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Ted Talk: Esha Alwani
Name: What it’s like to have Tourette’s – and how music gives me back control
Speaker: Esha Alwani (Singer-Songwriter)
Link: www.ted.com/talks/esha_alwani_what_it_s_like_to_have_tourette_s_and_how_music _gives_me_back_control
"Music has the ability to uplift our lives and heal us from within." - Esha Alwani
Have you heard anything about Tourette Syndrome before? Alwani, who met this syndrome when she was only 6 years old, says that her life changed overnight. She asks us to imagine ourselves flapping our arms, clenching our teeth very hard, screaming in a high-pitched voice for minutes, so that we can understand what it's like to live with Tourette's Syndrome.
Tourette's Syndrome is an incurable neurological disorder. Medicine has an essential and valuable role in raising living standards. However, in her case, she mentions about the serious side effects caused by the drugs she uses for treatment. Explaining that she had to wait helplessly for the tic attacks to pass, Alwani explains that she and her mother tried to lie down on the floor and calm down with music.
She becomes addicted to this newfound drug. Every single time when she finds herself slipping into her bouts of sadness and self-pity, she begins to embrace the music. She realized that the more she played music, the less her symptoms surfaced and the intensity of her attacks reduced.
Click here for this Ted talk where you can find scientific explanations of how good music is for mental health.