Stroke and Woodcarving

carvedbears61 · #1 12-31-2007, 09:16 AM

In a recent article I read in Jan 08 Guidepost Mag. and man a man suffered a
stoke and was sitting around feeling down so his wife went to a woodcarver
and bought a piece of wood and told her husband to go see the woodcarver
to take some classes on fish carving so he did and now he is motivated more in life carves about every day and now a award winner.
Thought I would share some therapy.

Eddy Smiles · #2 12-31-2007, 12:05 PM

It's a variant of moving meditation! With a sharp knife in one hand, a piece of wood in the other, and your mind on what you want to do with that piece of wood there's not much room for feeling sorry for yourself. The same applies to when you're hurting. Get the mind concentrating on something else and the pain mysteriously disappears. As you so aptly stated....THERAPY!

Dan Wegiel · #3 12-31-2007, 12:57 PM

Reading the posts from all you wonderful people help a lot with mysteriously taking your mind off what ails you. Everytime you start feeling sorry for yourself, you see where someone else has a much harder struggle ahead of them to get back to normal. I haven't been a member to this site for very long, but I tell my wife that its my "little community" and it is wonderful and the membership all seem like old friends.

Dan

gene messer · #4 12-31-2007, 01:50 PM

Thanks for the wonderful encouragement in life ..

As my old father use to say .. ( a man who went through 4 years in a P.O.W. camp in WW II) Son .. Hope is the only thing in life that leads to survival ..

God Bless

Gene

brushpilecarvings · #5 12-31-2007, 10:08 PM

Woodcarving is great therapy for strokes. The day i was born i had a heart atack, 3 days later i had a stroke, AND, i have a touch of cerebral palsy(hemeplegia). I only have 80% use of the left hand side of my body.
Carving, along with playing guitar, helps to build the muscles in my left hands, which in turn, strengthens my left arm.

Donna_T · #6 12-31-2007, 10:20 PM

From the first time I tried my hand at carvng, I've said it's a great mental and physical therapy. It takes your mind off your problems or lets your mind work through problems as you carve. It strengthes brain paths as you attempt new carving methods or projects. It gives you hope and optimism as you try new things and succeed.

Besides, it is just plain fun and satisfying.

Donna T

chpster90bu · #7 12-31-2007, 10:53 PM

C.B....you are so right. My hands most times feel like they've been thru a cement mixer, with the arthritis, but when I carve (handcarve), I work thru the pain, and it's amazing....after awhile I just don't feel it. Now, I may pay for it afterwards, but I have ways to deal with it. LOL This is a hobby I can't give up and it is DEFINITELY therapy in a lot of ways for me. Take a look at Ron Davidson, if you want inspiration.....Now there is man who can write the book on coping with problems thru his carvings! Bonnie

squbrigg · #8 01-01-2008, 12:04 PM

Carving IS great therapy! I suffered a mild traumatic brain injury in 1998 from a car accident and had similar impairments as a stroke victim. It took months, if not years, but I reawakened my carving and ship modelling skills. I still/will always have difficulty, cognitive problems, pain and weakness, but I continue to carve and push myself because it is great therapy. More than anything, it is something I can do, in my own slow time and it gives me something positive in my life to dwell on. When I'm carving, I forget about everything else and focus on what I'm carving, like going into another place in consciousness all together.

Bob