The second article in the series on the correction of focal dystonia by Akiko Trush. Here, the author explains what the term "retraining" means - that is, retraining the body and brain to a natural, non-dystonic state. It distinguishes between true retraining and the common mistakes people make when trying to "fix" dystonia with force or relaxation. This text helps to understand how healing really begins.

Retraining is not technique training

Akiko Trush openly admits that for a long time she did not understand what the term retraining actually meant. She tried to "correct" her fingers, train her technique, strengthen and relax her muscles. But none of this led to change. Each attempt only made her more stressed because she was focused on performance, not perception.

Therefore, he emphasizes: retraining is not about how to play better, but about how to feel again. It is not a physical exercise that will improve strength or coordination. It is a process where a person learns to be in his body without tension and without fear - he learns to recognize when the dystonic reaction is activated and how to bypass it.

Retraining is not about relaxing the muscles

Many people believe that dystonia is caused by tight muscles. But Akiko explains that tension is a consequence, not a cause. When we try to consciously "relax" the muscles, the brain often just confirms that something is happening - that there is a reason to defend. This paradoxically increases the tension.

True release comes not from effort, but from safety. When the brain understands that the movement is not dangerous, the muscles stop contracting on their own. And that is exactly what retraining should lead to.

Retraining is not psychotherapy

Akiko emphasizes that while emotions can affect dystonia, retraining is not about telling stories from the past or analyzing emotions either. It is a direct experience of the body without reaction. One does not work with thoughts, but with the body. The goal is not to analyze why something happened, but to create a new, healthy body response to the stimulus that previously caused the spasm.

So what is retraining?

Retraining means practicing your non-dystonic state - that is, consciously practicing moments when the body behaves naturally and calmly. Instead of fighting the convulsions, it's about finding and reinforcing normal responses. Retraining is about letting the brain relearn what it feels like to have the hand function normally. The body with dystonia has lost a clear map of itself – it does not know exactly where the fingers end, where the tool begins, what force is appropriate. The brain thus triggers defense instead of movement. And retraining recreates this sensory map.

Start: find a "safe place"

Akiko advises to start by finding a situation in which your body behaves naturally. For her alone, it was an ordinary walk – in the rhythm of her steps, she felt that the movement was happening without resistance. From this feeling, she then transferred the same naturalness to the movement of her hands and later to playing the piano. Everyone has to find their own "safe zone" where a dystonic reaction does not occur - it can be touching, holding an object or just the position of the hand at rest.

Next step: touch and perception

Retraining starts very gently. It's not about playing, it's about touching. Akiko recommends starting by lightly touching the surface of the instrument—such as a key or a string—and feeling only the sensation of contact. The goal is for the brain to receive a new, clear message: "This touch is safe." This will begin to correct the sensory perception that is blurred or overloaded in dystonia.

How do we know that retraining is working

Let's not expect an immediate result. The signal of success is not a perfect movement, but a feeling of lightness. When we do not feel tension during exercise, but calmness and naturalness, it means that the brain receives new information correctly. Retraining is a process of building trust between body and brain - step by step, day by day.

Key principles of retraining

• Don't fix dystonia, but learn normal movement.
• Don't look for performance, but safety.
• Don't avoid the body, but learn to talk to it.
• Don't think, observe.

As Akiko Trush says, "It's not about getting back to the instrument. It's about rediscovering how to move with ease."

Notes

Akiko's channel: https://www.youtube.com/@themindfulpianist8606
Article co-created by Chat GPT based on a transcript of Akiko Trush's second video on focal dystonia.