Episode 24. A Seventeen Year Brain Injury "Recovery."

Cognitive loss with brain injury is a unique symptom where the process of thinking (in all forms) just doesn't work. Not only is that type of injury strange and misunderstood, but the nature of the "effort" and "work" to regain, redevelop, and relearn how to think has to occur very gradually. It is a difficult and time consuming process on the scale of years.Linda has a great blog called - The Brain Fairy -  Living with Brain Injury. She writes about the nature and unique details of brain injury to help build awareness of what these problems are like. Check out her content with these links:⁠https://www.facebook.com/TheBrainFairy/⁠⁠https://thebrainfairy.com/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR26m6Ss4qasqkZft19wDmJo9QjCZU4Upa3X6l14WolREabVONN1sSw-aUE_aem_U1Q864eEWcfToa_iWfppBg⁠I love this discussion for multiple reasons. First off, I also lost cognition. That is a symptom that only some people have with brain injury. I have found a handful of people that even know what that problem is like. I thank Linda for sharing so much about this type of brain injury symptom.Second, brain injury is not just one problem. There is an interaction of symptoms. Brain injury problems influence one another and evolve over years. This discussion captures that complexity.Lastly, the effort that it takes to regain, rebuild, redevelop, and relearn aspects of what was once automatic like cognition is difficult to do and takes years. - People discuss "neuroplasticity" as a process that helps after brain injury but it's the effort to "work on" what was lost that drives the neuroplasticity, and not the other way around. In this recording, the details of that type of effort get spelled out.- - -Experiencing My Brain is a podcast devoted to detailed discussion with brain injury survivors about their experiences, problems, and ways that they have found to navigate their lives. These stories are important to help others make sense of the problems that come with brain injury.- - -Disclaimer:The views and opinions shared in this podcast should be looked at as the views of brain injury survivors and not as medical or clinical advice. Always seek the advice of a qualified health care professional with any brain injury problem.