tmj | Hope for Dystonia

The M.A.P.S. Method
Nervous System Recovery, the Mind-Body Way

When our nervous system is in trouble, our first instinct is to wish the problem would just go away; we repress it, hide it, even pretend it isn't there. What if, instead of shutting our own body out, we learned to listen to it? What if we befriended our nervous system so it could point us in the direction of wholeness and healing?

This is what Hope for Dystonia helps you do: gain detailed awareness of your cranial nerves and other relevant parts of your nervous system so you can find your way back to harmony.

Hope for Dystonia accompanies you as you actively recover (bring back) lost function and re-inhabit more and more of your body. It is not a cure and not a medical treatment, but a process through which you discover yourself and cultivate a wholesome way of being in your body.

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Mindfulness

Mindfulness skills help you explore your body with clarity and equanimity, and create the changes you are looking for with focus and intentionality

Awakening & Balancing

Once we identify which nerves are under-performing, you will learn gentle techniques to awaken them and help your brain reconnect with them

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Neuroplasticity

Awakening nerves isn't enough: we need to help the brain unlearn the dystonic patterns and learn new, functional ones that make better use of the nervous system in a symmetrical way

Self-compassion

Dystonia is a mind-body disorder, in every sense of the expression: emotions and traumas are linked to our bodies. Self-compassion techniques can help you experience your emotions more gently and lovingly

Here is how the process goes at Hope for Dystonia:

(1) We explore relevant parts of your nervous system together, with a special emphasis on your cranial nerves. This allows us to map out your hypertonic (overused) and hypotonic (underused) parts of the body.

(2) You will use gentle sensory stimulation (heat, cold, touch vibration, etc.) to help your brain reconnect with the underused neural pathways. At this stage, you might be able to find balance and relief from your dystonic symptoms for short amounts of time initially. Those hypotonic pathways are now available and your brain doesn't have to overuse the hypertonic pathways any longer: we have discovered a new, functional pattern.

(3) At this point, the challenge will be teaching the brain to always use the new functional pattern that makes use of all pathways symmetrically. You will be able to do so by stimulating neuroplasticity, or your brain's ability to form new connections through easy, gentle techniques. When possible, medically cleared and as allowed by local laws, you may elect to start a psilocybin mushroom microdosing regimen to increase neuroplasticity and speed up your learning.

As the weeks go by, you will continue to work to substitute the old, dysfunctional patterns with the new, functional ones that make symmetrical use of your body, helping you to get your quality of life back.

If necessary, we will find health professionals for you to work with to address any underlying issues: forward-thinking and holistically-minded dentists, somatic experiencing therapists to release the physical aspects of trauma, and so on. We will work together with any health professionals you are already seeing, as well.

Nothing is done to you, everything is done by you. Throughout the process, you will be 100% in charge!