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THE TOURETTES
SURVIVAL KIT
TOOLS FOR YOUNG ADULTS
WITH TICS
TARA MURPHY AND DAMON MILLAR
ILLUSTRATED BY HIRO ENOKI
Jessica Kingsley Publishers
London and Philadelphia
INTRODUCTION
This isn’t a normal book, it’s a survival kit. Survival kits are useful for whatever challenge you’re facing right now:
| If you’re facing a challenge, choose the situation you’re in, and go. | |
| If you have time, get skilled up with tools that will help you. | |
| If you need to explain tics to other people, flip to the back of the book. |
| ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ situations ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ | |
| school | |
| jobs | |
| home | |
| love | |
| driving | |
| transport | |
| occasions | |
| ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ tools ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ | |
| what is Tourettes? | |
| living with Tourettes | |
| treatments | |
| for other people | |
MEET THE SUPPORT CREW
Dr Tara
Welcome to this Survival Kit. I am a psychologist and have worked with people who have tics for many years. Tic disorders have many different names, Tourettes, Tourette syndrome, Tourette disorder. In this book we will call it ‘Tourettes’ because that’s what most people who have it call it. I’ve heard about lots of challenges and solutions from the people I have worked with and wanted to include them in a book, so here we go!
Dr Jolande
Hi! My name is Jolande van de Griendt. I’m a health psychologist and cognitive behavioural therapist from the Netherlands. I run a telemedicine private practice in behavioural treatment for tics (called ‘ticxperts’) and am doing a PhD comparing medication versus a behavioural treatment called ‘exposure and response prevention’ (ERP). Together with Tara Murphy, I run behavioural treatment workshops for professionals all over Europe.
Duncan
Hello there. I’m Duncan McKinlay, aka ‘Dr Dunc’, a registered psychologist with the College of Psychologists of Ontario, Canada, practising with children and adolescents in clinical and school psychology. I was diagnosed with Tourettes at age 19 but knew that I had a ‘secret’ by age seven. I am a past director of the Tourette Syndrome Foundation of Canada, and have received numerous awards for my professional work, and sit on professional advisory boards for various Tourettes organisations. You can read about me, watch my documentary or purchase my book Nix Your Tics! by logging on to my website, ‘Life’s a Twitch!’ (www.lifesatwitch.com).
Mike
I’m Mike. I’ve held leadership roles in a number of multinational and global organisations, including head legal counsel and chair. Most recently I founded a number of technology businesses. I speak to audiences of up to 5000 people and chair conferences, dinners and media events in many parts of the world. I am also an ultra-distance runner and compete at an international level. I have Tourettes.
Rupert
I was diagnosed with Tourettes when I was ten, which was four years ago. During that time I have found many ways to deal with my tics on a daily basis but no day is ever the same. It takes great concentration and willpower, and I find having a positive attitude is the key to my challenging situation.
Daniel
I’m Daniel. I’m 24 years old and have had Tourettes for most of my life. Since being diagnosed at the age of nine I’ve always looked for ways to ensure my tics stay a relatively small part of my life. I’m currently living and working in the Canadian Rockies as part of a year out from my career.
Liz
Hello, I’m Liz, a psychologist who delivers online behavioural therapy for tics and Tourettes to people over 18 years old. I have adult-onset Tourettes. A couple of years ago I experienced a meditation session which helped reduce the frequency and intensity of a particular tic and led to the eventual development of ‘At ease with your tics: A guided relaxation’, a relaxation exercise that has been developed through the diverse skills of a meditation teacher, a musician and Tourettes healthcare professionals. You can find it at www.tourettes-action.org.uk/news-276-guided-relaxation-for-tics.html
Eliza
Hi, I’m Eliza. I’m 15 years old and have had tics since I was four. I used to be bothered by the tics, but once I realised that the tics were not that important, I stopped caring about them so much. Now I’m the boss.
