GOOD VIBRATIONS

 ,I am an Evangelist, and in May 2005 my voice gave out. , After speaking on a Sunday morning, a lady came up to me after the service and said, &ldquo,I can&rsquo,t understand you. , I don&rsquo,t know what you are saying.&rdquo,  ,  , I was diagnosed at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center by Dr. Clark Rosen and Dr. Jackie Gartner-Schmidt with Abductor Spasmodic Dysphonia. , I declined the Botox injections and began rehabilitation being instructed in the vocal exercises developed by Dr. Raymond Smolover known as Vocal Behavior Training. , Not a quick fix, but a real reversal of the paralyzing effects of SD, little by little my voice began to be restored. , For three years I went to therapy twice a week and worked the other days on my own doing the exercises. , I went from being able to barely make sound on eight notes on a piano to making sound on four octaves after three years of work. , I did not know if I would ever talk again. , (Most of the time I stayed in my bedroom.) Today I am back to public speaking and even singing, which I never even dreamed I would do again.  , , , Good Vibrations is my story of how I had my voice restored to functional use. , It is a step by step account of the exercises I did, and the fears I encountered. , It also contains email correspondence of two people who were diagnosed with SD and I instructed each of them in the exercises by email with their voices being improved. ,  ,  , , , It is my desire that others who are suffering from SD can receive hope and help in overcoming SD. , Dr. J. Gartner-Schmidt states, &ldquo,&hellip,most professionals believe that success in voice therapy is defined as a return to a functional level of voicing&hellip,&rdquo, , Then according to this statement these exercises have been a success for me, for I have returned to a functional level of voici