Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Introduction

When I saw the description of focal task-specific embouchure dystonia, I knew that's what was plaguing me for the better part of 10 years.  I was desperately hunting around the internet looking for anything that could help me bring back some semblance of my embouchure.  There it was in the comment section of a very nice YouTube video demonstrating proper flute playing technique.  Someone mentioned something off-the-cuff about dystonia.  I googled that word and felt a sense of relief knowing that I can finally put a name to the source of my frustration and unhappiness for the past several years.

I don't need a medical doctor to give me a diagnosis.  He or she would simply observe what I observed on my own: involuntary contractions in the muscles on the left side of my face causing the left corner of my mouth to pull uncomfortably to the left.  If I "strong-armed" my embouchure in such a way that it became extraordinarily tense and immobile, I could play.  Sort of.  It is a very uncomfortable and tiring way to play.  It certainly does not resemble by any stretch of the imagination how loose and flexible my embouchure felt when I played professionally.

Furthermore, according to all articles I have read about musician's dystonia, it has been determined to commonly afflict classically-trained professional-level musicians 35-45 years of age who have a disposition towards perfectionism and identity entanglement with their profession (I am what I do).  In addition, there's usually an event or a series of events that start the slow progression of focal task-specific dystonia:

"Wow, my embouchure feels a bit strange on those notes."  Turning towards a fellow musician, "Does my embouchure look more strained to you than normal?  Does my tone sound pinched at all?"  The fellow musician doesn't notice anything out of the ordinary.

"I need to woodshed more -- get back to basics!"  Marathon technical practicing sessions ensue and the problems become progressively worse to the point where the musician starts to seriously consider getting out of music permanently.

For those who aren't familiar with focal task-specific dystonia, the following website will give you a quick picture as to what it is:
http://gretnamusic.blogspot.com/2013/07/musicians-with-dystonia-practice-makes.html

The purpose of this blog is to document my personal journey to rehabilitate my embouchure.  I expect this journey to be a long one, but I am determined to play beautifully again.  Hopefully, this blog will also provide others afflicted with embouchure dystonia some comfort knowing that there's someone out there who understands exactly what they're going through and is right there with them.

7 comments:

  1. ALL THANKS TO DR WILLIAMS FOR THE GREAT DEED HE HAVE DONE FOR MY DAUGHTER?
    My daughter suffered from dystonia for more than 7 years which we started experiencing in her when she turned 4 year and 5 months we all thought it will end but got even worse as days went by. We tried all several treatments and therapy prescribed by various doctors we met but to no avail, she lost total concentration and always complain of neck discomfort . She usually tells me she haves jerky head movements . This were steady disorder that disrupted her entire life, even at night she slept less because of this.It was during a casual conversation with a friend that i learned about Dr Williams herbal medicine I was able to contact him on his email address. and give him all the necessary information that he needed,few day later he sent me the herbal portion and his medicine was able to restore her back to normal and she is very okay now without any side effects whatsoever. If you have dystonia , do not hesitate to contact him on drwilliams098675@gmail.com for advice and for his product. I hope this also helps someone out there.

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  2. Dear FRIENDS,
    now i have a beautiful smiling face and so are which you all, after reading my testimony. My name is kate, I am 31 years old,
    And i live with my husband in Belgium, but I am from UK. I was diagnosed in 2012 with cervical dystonia. Doctors told me this condition was forever. I know how you feel and what you are going through, I just want to tell you that I am cured now,with the help of doctor williams herbal medication, the last time I can remember having cervical dystonia was in the summer of 2016. It was a long and difficult process but I am so thankful to dr williams I don't have it anymore. Please know you can be cured too. Accept what happened and is happening to you, forgive, let the past go, love yourself and others unconditionally and be thankful. Everything happens for a reason. If you want to get in contact with dr williams and share your own testimony and thoughts feel free to e-mail him on; drwilliams098675@gmail.com for advice and for his product.

