Ok, so I had my second OT visit yesterday. She took me through a series of physical tests with my eyes closed. I learned a few things. One, I can't do a lot of things with my eyes closed. I simply don't know where I am in relation to myself if I can't see it. Two, my hearing is off the chart. I could hear her moving my arm in one test, so it kind of gave it away. She said I was the first to admit it, though, so she wondered if her other testers were cheaters. lol Three, I learned the Wilbarger protocol and got my own shiny, new brush.

So, I've been trying out the brushing, since that is the only part of my sensory diet she has given me thus far. (She says she is going to mail me my evaluation and further recommendations later on.) First lesson is, I cannot brush at night. I felt like I was going to jump out of my skin for most of the night. It took me twice as long to get to sleep at night after brushing, even later that night when I woke up. But this morning, it was nothing like that. I've been sleepy all morning, and even though my skin seems more, well, alive than it usually does, it has not affected my sleepiness at all. But then again, I guess the brushing kept me up enough last night to make that happen. lol

I would love to hear about anyone else's experiences with the Wilbarger protocol. Does it calm you down? Psych you up? Do you have certain times of day it works better for you than others? Do you like a certain part of it better than another (like the joint compressions)?

I'm going to give it some time before I decide whether or not I like the way it works, but I'd love some more input, since the OT I visited was slim on info other than the fact that she actually did train for it with the Wilbargers themselves.

The Wilbarger Protocol calms me down when my skin is crawling. I usually only use it before I fall asleep because it makes me all pleasantly tingly.

I really don't know if the Wilbarger is going to work out for me. It seemed like, the more I did it, the more jumpy I felt. But... having said that, I haven't done it for two days, and they were some of the most relaxing two days I've had in a while. I don't quite know what to make of it. Especially since she said that the effects last for two hours, and I could feel the difference the next day.

I really hope I get to hear from her again soon, because I'm really at a loss here.

Hi Sarah,

I'm curious to hear whether or not you have continued with the Wilbarger protocol. It sounds like it's not the right fit for you, but if you have had luck with it since your last post I would like to know. I no longer use the protocol with any of my clients. First of all my training has been to teach active sensory strategies vs passive. Are you doing the brushing on yourself? The protocol is supposed to be done every 2 hours in order to be effective. Are you doing any active heavy work or proprioceptive activities?

Lisa

I basically gave up on the Wilbarger protocol because, no matter how often I did it, it really made me very uneasy. So I have been doing other things to help. I haven't found an active heavy work that fits for me yet other than "weight lifting" my toddler in play, and that does seem to help me relax a lot. As for proprioceptive activities, I'm not really sure of anything specific other than joint compressions, which I still do. I do roll around on my therapy ball, and I do massage my back with my yoga ball. Other than that, it's primarily when things come up, which is mainly when I'm driving, when I'm trying to go to sleep, or when I'm upset or sick.

I'm not quite sure what you mean about active sensory strategies vs passive. I was doing the brushing to myself.

There is no way I would do the Wilbarger Protocol every 2 hours. I just don't need it that much.

I only use it once in a while just before bed when my skin is really bothering me.

This is interesting...I don't think I've heard of this before. My 3 year old seems to have skin issues at times, but can't really communicate to me what is wrong. He said he had mosquito bites on his legs but he did not. He scratched them so much for a few days that he developed sores that did end up looking like mosquito bites. I will have to look into this!

Ali

Yeah, sounds a lot like my sensitivities. I'd definitely check into it. It's really helpful for many folks!