doing. If they are, I feel sorry that they have been brainwashed to look down so shallowly on the act of making music which is a beautiful thing. I must remember I am now at a higher state of mind than what I had before and I love the way I sound no matter what. I must let go of the inner critic. I love myself. I love my sound. I accept it."

• This leads me to the fourth thing that I have learned. It is important to surround yourself with people and environments that help promote a healthy state of mind.

Teaching beginning band students helped me a lot, and this is actually why I'm going into teaching. I love working with students who are just starting to learn music because that is when I most clearly see the importance of music. In a way it is living my life up to my ultimate rule...that it's always about the expression of music and imagination more than anything else. It is similar to developing strong morals and values and sticking to them, living them, breathing them, becoming them.

My students never judged the way I sounded and instead thought it was the best thing on earth. It reminded me of how children are much more centered (mentally and emotionally) than adults can be. They are in that state of daydreaming and imagination all the time. I am happy to influence them in a positive way and help them find balance in not only their abilities, but way of thinking/approach too. It was much healthier for me to be around children with this state of mind than performing in a group full of adults that are way too hard on themselves and others.

Many Dystonic musicians who talk to me usually ask me how I feel about playing in a group. They hate it when I tell them that I am against people playing in an ensemble of high caliber or even of musicians that would not understand what they are going through. I think it is important at the beginning of rehabilitation to focus on yourself and spend time playing alone and not aggravating things. Later on as playing gets better, then maybe if psychologically prepared for it, but playing in a group can add even more anxiety, pressure, demands, fear, frustration, and stress that you already deal with when facing the dystonia symptoms; not knowing if things will come out correctly, or if you'll be able to play a passage, etc. Live concerts are the worst because it adds in adrenaline, and the adrenaline heightens the dystonic symptoms just like loud noise heightens or triggers a migraine. It's best to remove oneself from anything that worsens the symptoms for the time being.

Instead, surround yourself with a network of people who understand; whether it be the musician's dystonia group on facebook, write or visit with other musicians from the group or who you've come across online with dystonia, lean on a supportive teacher/mentor, etc. If you feel comfortable with talking to me, then by all means call me or message me if you need to. It's the least I can do for others.

If can, speak out about your dystonia. It is oddly relieving. Not everyone is comfortable with that, but for me it is a way of healing. Knowing that I am informing others (non-dystonic people) about this disorder that is rarely spoken of, makes me feel like I'm not wallowing in pain while keeping my mouth shut. I want others to know so that some day others who are in the same boat won't feel as alone or outcast. Yet, I always speak positively of it; never victimizing myself, but instead aim to promote awareness and understanding of the disorder.

I know this is not how everyone feels, but I believe that my dystonia was meant to happen for a reason. I may not understand the reason, but I choose to believe that it is because I am strong enough to handle it and navigate the tremendous loss, and that I am to help others and promote awareness about this disorder. I believe that what I'm experiencing is unique and it is rare to see anyone share their experiences about this disorder, so it must be done for the sake of healing and helping. I see a lot of injured musicians do this, and it makes me happy to see them channeling their love and support to others in need before themselves. This leads me to the importance of belief or hope....

• Last, but not least. Do your best to find the silver lining and say it out loud.

Physical rehabilitation tests your patience unlike any other. There are many days where you will get better, then relapse. There are many days where one adjustment might work and the next not. There are even more days where you just plain sink into depression again. The wound from losing what you love never truly goes away. It is not easy to stay optimistic about it all the time, and I don't suggest that anyone avoid their emotions; whether it be sad, angry, happy, excited, etc. It is important to go through the motions and let whatever you feel happen so that you can heal.

Creating some strong beliefs in yourself and your recovery will carry you further and support you when things get tough. When you are able to find the silver lining...even if it's not something you necessarily completely 100% believe yet...say it out loud no matter what. It could be something as simple as, "Maybe not today. But tomorrow." or "Can't have progress without some relapses." I always say it out loud, whisper it, or say it to myself in a mirror because it somehow feels more grounded and reassuring. I know I sound crazy for doing such things, but it makes a difference and that is all that matters. Whatever gives you strength, believe in it and hold onto it....not matter how ridiculous it may seem, look, or sound to others.

