Category: Focal Dystonia
Nora Krohn on Overcoming Focal Dystonia, Part 9: Moving through the Support of the Feet and Sitting Bones
The principle of movement through the fulcrum points of the feet and sitting bones helps to connect the whole body, remove tension and restore natural coordination when playing stringed instruments.
Nora Krohn on Overcoming Focal Dystonia, Part 8: Aligning the Fingers, Hand and Forearm
How the principle of finger, hand and forearm alignment promotes natural coordination, reduces tension and restores confidence when playing the violin or viola.
Nora Krohn on Overcoming Focal Dystonia, Part 7: The Relationship between Anxiety and Focal Dystonia
How anxiety and focal dystonia in musicians are related, why it does not arise only from the psyche and how neuroplasticity and the physical logic of movement lead to relaxation and healing.
Nora Krohn on Overcoming Focal Dystonia, Part 6: Two Paths to Restoring Natural Movement
How Nora Krohn uses observation of everyday movements and hand comparisons to restore natural movement control in play. Two practical tools for neuroplasticity and recovery from focal dystonia.
Nora Krohn on Overcoming Focal Dystonia, Part 5: Release Instead of Lifting
How to turn the habit of raising your fingers and hands while playing into a natural principle of relaxation. Why striving for control inhibits movement and how to let the body respond instead of steering.
Nora Krohn on Overcoming Focal Dystonia, Part 4: Bring the Hand Closer Instead of Stretching
How to avoid unnecessary stretching of the fingers and instead use the natural movement of the whole hand. Why approaching is more effective than reaching and how this principle restores confidence in the playing.
Nora Krohn on Overcoming Focal Dystonia, Part 3: Move as a Whole Instead of Isolating Body Parts
How to connect the movement of the entire arm, hand and fingers into a unified, fluid system. Why isolating body parts causes tension and how to replace it with interplay and balance.
Nora Krohn on Overcoming Focal Dystonia, Part 2: Do Not Curl the Fingers, Thumb or Little Finger
Nora Krohn explains why "twisting" the fingers, thumb and little finger is a mistake on stringed instruments, what causes it in the hand and what is a practical alternative (the five-finger team and the "walking hand and arm" principle).
Nora Krohn on Overcoming Focal Dystonia, Part 1: Keep the Wrist Aligned
Why it's important to keep your wrist in line with your forearm and fingers. How proper alignment helps prevent strain, promote natural movement, and restore confidence in play.
Akiko Trush on Overcoming Focal Dystonia, Part 12: How Long Does It Take? Years of Trial and Error versus Targeted Retraining
The twelfth and final article in the series summarizes Akiko Trush's experience of recovery from focal dystonia. After ten years of failed attempts, methods and experiments, she discovered that real change does not come through force, but through an accurate understanding of how the brain and body communicate with each other. When she stopped trying to "fix" the movement and began to feel it, progress came within weeks.