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  3. ALL THANKS TO DR WILLIAMS FOR THE GREAT DEED HE HAVE DONE FOR MY DAUGHTER?
    My daughter suffered from dystonia for more than 7 years which we started experiencing in her when she turned 4 year and 5 months we all thought it will end but got even worse as days went by. We tried all several treatments and therapy prescribed by various doctors we met but to no avail, she lost total concentration and always complain of neck discomfort . She usually tells me she haves jerky head movements . This were steady disorder that disrupted her entire life, even at night she slept less because of this.It was during a casual conversation with a friend that i learned about Dr Williams herbal medicine I was able to contact him on his email address. and give him all the necessary information that he needed,few day later he sent me the herbal portion and his medicine was able to restore her back to normal and she is very okay now without any side effects whatsoever. If you have dystonia , do not hesitate to contact him on drwilliams098675@gmail.com for advice and for his product. I hope this also helps someone out there.

    ReplyDelete
  4. ALL THANKS TO DR WILLIAMS WITH HIS HERB MY WIFE WAS COMPLETELY CURED FROM DYSTONIA.
    Is my pleasure to comment on this site and i thank the admin of this site for his/her great work so far.one of the happiest moment in my life was when the doctor confirm that my wife is been free from this illness. this awesome moments makes me the happiest man on earth, I really don't know how to thank DR WILLIAMS for helping my wife get cured for over how many year of suffering from dystonia. i came across DR Williams contact through a headline news on internet about how DR Williams help a woman to get cured of her dystonia and so many other with similar body problem ,i contacted him and he told me how to get his herb,few day later he sent me the herbal portion which my wife take every morning for 28 days, and his medicine was able to cure her completely from dystonia. and now she very mush okay without any side effects whatsoever, If you have dystonia, you can contact him on his email address drwilliams098675@gmail.com for advice and for his product.

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  5. I recently have some difficult conversations and I did what a lot of people do when they want to know how to do something. I googled it. I came across Dr Williams herbal medicine on blog-site so many people suffering from different kind of disease including dystonia thanking him about his good work. I also have dystonia. I wasn’t running all over God’s creation with every man I could find but here I am. I have felt bad about myself for so many years now because of my dystonia status. I obviously still have some self-accepting to do but I want to thank Dr Williams for everything he have done for me,after taking Dr Williams medicine i was completely free from cervical dystonia within one month of usage, I think what you are doing is so admirable. you have helped me a lot! I want to definitely reach out to you and thank you for your amazing work. You are a good person, and an extremely talented man. You have helped millions with your herbs, and have really inspired me,and i pray you still continue doing the good work.you can also email him on drwilliams098675@gmail.com for help

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  6. ALL THANKS TO DR WILLIAMS FOR THE GREAT DEED HE HAVE DONE FOR MY DAUGHTER?
    My daughter suffered from dystonia for more than 7 years which we started experiencing in her when she turned 4 year and 5 months we all thought it will end but got even worse as days went by. We tried all several treatments and therapy prescribed by various doctors we met but to no avail, she lost total concentration and always complain of  neck discomfort. She usually tells me she haves jerky head movements. This were steady disorder that disrupted her entire life, even at night she slept less because of this.It was during a casual conversation with a friend that i learned about Dr Williams herbal medicine I was able to contact him on his email address. and give him all the necessary information that he needed,few day later he sent me the herbal portion and his medicine was able to restore her back to normal and she is very okay now without any side effects whatsoever. If you have dystonia, do not hesitate to contact him on drwilliams098675@gmail.com for advice and for his product. I hope this also helps someone out there.

    ReplyDelete
  7. As a sign of gratitude for how my son was saved from dystonia , i decided to reach out to those still suffering from this.
    My son suffered dystonia  and it was really tough and heartbreaking for me because he was my all and the symptoms were terrible, we tried various therapies prescribed by our neurologist but none could cure him. I searched for a cure and i saw a testimony of so many people who was cured from dystonia  and so many other with similar body problem, and they left the contact of this doctor who had the herbal cure to  dystonia  . I never imagined  dystonia has a cure not until i contacted him and he assured me my son will be fine. I got the herbal medication he recommended and my son used it and in one months he was fully okay even up till this moment he is so full of life. dystonia  has a cure and it is a herbal cure contact the doctor for more info on drwilliams098675@gmail.com on how to get the medication. Thanks for reading my testimony .

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