Unstoppable Strides: Navigating movement disorders, movement longevity and neuroplastic change

Ruth Chiles is a somatic performance therapist, author, and educator working at the intersection of neuroscience, trauma, and physical and mental flow.

As a musician who experienced and fully recovered from focal embouchure dystonia and other performance blocks, Ruth understands from the inside what it feels like to lose the abilities you rely on most. Ruth Chiles has spent more than a decade developing therapeutic methods that work where others have failed.

Links:

• Focal Dystonia Method
• Focal Dystonia Method on Facebook
• Focal Dystonia Blog

Research:

Self-determination theory

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. Plenum Press.

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68–78.

Orientation and self-regulation (Michael Posner)

Posner, M. I., & Rothbart, M. K. (2000). Developing mechanisms of self-regulation. Development and Psychopathology, 12(3), 427–441.

Rothbart, M. K., Sheese, B. E., Rueda, M. R., & Posner, M. I. (2011). Developing mechanisms of self-regulation in early life. Emotion Review, 3(2), 207–213.

Adversity in elite athletes

Hardy, L., Barlow, M., Evans, L., Rees, T., Woodman, T., & Warr, C. (2017). Great British medalists: Psychosocial biographies of super-elite and elite athletes from Olympic sports. Progress in Brain Research, 232, 1–119.

Sarkar, M., Fletcher, D., & Brown, D. J. (2015). What doesn't kill me…: Adversity-related experiences are vital in the development of superior Olympic performance. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 18(4), 475–479.

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The information shared in this podcast is not intended to diagnose. recommend nor treat medical conditions. We are not licensed medical professionals and do not take the place of your team of medical professionals.

You can find me here: Julie Bergfeld - [email protected] and juliebergfeld.com (@juliebergfeldcoaching) 

In this episode, Julie and Mindy explore how psychedelics, psychotherapy, movement, mindfulness, creativity, and connection can work together as an ecosystem for healing.

Mindy Tockman, LPC, is a trauma therapist, speaker, and founder of Resonance, an emerging integrative wellness center being developed in St. Louis, MO

Her work integrates Internal Family Systems, somatic therapies, nervous system regulation, mindfulness practices, and psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy to support healing and transformation.

Mindy has completed extensive training in psychedelic-assisted therapies through the Integrative Psychiatry Institute and the MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychadelics Studies) Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Training Program. She has also completed advanced psilocybin training programs in the United States and the Netherlands, attended multiple MAPS conferences focused on the future of psychedelic medicine, and holds a Colorado psilocybin facilitator license.

Support the show

The information shared in this podcast is not intended to diagnose. recommend nor treat medical conditions. We are not licensed medical professionals and do not take the place of your team of medical professionals.

You can find me here: Julie Bergfeld - [email protected] and juliebergfeld.com (@juliebergfeldcoaching) 

In this episode, I have a conversation with Movement educator Monika Volkmar where we talk about how foot mechanics can help or hinder the gait cycle when the timing is not appropriate. Monika shares her history, knowledge and many resources on her journey, work and education in this rich discussion. Thanks for listening and sharing. 

Please consider dropping some funds into the donation fund to keep this resource going. 

https://www.tmswiki.org/ppd/The_Tension_Myositis_Syndrome_Wiki

Find Monika Volkmar on her website

Gary Ward and Anatomy in Motion

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The information shared in this podcast is not intended to diagnose. recommend nor treat medical conditions. We are not licensed medical professionals and do not take the place of your team of medical professionals.

You can find me here: Julie Bergfeld - [email protected] and juliebergfeld.com (@juliebergfeldcoaching) 

Bree Sutton is a mental health therapist specializing in helping athletes and high achievers overcome anxiety and reach their full potential. Her approach is unique because of the integration of techniques like HeartMath biofeedback to enhance heart rate variability and brainspotting to target deep, subconscious roots of anxiety and performance blocks in the neurological system. These methods help clients not just manage anxiety but transform it into a source of strength, resilience, and peak performance.

HeartMath

Brainspotting

Support the show

The information shared in this podcast is not intended to diagnose. recommend nor treat medical conditions. We are not licensed medical professionals and do not take the place of your team of medical professionals.

