Musician’s Dystonia is a neurological condition that causes involuntary muscle contractions, disrupting the fine motor control essential for professional musicians. For many, it leads to performance anxiety, loss of confidence, and even career-threatening setbacks.

At Boost Neurofeedback in Nashville, we worked with a professional guitarist who developed focal dystonia in his right hand—a condition that worsened over time and interfered with both his playing and daily activities. He described the frustrating sensation of his brain knowing what to do, but his fingers refusing to follow. Even typing became difficult, and the resulting anxiety caused him to turn down performance opportunities.

We began by conducting a QEEG brain map to understand what was happening in his brain during playing.

We discovered significant dysregulation in regions responsible for motor control, sensory integration, and auditory sequencing. This dysregulation became more pronounced when he played his instrument, compared to simply holding it or just listening to music.

Based on these insights, we developed a personalized neurofeedback program for musician’s dystonia. After 20 sessions, he reported a reduction in dystonia symptoms to 5 out of 10 and a noticeable decrease in anxiety.

In the next phase, we conducted contextual neurofeedback while he actively played guitar—eliciting real-time symptom responses to help the brain learn more effectively.

Over 20 more sessions, his focal dystonia symptoms decreased to 1–2 out of 10. He felt more confident, engaged, and no longer avoided performances. Bandmates and loved ones commented on his improvements, both in his musical ability and overall demeanor. His anxiety continued to drop, and he began accepting performance opportunities again.

During the final 20 sessions, his progress remained consistent, with dystonia symptoms staying close to 1 out of 10. He reported feeling more relaxed and present while performing.

After successfully resolving his musician’s dystonia, our client transitioned into a neurofeedback peak performance program.

His goals were to

1) stay calm but alert before performances

2) relax and trust his training while playing

3) switch seamlessly between these brain states.

Over 30 sessions in 4 months, we used real-time EEG feedback to train his brain to shift between focused attention and relaxed flow states on demand—enhancing adaptability, stage presence, and mental resilience.

Our client reported being more attuned to his surroundings during performances, more connected to the music and audience, and less caught in overthinking.

He described the ability to “conjure up the feeling” of flow when needed, even in unpredictable situations.

During training, we introduced task demands that shifted without warning—and he adapted effortlessly, showing greater cognitive flexibility and performance control. These are the brain-based skills that separate good from great.