Writing is good for me. Writing a novel during NaNoWriMo is exciting and takes me out of the reality of my PTSD and brain injury. But writing can only do so much. And when reality intrudes in the form of a requested conversation with one’s insurance broker, the heart can go a little wonky. I…
Category: Health
Writings on health and nutrition, the health care system, doctors and therapists, heck, anything to do with health.
We Humans are Social; We are Not Meant to Abandon our Sick and Injured
This is not an easy post to write — I don’t even know if I want to write it. Deep breath. Here goes (assuming autocorrect doesn’t stop me in my tracks!). Personality re-creation (shifting) is a neurophysiological process that is shaped by psychology, as I see it. Emotionally, it gets a little hairy. Think adolescence…
Brain Injury, Brain Healing, and Emerging Personality
I wrote on the back cover of my book Concussion Is Brain Injury that I had died when I suffered a closed head injury, not literally physically died, but the person that I was died that day. Since then, my health care professionals and I have talked on and off about who I am. This…
Trauma Therapy is Hard on Therapist and Client Alike
Things I’ve been told: “A therapist is closer to you than a husband.” “Tell your therapist EVERYTHING. Don’t hold back.” “A 24/7 number is not about calling it but knowing you can reach someone when you’re in crisis.” “AA sponsor/sponsee is about knowing you can call any time even though maybe only have to once.”…
Exhaustion Remains a Reality After Improvement from Brain Injury
Last week, I treated myself to a couple of hours at the hairdresser’s, getting my hair primped while we gossiped and laughed. No Rob Ford talk though this time! To compensate for the extra energy use, I cut my usual walking distance when out and about in half, thinking I was being smart in balancing…
Reality is a Bad Dream
Now that the ADD Centre is training a second person with gamma brainwave biofeedback, they have begun asking me questions based on her feedback. Do you have vivid dreams, I was asked this week. Oh, I suddenly remembered, I did have a bad dream last week. Since my injury, I have not had nightmares or…
More Mines in the PTSD Minefield Courtesy of Brain Injury
In the spirit of my intention to write about my emotions since healing my traumatic memories, recovering the ability to feel is the part of my brain injury recovery I’ve barely touched, I write today’s post on new mines in my PTSD minefield. Deep breath. Before my brain injury I had this empathic ability to…
Fatigue-Restlessness Paradox
My gamma brainwave output is returning to normal. I was able to achieve above 1.0 gamma/EMG ratio during one of the biofeedback screens this week, not just during the writing portion of my session. It’s even more impressive I could because my muscle tension (EMG) went high (temporarily) when my trainer and I fell into…
Gamma Brainwave Training and Emotions in PTSD and Brain Injury
Two weeks ago, my biofeedback trainer re-assessed my brain at the PZ-O1 position — left back of skull. Last week we continued gamma brainwave biofeedback training at that position and will do so for ten sessions total. And then re-assess. Relief. My gamma was unusually low last week. It finally rose to my normal above-1.0…