The psychological aspects of recovery are a huge obstacle to overcome! It is probably the most difficult part of rehabilitation. I see these psychological aspects as a very heavy fog that blinds us from the physical obstacles beyond that. Once the fog is lifted you can focus on the dystonic symptoms and alleviate them through physical therapy and rebuilding the neuro-pathways slowly over time. But first and foremost you have to be willing to embrace what is right in front of you and keep tremendous patience. Not everyone is ready to do that or needs help with it. Some good options to help find what centers you is meditation, hypnosis, or it could be something spiritual or religious like going to church, it could even be helping others...whatever allows you to reflect inwards and face the grief at your own pace and allows you to think about a meaningful purpose of this experience. The good news is that you will see progress without a doubt, and time really does heal both the mind, body, and soul.

Misleading Fabra Videos

just copied over my post about this video from facebook to here....

I don't understand why it says in the caption that the tremors have disappeared after treatment. Even though this man has come a long ways in recovery, I can tell he is definitely still having involuntary muscle contractions around his embouchure at the end of the video. It hurts to watch, because I can see (and know what it feels like) he's using all of the muscle strength he has to keep his endurance up and to lock the notes in place.

I also wish that in these videos they would play something more melodic in the middle/low range with held notes. Something legato and smooth. Scales and arpeggios are hard to play while having dystonia, but sometimes playing them faster makes it easier and doable. However, anything in the middle register that contains larger interval gaps (especially at a slower tempo), and holding long notes out are almost impossible. If someone played Pictures at an Exhibition excerpt, or even held out a long tone on a low G or middle C for 10 seconds, I could tell if they were still having involuntary contractions or not...I could tell if they were fully recovered or not.

I always get so much crap for complaining about how Fabra's videos are deceptive of ones recovery, because it doesn't show all aspects of the persons playing. But I have also heard similar observations from other instrumentalists as well who watch the other instrumental recovery posts that he has posted. It's true he's made progress, and I'm sure he's very happy and hopeful, but I can tell he's not fully recovered...or as Fabra likes to say "cured." That's what I dislike/detest about it most, is that he is deceptive in the way he promotes his so-called "cure" or even suggests that there is a cure to dystonia...his cure, and that's all. There are many other reasons Fabra rubs me the wrong way, but I could write a whole book over it. I'm glad he helps others, but I don't trust his intentions, the way he handles his business, or how he treats those who don't recovery under his guidance in which he gave false hope.

Finding Strength

I refuse to believe there is no possibility or chance of overcoming embouchure dystonia. There is nothing that can waiver my willpower, determination, and patience. No one can stand in my way. I know without a doubt that something once so natural cannot be lost forever when my muscles still possess natural abilities outside of playing. It is a paradoxical mystery as to why only very specific movements trigger it, yet the muscles can still function naturally when at rest. There is a way to return function or eliminate the triggers.

I don't know how I know, but I know THERE IS a way to reverse it. I know it in my gut and soul that this observation of contradictory therein lies an answer hidden somewhere, and that's what gives me strength. It's ultimate faith that what is considered impossible is possible due to that extra space of grey area and a question mark lingering.

I refuse to believe the only thing that exists is a dead end with no hope when the answer is at the tip of ones tongue constantly, and hints at the possibility of freedom from the disorder through glimpses or moments of normalcy after so much hard work and effort accomplished.

Most people who are diagnosed with FTSHD (Hand Dystonia) or FTSED (Embouchure Dystonia) ask, "How could my abilities degrade to such a state when I use to be able to play so naturally with ease and nothing wrong?"  when the question should be, "Why should I believe my dystonia is irreversible when normal function still exists in my muscles outside of playing?" Not all is lost when muscle function still exists.

If the possibility of all muscle function is to be completely thrown out the window into the realm of never returning, then I would not be able to use all of my muscle capabilities in my face; I would not be able to eat, not be able to speak, not be able to form a natural smile, not be able to whistle, not be able to do other related tasks or parallel motions. Yet, I still can perform other tasks with the muscles and movement in my face...so why is it not possible to restore function when it comes to horn playing? As long as there is that grey area, as long as my muscles function normally outside of playing, not all is lost...there has to be...there MUST be...there IS a way of restoring normalcy. I just know it! I refuse to let my strength and faith waiver!!

