MIRROR THERAPY ADRIA BRINGS CERTIFICATION TOTAL OF MIRROR THERAPY PRACTITIONERS TO 112 IN THE BALKANS

Certified Mirror Therapy Practitioners with Trainer Jasmin Avdovic

Eight medical practitioners were certified in Mirror Therapy by Mirror Therapy Adria on December 3, 2016, utilizing End The Pain Project guidelines and principals. This event brings a total of 112 Mirror therapists in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro.

This growing number of MT practitioners is of significant value to the region as  the highest number of land mines in the world lie in the Balkans, with emphasis on  Bosnia and Herzegovina. The number of land mine related injuries resulting limb amputations is still high and unfortunately, to be expected in the long term future all over the Balkans. Non-invasive Mirror Therapy is the proven first choice technique in treating phantom limb pain and phantom limb sensation.

 Jasmin Avdovic, Founder of Mirror Therapy Adria, organized yet another successful full-day MT workshop on December 3, 2016. The Workshop took place in at the Hollywood Spa and Resort, Sarajevo BiH. 

Many questions were raised and answered, including those about the treatment of the central nervous system injuries and illnesses resulting in hemiparesis and facial nerve paralysis with mirror therapy, innovations beyond treating only phantom limb pain and phantom limb sensation.

After learning the principals on which MT works -- based on brain plasticity, remapping the brain, and the fact that humans possess mirror neurons, participants were amazed with simplicity and low cost of using mirrors to achieve expected results with clients.

In its two years of existence, starting in December 2014, Mirror Therapy Adria has presented numerous introductory MT workshops at Physiotherapy International Congresses and presented MT to hundreds of physiotherapists all over the Balkans from Slovenia to Macedonia. Mirror Therapy Adria plans to organize similar workshops in Kosovo and Macedonia during 2017.

ETPP and its co-founder Moira Judith Mann, who introduced mirror therapy for the first time in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2013, are great supporters of Mirror Therapy Adria activities all over the Balkans.

Certified Mirror Therapists as of December 3, 2016:
1. Zlatan Osmani -Bosnia
2. Daria Herceg -Bosnia
3. Dženan Pleho - Bosnia
4. Gregor Gorinšek - Slovenia
5. Monika Tuš -Slovenia
6. Sonja Iža - Croatia
7. Tea Pačarić - Croatia
8. Mery Ann Novoselić - Croatia

Mirror Therapy Adria Holds Successful Mirror Therapy Workshop in Fojnica

From left to right (standing) as Emira Klisura-Bosnia, Samra Karač-Bosnia, Antonela Pavić-Croatia, Tarik Žetica-Bosnia, Matej Bedenik-Slovenia, Edis Kozić-Bosnia; (seated) Jasmin Avdović-Mirror therapy Adria MT trainer, Nikola Dobrijević-Croatia

On October 17, 2015, Mirror Therapy Adria organized a Mirror Therapy Workshop for Physical Therapy Practitioners in the central Bosnian town of Fojnica. The town is well known for the biggest thermal and rehabilitation spa center in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Most amputees in Bosnia and Herzegovina have used the services of this thermal spa center at least once. Most return on a regular annual basis for continuing treatment.

Recently this thermal spa become the site where all persons with war related injuries including traumatic amputations are transferred from Libya to receive proper rehabilitation treatments. So it is not strange that there is a high interest in Mirror Therapy education and implementing it as regular daily based treatment at the spa.

Participants of the full day MT education according to End The Pain Project guidelines, received MT certificates entitling them to practice as mirror therapists. The Workshop was successfully led by Adria Mirror Therapy trainer, Jasmin Avdović.

The participants came from Bosnia and Herzegovina and neighboring Republic of Croatia and Republic of Slovenia. The participants from Croatia and Slovenia are the first mirror therapists in their countries.

Huso, an upper limb Bosnian amputee in mirror session

Huso, an upper arm Bosnian amputee, was introduced to mirror therapy at an End The Pain Project workshop given in the Sarajevo headquarters of Hope '87, September '13. At the time he had been suffering phantom pain for over twenty years, a legacy from the war in Bosnia during the '90s.

Huso practiced the mirror therapy at home for thirty days, following a two times a day for fifteen minutes each session schedule. The outcome as Huso happily reports, is that the pain is reduced about 75% from what he had been experiencing.