You can find me here: Julie Bergfeld - [email protected] and juliebergfeld.com (@juliebergfeldcoaching) 

Tim Koh, Professor of Kinesiology and Nutrition at the University of Illinois-Chicago, shares his story of dystonia and information about a possible link with a genetic mutation (THAP 1). 

Please share these podcasts with friends, supporters, healthcare providers, your team. Without your support, we could not exist. If you'd like to contribute to our keeping these going, please consider donating via the links here. 

Support the show

The information shared in this podcast is not intended to diagnose. recommend nor treat medical conditions. We are not licensed medical professionals and do not take the place of your team of medical professionals.

You can find me here: Julie Bergfeld - [email protected] and juliebergfeld.com (@juliebergfeldcoaching) 

Julie talks with Ariel Beccia, a researcher with the Harvard School of Public Health, on her dystonia story and how she got from not running 10 years ago to where she is now with running and racing and workouts. 

Please Like, Comment, Share!

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The information shared in this podcast is not intended to diagnose. recommend nor treat medical conditions. We are not licensed medical professionals and do not take the place of your team of medical professionals.

You can find me here: Julie Bergfeld - [email protected] and juliebergfeld.com (@juliebergfeldcoaching) 

Julie sits down with Dr. Bernard Ravina, CEO and founder of Vima Therapeutics. His company is developing a drug that looks promising in helping those with dystonia. 

Vima Therapeutic website

Vima Therapeutics team

Site for current Phase 2 dystonia study into first oral medication. The study is named "Stride Dystonia"

Survey done with the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation (DMRF).  

Support the show

The information shared in this podcast is not intended to diagnose. recommend nor treat medical conditions. We are not licensed medical professionals and do not take the place of your team of medical professionals.

You can find me here: Julie Bergfeld - [email protected] and juliebergfeld.com (@juliebergfeldcoaching) 

Neurologist Erik van Wensen shares his personal story and where we are with current understanding and research in the area of dystonia and specifically task-specific sports dystonia. 

Mentioned in the recording:

EMDR - Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing

CBT - Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Botox - Botulinum Toxin

David Marsden

Dystonia Medical Research 

Dart-Player Jules van Dongen Pedals and Points fundraiser for Dystonia

You can support our work by contributing to research and by supporting the podcast. 

Support the show

The information shared in this podcast is not intended to diagnose. recommend nor treat medical conditions. We are not licensed medical professionals and do not take the place of your team of medical professionals.

You can find me here: Julie Bergfeld - [email protected] and juliebergfeld.com (@juliebergfeldcoaching) 

Julie has a conversation with Boulder, CO runner David Abelson. David has cervical dystonia and has been active in running for more than 30 years. In 2022, he developed dystonia and shares his 4 keys to his path of recovery. 

"Don't give up"

Mentioned in the podcast:

Botox

Colchicine

Rapamycin

Dr. Steven Frucht at NYU-Langone

Support the show

The information shared in this podcast is not intended to diagnose. recommend nor treat medical conditions. We are not licensed medical professionals and do not take the place of your team of medical professionals.

You can find me here: Julie Bergfeld - [email protected] and juliebergfeld.com (@juliebergfeldcoaching) 

Julie has a conversation with EMDR specialist, Whitney Dittmar,
MA, LPC, EMDR Therapist for Athletes, Performance & Trauma Specialist
Listed in the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee Mental Health Directory (2025) for the Mental Health Directory.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) can be used with athletes and performers to enhance performance, break through mental and physical blocks. 

EMDR is therapy that encourages the patient to focus on a traumatic memory while simultaneously experiencing bilateral stimulation (typically eye movements), which is associated with a reduction in the vividness and emotion associated with the memories. This therapy is an extensively researched, effective psychotherapy method proven to help recovery from trauma and PTSD symptoms. Research shows EMDR therapy as a helpful treatment for disorders such as anxiety, depression, OCD, chronic pain, addictions, and other distressing life experiences, and may even be more effective than Prozac in treatment. 

• Learn more about Whitney Dittmar, MA LPC
• EMDRIA to locate a therapist in your area

Support the show

The information shared in this podcast is not intended to diagnose. recommend nor treat medical conditions. We are not licensed medical professionals and do not take the place of your team of medical professionals.

You can find me here: Julie Bergfeld - [email protected] and juliebergfeld.com (@juliebergfeldcoaching)