Musician's Dystonia: A Guide To Understanding And Coping With The Disorder. Edited by Juame Rosset I Llobet, and Silvia Fabregas I Molas.

Thought I'd throw in a little motivational quote here while I could! Keep your chin up! (even if it wobbles!) 

I found another great PDF file over Musician's Dystonia.

Check out the table of contents on page 3 and 4. It covers quite a bit, and surprisingly goes over diagnosis process and what to bring to your neurologist/what you can expect, etc. Which I find really important information to pass on to others! I think this is a great manual for anyone to read!!!! Also check out page 119, I find the table showing the percentage of effective treatments outlined in a study. It's really interesting! It took a bit to read through it, and I'm still not done reading it. I basically looked up the areas I was interested in by the table of contents, but hope I get to read more of it when I have time! What a great find!!!! Hope this helps others! Here is the link: http://www.embouchure.nl/bestanden/Musician's_Dystonia-complete.pdf


MUSICIAN'S DYSTONIA
A practical manual to understand and take care of the disorder that
affect the ability to play music.

Editors:
Jaume Rosset i Llobet and Sílvia Fàbregas i Molas
Institut de Fisiologia i Medicina de l’Art-Terrasa. Barcelona, Spain.
www.institutart.com
info@institutart.com

Collaborators:
Josep Fargas Fernández.
Professor of Labour and Social Security Law, Universitat Pompeu Fabra. Barcelona, Spain.

Álvaro Pascual-Leone.
Center for Non-invasive Brain Stimulation, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School. Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Hospital de Rehabilitació Institut Guttmann. Barcelona, Spain.

Josep Valls i Solé.
Neurology Department, Hospital Clínic, Universitat de Barcelona. Barcelona,
Spain


I'll also post it on my sidebar too! :)

Focal Dystonia is an Emotional Disorder? Since when? (continued)

Again, I can't emphasize enough to read and talk about dystonia as much as you can to both medical professionals and non-medical/musicians who are rehabilitating or recovered before you make assumptions about what it is, or believe what another person "assumes" it is.

Surprisingly when you do a lot of reading or speaking to others who have various different types of dystonia you'll realize there are a lot of possible triggers. But with musician's dystonia, for some reason, they get stuck in the assumption that it is purely an emotional/psychological condition, and this gets passed around A LOT. What I have learned as I come across various viewpoints is to think critically and objectively....I analyze everything that I come across, but also keep an open mind. But throughout it all, there are some things I just can't help but flat out disagree with....and saying that it is psychological, an emotional condition, mental paralysis, or some type of neurotic perfectionism or anxiety disorder...I can't ever bring myself to believe that, nor support it.

There are professional psychiatrist and psychologist out there that say they can help overcome it, that it is an emotional/psychological condition because musician's are perfectionists who end up mentally blocking themselves from success due to the fear of failure or experiencing trauma, stress, stage freight, that they have seen improvement with many musicians through their work........but what scares me is....are they really recovering and getting to the core of the "unknown" source of dystonia, or is it only the first portion or step of the rehabilitation process, of the bigger picture? Is it a waste of time and money if too much time is spent on this area of recovery?

There are musician's I've talked to that make some type of progress through psychological therapy, and then the doctor takes credit for it as if it validates his belief, yet the musician goes on to spend more money with that doctor and finds years down the road their physical symptoms have not improved any further. Also even more so, I try to look at it objectively....how much information is the doctor giving out about the rehabilitation process? (What exercises is he using? If using some for of retraining muscle groups...then it's obviously not as simply explained as a psychological or emotional condition).That's not to say I don't think therapy isn't helpful, and isn't required, I just highly disagree it is the source of dystonia or the "cure all."

Here is a post I recently wrote in a group a couple weeks ago:

I disagree that is a fear of failure/emotional disorder. I disagree that it is always the cause of dystonia or the main trigger/culprit. 

Like Leon Fleisher (who has Focal Hand Dystonia after physically injuring his hand), I had a muscle tear/physical injury that resulted in nerve damage and Focual Embouchure Dystonia. 

