Hello and welcome back to Second Chance to Live. I am happy to see that you decided to stop by to visit with me. Last evening while listening to a radio program Time heals all wounds (except TBI’s) I felt led to call in to share my thoughts on the topic being discussed. Although I sat in cue for the majority of the show, I did not have the opportunity to contribute to the topic. Consequently, I am using an article to share what I found to be essential in my healing process as a traumatic brain injury survivor.
“Resentment is like taking poison and hoping the other person dies.” St. Augustine of Hippo
“Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.” Buddha
As I have shared on my About page, I sustained a traumatic brain injury in a motor vehicle accident when I was 10 years old in 1967. Once my visible wounds healed and I looked normal, the impact for the injury to my brain was never factored into the difficulties that I encountered over the course of 38 years post injury. Consequently, I grew up not knowing the impact that my invisible disability was having upon my life. In my denial and my family’s denial I experienced a tremendous amount of shame.
In my experience, I turned my denial and my family’s denial inward in the form of anger. As I turned my anger inward – believing that I did not just make mistakes, but that I was a mistake – I lived in a state of chronic low grade depression. I continued to live in this state of self-hate for many years until I began to address the denial system that led me to believe that the injury to my brain had nothing to do with the difficulties that I encountered for many years. As I started working through my denial, I began to heal.’’
In my experience, I had to move through a grieving process before I could begin to accept myself in my reality. In my experience, I needed to work through my resentments, to stop should (ing) on myself. I have written several series of articles, in which I share what I did to work through my denial, my anger and my resentments. I would encourage you to read through these series — at your own pace – as I believe you will find yourself identifying with me. As you read through these series and questions come to mind, please ask. All questions are good questions.
I look forward to hearing and being of service to you my friend.
Below are links to the article series. Simply click on the links and you will be taken to the article. At the bottom of each part of the series is a link to the next part of the article.
Traumatic Brain Injury and the Grieving Process — Part 1
Traumatic Brain Injury — Black and White / All or None Thinking — Part 1 or 2
Here is my Contact page. Send comments and questions and I will respond to you.
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