Mirror Therapy Introduced To Bosnia

Bosnian Health Professionals

Though the war in Bosnia ended more than twenty years ago, there are still many amputees left who experience debilitating phantom limb pain.

To address this wide-scale problem, five Mirror Therapy workshops were presented in Bosnia during September '13 by Moira Judith Mann, co-founder of End The Pain Project .

The workshops marked the beginning of certified health professionals training other health professionals in Bosnia, with the expectation that Mirror Therapy will eventually reach amputees suffering phantom limb pain throughout the Balkans.

Training with mirror

Two workshops were held at Hope87 headquarters in Sarajevo, arranged by Dr. Amira Karkin-Tais and Dr. Murid Muftic and coordinated by Zana Karkin and Ivana Vujasin of the NGO. Fifteen health professionals received ETPP certificates of completion, which enables them to teach the therapy to other health professionals.

In Banja Luka, two workshops were presented to sixteen staff members of the ZFMR Rehabilitation Hospital through the cooperation of Dr. Natasa Tomic, ZFMR's Medical Director.

Banja Luka amputee using mirror

A workshop presented directly to amputees suffering phantom limb pain was held at the Organization of Amputees UDAS in Banja Luka, organized by Nikola Zec. The results were astounding and included the unfurling of phantom fingers by an amputee who had been experiencing a phantom clenched fist for twenty years after a device exploded in his hand.

Jasmin Avdovic, Physiotherapist/Occupational therapy practitioner, introduced Mirror Therapy training as an idea for future to 260 fellow physiotherapist members of UFFBiH in October, at their 1st Annual Congress. Participants from Bosnia, Serbia and Croatia responded to it with great interest due to high number of people with amputation, especially in Bosnia. He and others mentioned in this post plan to spread the benefits of Mirror Therapy through pan-Balkan workshops.

End The Pain Project's X-Border Wine Benefit A Success!

Jim Byrnes, Blues Guitarist

On August 10, 2013, residents of Point Roberts WA, a small resort town on the Juan de Fueca Strait, came out in droves to attend End The Pain Project's X-Border Wine Benefit and to enjoy the legendary blues guitar of Jim Byrnes.

Funding raised at this bi-annual event is dedicated to presenting Mirror Therapy Training Workshops in Bosnia this September and additional mirrors for amputees in central Vietnam.

A highlight of the benefit was Co-Founder Madeleine Anderson explaining the intricacies of Mirror Therapy to a rapt audience.

 

End The Pain Project acknowledges the support and generosity of its neighbors and the extraordinary efforts of volunteers who helped to make the Benefit a success.

Your Donation = A Pain-Free Life

Dear Friend,

That's Tanja H. smiling at you -- she's a Bosnian amputee, happy to be free of long-term Phantom Limb Pain after experiencing guided Mirror Therapy!

Over 80% of amputees in third world countries affected by land mines, war, and disease experience pain in the missing limb. This pain is called Phantom Limb Pain and can be agonizing, interfering with all aspects of life.This pain can be experienced decades after the amputation operation. Suffering is the same anywhere in the world.

Phantom Limb Pain can be safely eliminated in just four weeks with Mirror Therapy. The techniques are simple and non-invasive. The mirror's reflection of the patient’s good limb engaged in specific movements retrains the brain’s sensory pathways and releases the pain. Over 1,000 amputees have successfully undergone Mirror Therapy treatment at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

    End The Pain Project (ETPP) trains and supports small grassroots teams of medical clinicians to deliver these non-invasive Mirror Therapy techniques and related information to amputees in hard-hit third world countries.

     In 2011-12, ETPP trained and certified 100 doctors, physical therapists and prosthetists in Vietnam and 36 physical therapists in Cambodia. This year, End The Pain Project brings mirrors and training workshops to Rwanda and Bosnia, where many survivor-amputees from the 1990 conflicts still suffer Phantom Limb Pain. Your thoughtful contribution to either project goes directly to logistical support, training, tools and other needs and is tax-deductible.

Consider honoring your Mom for Mother's Day with a donation to ETPP -- she'll be proud of you! Just click the yellow button on our ETPP website.

Thank you!

Moira Mann, Co-Founder
End The Pain Project
http://endthepainproject.org

Support End The Pain Project Mirror Therapy Training Workshops in Rwanda * Bosnia