Though I believe psychological therapy helps in the beginning because it is a huge loss and setback and not everyone deals or handles well with their emotions...it's definitely necessary to have your mind in the "right" frame of positive thinking before you start working on physical rehabilitation, to come to terms with everything...I don't think it's the answer or "cure all" to all types of dystonia's. 

There are a lot of guesses as to what the culprit is, for some it's genetic, physical injury, overuse, psychological, a change in mechanics (ex. an embouchure change), or nutritional. There are many cases where these all come into play...the only thing we do know is that when a dystonia is present, it is neurological-based from then on - meaning the brain and sensory are now sending mixed signals which can be reprogrammed....not easy though, not something that can happen overnight, but definitely achievable. 

I've come a long ways and all my spasms are almost completely gone, have been subtle and beneath the surface for the last 2 months, and now I can move my focus onto flexibility. A lot of people avoid talking about the physical/sensory-motor retraining it takes to lead to progress, and a lot focus more on their setback in terms of emotions.

 ‎...a lot of people would rather believe it is something in their head that can be fixed, rather than neurological and real...grounded in reality and physically addressed through rigorous retraining. I think that is a fear in itself. They want a blunt answer, a cure, a direct source, a simple answer right away to focus on.

When I read the statement: "These emotions come from trying not to play the instrument wrong rather than concentrating on playing the instrument right."

Do I honestly say, "oh wow, that is so true, what was I thinking? Maybe I really don't want to play my instrument right? Maybe I can't handle the pressures of the profession? Maybe it is all in my head? I'm mentally paralyzed?"

....lets be honest. For some few that is a possibility, but for many musician's who have been playing their instruments naturally or "right" for many years without anything catastrophic happening to them, it doesn't make sense that all of a sudden they are psychologically rejecting their own instrument just because of stress and stage fright when it has never been an issue before. Now, it would be a different scenario if they had stage fright their whole lives to the point that it really effected their well-being/happiness or chronic anxiety or depression...don't you think it would have stopped them sooner?

ALSO, the thing about dystonia is that it is present even when relaxed/calm. If it was anxiety, you would have symptoms of anxiety; accelerated heart rate, shallower breathing, less focus, nervousness, and somewhat shaky - but usually not isolated to a specific/particular movement (for example with embouchure dystonia you might be able to play a passage in your upper register, but not middle-to-low). When dystonia symptoms occur (the involuntary muscle contractions), they can happen even when you're in your most comfortable place (ex. your room), while relaxed and alone, and not thinking about it....they still occur. So why on earth is this associated to anxiety and fear of failure?

Yes, as musicians we tend to be perfectionists or think critically, but that doesn't make everyone at high risk for being thrown into the circle of "psychologically damaged." It's an illogical fallacy...that's like saying, "Joe plays football. Joe is a dumb jock." Might as well say, "Joe is a musician. Joe is a perfectionist who is blocking his own success."

NOW, I do believe, and again this is my own views/opinion. That adrenaline (the flight-or-fight reaction) heightens the dystonia symptoms...but it is an indirect correlation. The best example I can think of is Migraines. Migraines are genetic...stress heightens the symptoms, and it can even lead to a Migraine, but it is not the source of the Migraine, nor the cure to getting rid of Migraines permanently. This puts musician's with Dystonia at a huge disadvantage then...it may be our last obstacle/hurdle to overcome before playing on stage again. Even the most calm and relaxed musician with dystonia has to deal with the adrenaline rush. We need that adrenaline to perform, because we are passionate, expressive, and it brings out the best in us when we can control it to a degree...but in the case of dystonia, it is less of help. Trying to suppress the adrenaline though is like killing that passion and excitement we bring to stage...the aura...our stage presence. Again, I don't believe dystonia's source or cure is anxiety, a fear of failure, an emotional condition, psychological, or some form of mental paralysis. I believe that it has many culprits that are known to trigger it, and that when it is finally initiated it does so in the brain/through our sensory-motor function...it is neurological. And that is my primary focus in rehabilitation....sensory-motor/embouchure function retraining.

