The Lifesaving Value of Meaningful Insight for Dyslexics, Their Caring Parents and Dedicated Professionals
Reading is not the worst symptom of dyslexia. Its impaired self-esteem. Hence the title of Dr Levinson's most insightful book: Smart But Feeling Dumb. Sadly, the following emotional equation characterizes most bright dyslexics while capturing the essence of their inner suffering: The smarter dyslexics are, the more frustrated they become. And the dumber they feel.
Obviously compliments are better than criticism. However, dumb feeling dyslexics feel unworthy — failures. They experience discomfort with praise. Too often they really believe they're being conned. Thus compliments frequently turn them off — and may even have a negative effect. Failing dyslexics feel unable to meet expectations — even of well intended attempts at encouragement and inspiration. Sadly, they also fear that their failing efforts will disappoint loved ones. Appearing disinterested, bored and even giving up — surrendering — seems a better option than really trying and repeatedly failing. And thus feeling even worse than before — "brainless." Many are eventually driven to drugs, crime and a downward spiral of repeated social, economic, occupational and personal failures. Is this tragedy avoidable? Can something beneficial be done?
Aside from early and effective treatment resulting in significant improvement, a detailed and meaningful understanding and true insight is often amazingly helpful. If credible and thus believed with a feeling of inner conviction, dyslexics will no longer blame themselves for being dumb. Nor will they be driven to depression and acting-out behaviors. For the very first time, they'll have an acceptable medical explanation They'll have an alternative to replace self blame and guilt. And they'll begin to feel as smart as they really are.
Meaningful insight, especially when added to other helpful therapies, can be dramatically beneficial. If only it can be effectively conveyed? In the absence of professionals with a deep, clear and therapeutically effective understanding, the next best option is having parents, teachers and caring others read aloud to — and with — dyslexics: The Upside Down Kids and Turning Around the Upside Down Kids.
Dyslexics in need will hear other dyslexics just like themselves convey that they're not brain damaged. Not dumb and brainless. It's just that they all have a simple and correctable fine tuning problem within their inner-ear. And so things become scrambled — just like what happens to a TV picture when it's fine-tuner is not functioning properly. Just like what happens to everyone when they're spun around till dizzy. Just like how the astronauts start reversing letters in space — what Dr Levinson calls "space dyslexia." They all temporarily become dyslexic. After spinning, no one can think, concentrate and act straight--no matter how bright they were and felt before. Most important, they will hear that the dyslexic problem and symptoms rapidly disappear with medications and exercises which improve the fine-tuning of their signals. And with this improvement, they'll suddenly feel as smart as they really are.
Listening to and empathizing with dyslexic kids like themselves discuss the detailed origin of their shared symptoms and inner feelings is therapeutically vital. Especially after hearing about the amazing and rapid benefits resulting from simple fine tuning medications. Dramatic improvements in self-esteem often rapidly ensues. Fears of trying and failing are often replaced with renewed inner determination — the vital key to success. Often dyslexics will once again seek help — overcoming the dreaded conviction that another attempt at treatment only means another failure. And every failure reconfirms to them the unspoken conviction that they're really hopeless. Suddenly they'll want the same benefits experienced by the upside down kids once turned around with medical and non-medical treatments.
Importantly, caring but equally frustrated parents will benefit as well. Not only by invaluable and therapeutic insights. But even more from the resulting emotional communication and contact established by a shared bond of meaningful understanding. And real hope.
Armed with crucial understanding, informed loving parents and caring professionals will ensure that suffering dyslexic children will obtain the best care and remediation possible while protecting them from the inevitable abuse wrought by ignorance, bullying — and worse. After reading Smart But Feeling Dumb, proactive support, guidance and supervision are maximized — enabling children and other loved ones, irregardless of age, to attain the success they well deserve.
Smart But Feeling Dumb has been recently updated. Thus it contains all of Dr Levinson's clinical insights in a highly readable form. And by all — is meant all the experience Dr levinson carefully gathered via his research effort spanning over 4 decades and encompassing the examination and medical treatment of more than 35,000 dyslexic children and adults. And it also includes all the therapeutic insights obtained from a majority of dyslexics responding rapidly and often dramatically to a safe and effective medical therapy which Dr Levinson discovered and perfected. Readers will also find interesting a vital summary provided of the recently validating neuroimaging research as well as insights into the psychological reasons resisting and thus delaying this crucial validationfor several decades. As a result of the recent acceptance of the above insights, Dr Levinson predicts that cures and prevention will soon materialize.
What About Professionals?
No doubt professionals will benefit the most from Dr Levinson's groundbreaking and scientifically acclaimed medical work: A Solution to the Riddle — Dyslexia and it's retitled and reprinted "identical twin": The Discovery of Cerebellar-Vestibular Syndromes and Therapies: A Solution to the Riddle — Dyslexia.
Supported by cerebellar Nobel Laureate Sir John Eccles and outstanding others, this book and it's scientific content and concepts provided the overwhelming evidence and understanding required to overcome a highly defended but mistaken century-old brain-damage theory that led to riddles rather than solutions. Basically, Dr Levinson discovered that dyslexia was due to a simple signal-scrambling impairment of cerebellar-vestibular (CV) origin; and that its many symptoms and related disorders responded very well to CV and signal-enhancing medications. These concepts led to new methods of screening, diagnosis, medical and non-medical therapies and even prevention. Importantly. this CV solution has been finally proven valid via sophisticated neuroimaging studies — decades later than logically anticipated. No wonder Dr Levinson's "highly original" research was considered "decades ahead of its time" by another world-renowned researcher — Professor Kohen-Raz.
Other Books and Insights by Dr. Levinson
As noted, DYSLEXIA and a score of differently named signal-scrambling disorders were recognized to be caused by a common inner-ear or cerebellar-vestibular (CV) dysfunction. These included ADD/ADHD and PHOBIC/PANIC disorders. This simple understanding explains why these disorders and their symptoms frequently overlapped with one another. To provide readers with a unique in-depth understanding as well as new methods of diagnosis and effective treatment of these impairments, Total Concentration and Phobia Free were written.
Adding yet another fascinating dimension to the four needed to properly conceptualize the dyslexia hologram, A Scientific Watergate — Dyslexia explains the psychological reasons why otherwise dedicated dyslexia clinicians and researchers were, and still are, led astray. Updated insights as well as a unique analysis of many other dyslexia theories and theorists are also provided — in an effort to holistically integrate diverse perspectives into one comprehensive solution. By completing this work, readers will rapidly and interestingly gain over four decades worth of Dr. Levinson's hard-won understanding. And all will be rewarded with an understanding vital towards helping suffering and misunderstood dyslexic children and adults as well as their loved ones.
