By Nancy Rynes, author of Awakenings from the Light and Walking in the Light
I recently had a question come in from a new follower that I believe is important to share here. I haven't talked about my traumatic brain injury (TBI) much so I want to share a little of what I learned during my own recovery process.
She asked, "Your NDE is so inspiring. Thank you for sharing it. I wanted to ask what treatment you followed that healed your TBI (traumatic brain injury)?"
I have to start out by noting that since I am not a medical doctor, I don't want to relate too many of my own specific treatment options. I don't want to overstep my boundaries and get in trouble to start. But also, each patient's treatment plan would be tailored to that individual and his or her specific injuries. And I also want to note that if you have suffered some kind of brain injury, whether recently or many years ago and are not receiving medical care, it's imperative that you find a good physician and professional dietician to help you on your road to recovery.
But I can tell you some of the things that me helped the most during my recovery:
1) Completely healthy diet high in Omega-3s. No junk food. No processed food at all. No sugars. No alcohol or other recreational drugs. A lot of organic vegetables. No artificial sweeteners. I know a lot of people don't want to give up things like sugars, sweeteners, or junk food, but I firmly believe that this step was the most fundamental for healing my TBI.
2) A lot of moderate exercise as approved by my physician (daily walks of up to 90 minutes). As I got healthier, I started doing interval training once a week as well.
3) Continuing to push the boundaries of my abilities, with the help of an occupational therapist. What I mean by that is that since I had a lot of trouble reading and speaking after my TBI, she had me on a plan to read more, gradually ramping up the amount, and also to practice talking and writing. I did a lot of other brain-training exercises as well, such as word puzzles.
4) Once I could start painting again, that helped even more. My doctor said that painting was one of the best brain-building exercises I could do for my own healing. Playing music would be as well if someone was already a musician. Basically, doing creative activities can help heal parts of the brain that other forms of therapy might not target, such as woodworking, knitting, sculpting, making jewelry, playing music, dancing (as able), etc.
5) Spending time with friends and having conversations. Again, that helped my brain function better in terms of word-finding and sentence structure.
6) Taking naps when I was tired. It was very important for me to sleep when my body or brain told me to sleep. Sleep is restorative, allowing the body to repair itself and recover.
Some of my prior abilities have not come back in the 7+ years since my TBI; other abilities have expanded though. I seem to have lost my abilities in computer programming and some of the more technical activities I used to do. I am also (still) a little challenged with words, but it's improved greatly since the accident. But my artistic abilities have greatly expanded as have intuitive abilities. I do have lingering challenges with headaches and insomnia. Those come and go but I'm getting better at dealing with them (and preventing them too). I also continue to do all of the steps that I noted above.
One important thing to note was something my neurologist told me: if I were to have another TBI of this magnitude, it would probably would be fatal for me. My brain had been so impacted during the TBI of 2014 that a further shock would probably not be recoverable. After considering this, I decided to stop participating in a couple of "edgy" activities that had I enjoyed: rock climbing and mountain biking. It wasn't at all that I feared death; instead, I didn't want to risk becoming permanently incapacitated (i.e., being in a coma), or be confronted with trying to recover from an even worse brain injury.
Overall, the plan my doctor had me follow was very similar to the methods Dr. Daniel Amen developed to treat football players who had a history of concussions. Some of Dr. Amen's early books detail this program. The first one I read was "Change Your Brain Change Your Life". He has another one out called "Concussion Rescue" that might be worth a look if you or someone you know has been challenged with a brain injury. I haven't personally read that one yet but it might be a good place to start.
I hope that helps! I'll be posting more on TBIs in the future, so if you're interested in that topic, stay tuned.
Blessings and love to all of you,
Nancy
Stuff You Might Have Missed
Archive: Past Newsletter Issues
TODAY Show: Nancy's Interview on NBC TV's TODAY
Messages of Hope with Suzanne Giesemann: Exploring NDEs with Nancy Rynes
Article: Seven Lessons That Dying Taught Me About Truly Living (Aspire Magazine)
Article: Lives Changed by NDEs (Boulder Daily Camera)
Article: Awakening to Life(Pages 6-10, Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology, Summer 2016)
Article: The Meaning of Life (Excellence Reporter)
Free webinar series:
Simply Peace Part 1
Simply Peace Part 2
If you are unable to view the webinar on YouTube, the videos are also available on my website NancyRynes.com