So when someone tells me that it's emotional, all I can say is...of course when a person has a huge setback like this, they aren't immediately going to want to play their instrument, especially when they become debilitated it is easy to start thinking negative (ex. "I don't like the way I sound, I can't do this, it's no use.")....but that doesn't mean it's the source of dystonia....it may be the beginning of what needs to be addressed in recovery, but it is not the source or "cure all." That's just my two cents.

Wilktone Embouchure Blog

I wanted to share this great review on the Wilktone Blog over Dr. Peter Iltis's video lecture on Embouchure Dystonia; Dr. Iltis is a professor of Kinesiology, and a horn player with Embouchure Dystonia (I also have one of his own articles over FTSED on the side of my page). You will probably recognize the video from youtube if you've ever searched "embouchure dystonia" on youtube. You can watch the video at the link below, and read Dave's comments on the video. He makes a lot of great points!

Embouchure Dystonia: Mind Over Matter?

I will also put a link below to Wilktone - one of my favorite sites I may add. You can find a ton of great blogs over embouchure function, and videos too. I highly recommend his site.

Dr. David Wilken's Website & Blog: Wilktone

From his About Section: While a graduate student Dr. Wilken developed an interest in how brass embouchure's function after lesson's with trombonist Doug Elliot. His dissertation topic explored the physical characteristics that can make different players’ embouchures function correctly in very different ways.  He continues to study brass embouchures in detail and is devoted to making this under-recognized topic more accessible to teachers and brass musicians.

Dr. Fabra: "Dystonia is an emotional condition" ...Really???

Check out this video on Dr. Fabra's site. I thought it was interesting because one of the trombone players who have FTSED had his first symptoms a couple years later after a major embouchure change. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

I've heard Dr. Fabra state in his videos and online that Hand Dystonia and Embouchure Dystonia is an emotional condition, which I highly disagree with or at least dislike labeling it as such. I disagree it is the source or culprit (of a neurological disorder), nor the pathway to recovery. 

It is a good starting point in recovery, especially for those who have just been hit with dystonia and going through a lot on the inside. Learning how to cope on an emotional level, or learning how to keep a positive mentality/inner strength throughout the process of rehabilitation is important, but it is not the source and cure of musician's dystonia.

To view a similar blog I wrote over....the link can be accessed here: Focal Dystonia is an Emotional Disorder? Since When?

Dr. Fabra states in one of his videos that his own teacher tried to change his embouchure, and not long afterwards he started to have dystonia symptoms, and the same goes for one of the trombonists in the video. There are players that have undergone embouchure changes and resulted in tremors or spasms in the embouchure. My question is so why isn't it a possibility that their symptoms occurred as a result of physical/mechanical change in their playing over time....rather than some deeply rooted emotional trauma?

My point is, no matter what triggered the dystonia symptoms, I believe it takes a lot of embouchure function retraining (or sensory-motor retraining) and inner healing together to make progress due to this setback...but do I believe their dystonia is an emotional disorder? (especially when there are many other cases people ignore, that show other possible triggers)....I do not believe it is valid enough or excusable to label it as an emotional condition.

When I say psychology. I'm referring to "emotional" disorders (acute or chronic) or the emotional realm, and when I say neurological, I mean the brain and sensory. And when I talk about muscle retraining, I am also linking it to cognitive restructuring....the way you perceive rehabilitation...how you approach it (basically setting up your mentality for rehabilitation, as it's much different focus than what you use in performance training).

I'm also not fond of him making it seem like if a musician does not find success when they visit him, it's because they did not understand his approach, or they did not fully embrace it, or "THEY" were too mentally exhausted to invest....why is it "their" fault? He makes it seem like it's the musicians fault that they couldn't embrace the "cure." Why isn't it a possibility that his method doesn't work for some people? or that it isn't the cure-all. One size doesn't fit all.

I may be repeating myself, but the psychology Fabra emphasizes is important for attending to the emotional turmoil you go through...I think that is important for many. But equally important, if not more...and what will carry on after emotional healing....is retraining the muscles and sensory...which all has to do with restructuring your mentality to focus on sensory-motor/embouchure function retraining- the way you think/focus or perceive what you're dealing with....I call it "embouchure awareness" or embouchure tension and body intuition awareness. That's what's given me the most progress on a physical level when facing my embouchure dystonia. Being aware of how my dysfunctional embouchure functions.