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Forum Member:
I’ll admit, I’ve been tempted to try botox but doubt I ever will. Luckily I don’t have the pressure of the next performance so I can go at my pace. It’s hard to imagine when I might be able to perform again. A friend is playing in the pit for a musical this week and I’m jealous…sigh. Oh well, worst things have happened to people.

JG:
That last sentence is an important one, Forum Member. To me it shows a sign of acceptance, which is an important part of the recovery process. When we accept, we stop fighting, and thereby stop fuelling FD.

Also, I’ve found that if we focus on the things we can do well – no matter how elementary, and no matter how proficient we used to be – our mindset is much more constructive than if we focus on all the things we can’t do, or could once do before FD. This is a part of the emotional retraining process.

e.g. When coaching drummers, one of the exercises we do is simply tapping on the thighs with the palms of the hands, like a small child. Typically, FD symptoms are zero when carrying out this exercise. Interestingly enough though, after a couple of sessions with some simple verbal guidance, a drummer will find that even this simple action can be made more efficient i.e. they can do less work physically and achieve the exact same results. And although it may seem silly, every small success such as this should be celebrated. i.e. pat yourself on the back, quite literally By focussing on what we *can* do, we strengthen a positive neuro–association to playing of the instrument. We can then ‘raise the bar’ one step at a time from there.