For those that know me, they know that I am pretty realistic about PTSD, and that it currently IS NOT curable, however; I am always open to new theories and techniques that work for individuals, and whether these techniques play a larger role for the rest of us.
A person who has suffered extreme PTSD during their lifetime, from childhood abuse within the family, to continuing flow-on effects throughout their life, contacted me offline about their life history, and what they used too believe they may off cured their PTSD.
Let me explain two things first before continuing. The first is that PTSD is caused by a chemical imbalance between the right and left hemisphere of our brains, and the second, is that ambidexterity is caused by a malfunction within the cerebral hemispheric dominance of the right and left brain hemispheres. Can you see where this is going already?
The person in question that believes they have honestly cured their own PTSD with no repercussions, signs or symptoms now for over 2 years, decided to learn to play a musical instrument with the opposite hand. Basically, they taught themself to become ambidextrous to play a strung musical instrument right and left handed, with no indifference between right or left handed playing. They believe that their PTSD has possibly cured because of this significant factor, being the real only factor that was a significant change and outlet for relaxation.
Let me highlight a few things.
- Music is a known factor to help relaxation and reduce the symptoms of PTSD, because it actually allows our brains remove to a place where we are no longer constantly thinking about all other issues, or in a pure state of relaxation through musical abstraction.
- PTSD is primarily associated as a chemical imbalance between the right and left brain hemispheres.
- Ambidexterity is a dysfunction (malfunction) of the brain cerebral hemispheric dominance, ie. mixing the left and right hemispheres in confusion at a cerebral level, not chemical.
- Whilst ambidexterity when born is classified as a dysfunction, and generally associated to a form of brain damage, ambidexterity can also be learnt.
So, does the mere circumstance of ambidexterity dissociation counter the chemical imbalance PTSD causes? That I know off, no testing has been performed on adults to determine whether the training of the mind to perform an action both right and left handed or sided, the same, is a significant factor associated to possibly causing a reversal or counter effect of the PTSD chemical imbalance. An interesting test I believe for physicians to possibly scope.
Now the person in question has only been free of symptoms for two years, which by no means factually proves they have been cured of PTSD, but it most definitely does indicate a positive factor for possible life improvement and mental stability of PTSD sufferers. Obviously a long standing trial would need to be performed to conclusively demonstrate the effectiveness of training the mind to perform an active ambidextrous, in relation to PTSD, but most certainly something that could be tested.
Now, what this made me think about is myself, and my own recovery from PTSD through education and learning techniques. I have done marital arts for a good percentage of my life from childhood, thus making me quite in control of my mind, or head strong and strong willed to control myself, my actions and reactions. During this type of training, I learnt to kick, punch, spin and jump with multiple movements both right and left directional and sided. Does it make me ambidextrous? No, but it most certainly does make an action of mine ambidextrous, being the movement of my body both right and left, without fault. Those who are not born ambidextrous always have certain strengths in right or left sides between different ranges of movements and actions. Try and spin yourself with a kick too the right, then the left, and see which way you are stronger at. I can do both equally the same, with the same force and action.
So, has this been a part of my own ability to heal through education, not knowing what I have already trained my brain to deal with previously, before PTSD was even present within me? Or, has this been a part in helping my PTSD develop, because off the following facts about ambidexterity and teaching oneself to be ambidextrous or partially ambidextrous:
Quote:
Consequences of Converting Handedness. The handedness of a human being is an expression of an inborn, innate lateralization of the cerebral hemispheres where one side dominates. In the neural system, the tracts are "crossed". Thus, a dominant right cerebral hemisphere results in a dominant left hand and a dominance of the left cerebral hemisphere is responsible for right-handedness.
Converting handedness, whether it be from a dominant left hand to a non-dominant right or the reverse, (especially during writing) does not result in a change in cerebral dominance but rather a multifaceted cerebral disturbance or damage. This functional cerebral damage (dysfunction, blockage, and inhibition of brain functioning) can then be manifest in the following primary disorders: disturbances in memory for all three areas of information processing (encoding, storage, and recall); difficulty in concentration (early fatigue); difficulty in reading and spelling (legasthenic problems); spatial disorientation (e.g. confusion of left and right); speech problems ranging from stammering to stuttering; fine motor disturbances evident in writing and other activities requiring precision.
The primary consequences can then go on and transform into secondary consequences: feelings of inferiority; shyness; introversion; overcompensation; defiance to belligerence; braggadocio; provocative behavior; bed-wetting; nail-biting; emotional problems that can last into adulthood with neurotic and/or psychosomatic symptomology; and personality disturbances.
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An example of a popular sport where players often have to teach themselves to be ambidextrous for specific purpose... AFL (Aussie Rules Football). Players often have to teach themselves to kick both right and left footed, accurately from both feet, and right and left handed for hand passing the football. Many of the professional players have taught themselves these specific actions, even though they are not ambidextrous in the sense that they can write left or right handed, they have taught themselves, or trained their brain, to react under specific actions only to perform right or left sided, equally the same.
Reading the above quote though, training yourself to be ambidextrous can be quite dangerous from medical testing, though is this definitely something that should be risked for further evaluation within the PTSD field?
I believe it has scope to possibly move further under controlled evaluations.