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.

1. 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.
2. PTSD is primarily associated as a chemical imbalance between the right and left brain hemispheres.
3. 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.
4. 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:

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.

Sound quite cool! I know I feel far more relaxed after playing the piano, but I am not ambidextrous. Maybe it's something to do with getting body and mind co-ordinated? RE-training to multi-task and improving concentration?

Pretty much Piglet. I am wondering whether the diffuse agitation our brains suffer developing PTSD, is actually counter balanced with the abnormal reaction forced upon the brain that training yourself to be ambidextrous has. Both affect the right and left hemispheres in abnormal ways that our brains are not normally meant to function, so this is what leads me to possibly think it could have some merit. Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't.

I don't believe that the fact alone off training oneself to be ambidextrous could lessen the symptoms or cure PTSD, but I think it just may have merit in the sense that doing something that requires the self training to be ambidextrous in one area possibly, could have enough effect on the left and right brain hemispheres to possibly keep PTSD symptoms at bay! If that means one has to continuely practice their learnt skill throughout their life to ensure all symptoms remain null, and the brain is functioning in a more normal counterbalanced manner, then hey... I think only good could come off it for the sufferer themselves.

Hell, training yourself to kick a football equally left or right footed, is much more appeasing to keep symptoms at bay than taking medications that need to be constantly changed, constantly weined off and regular increases as the body develops immunity to them. I think an open minded physician should take this information and run with it, see what happens, put a few different spins on it, and hey, at the end of the day, if it doesn't work, then their at no lesser loss than they currently are now.

Sorry guys, but I think this is a load of "hooey."

I am both a lefty and a righty. I was born like that.

I wonder how many of us are left, right or both?

Bec

I think you confirmed one part of my own theory bec, in that this could not work for those who are already ambidextrous, because you gained the chemical imbalance from PTSD after actually being ambidextrous. From the theory behind this, it could only work for someone who is not ambidextrous already, because ambidexterity causes a chemical imbalance, as does PTSD. The theory is that one cancels out the other, being that ambidexterity is taught after PTSD.

I have another theory to this yet, in that the person who has done this, hence the writing above, also continues to play the bango each day. Now CBT encompasses music therapy, because playing of musical instruments is a known relaxation technique taught to those who have PTSD, secondly, I am more curious to if the person who did this was to stop playing the bango for a few months, will the symptoms return.

I think what would need to happen is:

Find an activity that does not help with PTSD or symptoms.

Find an activity that does.

Take two groups of both left and right hand people.

Have one group do the activity that doesn't help and one that does (placebo group.) Also, you would need equal amount of lefties and righties in each group.

This would have to be done for a certain period of time, then stopped to find good results. I would then do the test over again!

It would be interesting!

Bec

Yer, I think a few doctors who read here might eventually pick this up, because their has been interest by a few parties now in regard to this. The only problem I see with it, and mostly the doctors also, is that gathering a group for the desired approximate term of two years to teach someone ambitextery in a particular sense. Playing AFL could realistically do it IMHO, in that at the professional level they basically have to kick equally right or left footed, which is a form of ambidexterity, that the individual has taught themselves over the years, the only problem is, they don't have PTSD.

This is the main part of interest I believe; 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. Obviously with a certain risk of further damage upon what PTSD has already done, though possibly the secret that is counter acting the damage PTSD has done already...

i am ambidextrous, and so is my oldest son. as i have grown up, i usually have chosen right or left for different things, so one or the other is slightly better. ie--i usually write right-handed for convenience, but in a pinch i can do pretty well left-handed, not quite as neat, unless i'm in a hurry, then they're both bad. some things i do left-handed, or switch back and forth whichever is easier. ie--brushing my teeth, vacuuming, easier usually to do left-handed. i used to write halfway across the page lefty, the switch to right in the middle, but that requires a lot of squirming and twisting to change positions so often, so i went right with that. i don't know if that's truely being able to use both, or being able to use neither well??? wonder if switching on everything to the other would be the same? just a thought.