Dr. Joaquin Farias, a leading specialist in treating dystonia, has been helping people with this debilitating movement disorder to recover control over their brains, bodies and lives for more than 20 years. As a featured speaker at the 2018 international conference on Movement: Brain, Body and Cognition, held July 27-29 at Harvard University School of Medicine, he gave an enlightening talk that … [Read more...]
At age 60, Bob Kuhn decided to tackle the 50cc Quest, driving his motorcycle 3800 km from San Diego, Calif. to Jacksonville, Fla. in just over two days. In a recent TEDx Talk, the lawyer, who lives with the neurodegenerative movement disorder called Parkinson’s, explained why he decided to take the grueling challenge to cross the United States in 50 hours or less. “In one word: Adventure," he … [Read more...]
Yesterday, I had my first neurologist’s appointment of 2018. After eight years of living with the diagnosis of the neurological movement disorder dystonia, it amazes me just how far I have come. From countless falls every time I tried to walk each day and needing to use wheelchairs and scooters in public, I now find myself able to get through a thorough neurological exam under fluorescent lights … [Read more...]
It's been a tremendously empowering and emotionally stirring week of Sounds True's The Healing Summit. At the start, Peter Levine, PhD, coached listeners on how to "tune in and drop into" the body–through the gentle presence, compassionate awareness and rhythmic movement of Somatic Experiencing–in order to dislodge the "tremendous compression of survival energy" locked into the physical form by … [Read more...]
Trauma is never simply a single, isolated event. Its impact occurs in cascading waves that ripple out in multiple directions at disparate periods in time. Present trauma builds upon trauma from our past–the experiences are distinct, yet not separate. While an initial traumatic event might have already happened once, its impact and repercussions will be felt anew again and again, until we can learn … [Read more...]
One of the greatest gifts we can give to both our fellow human beings–and to ourselves–is to volunteer our time in service to others. Greek philosopher Aristotle is quoted as stating that the essence of life is “to serve others and do good.” Not only does serving others through volunteer work seem to imbue our lives with extra meaning, purpose and direction; it also fosters optimism and greater … [Read more...]
Being diagnosed with a potentially life-threatening health condition–like cancer–can understandably cause great uncertainty, anxiety and fear. Despite the prevalence of those feelings in cancer patients, a recent study by Pfizer found that a 76 percent of those surveyed believe that a positive outlook is essential to living with the disease. Research suggests that actively cultivating a positive … [Read more...]
For most of my adulthood, it’s felt as if I’ve been waltzing between an addictive race to accomplishment and the exhausted paralysis of perfectionism. It’s not surprising, really, that there are so many of us stuck in this precarious pas de deux. The frantic rhythm of modern society seems to thrive off this fear of not measuring up and its most reliable partner–an addiction to busyness. In a … [Read more...]
Is it just me...or do any of you still get a little nervous in the moments before a first class taught by a new-to-you teacher? Perhaps living with chronic pain and a neurological movement disorder makes me especially wary of being led in a movement practice by someone unknown. Or maybe I've just gotten so comfy guiding my own practice at home. Yet I know a crucial facet of being an impactful … [Read more...]
Long-time readers of the Mind-Body Shift blog know that I am a huge fan of turmeric, and I'm certainly not the only one touting its benefits. The deep orange rhizome related to ginger and known colloquially as "The Golden Root," turmeric contains a bioactive compound called curcumin, which has been used medicinally throughout Asia for hundreds–if not thousands–of years. I've personally experienced … [Read more...]