The good news is that regardless of our disability we can improve our brain and bodies ability to thrive. The good news is that by improving our brain and bodies ability to thrive (in the process) we will achieve what we never dreamed possible. Introduction I sustained an open/depressed skull fracture and a severe traumatic brain injury when I was 10 years old in 1967 in an … [Read more...]
Brain Injury Recovery -- An Ongoing Process
Recovery from a brain injury is an ongoing process. Once external wounds have healed brain injuries many times become invisible. Because of the invisible nature of brain injuries, denial often interferes in the recovery process. One's own denial and the denial of family and friends. Many times the brain injury survivor finds themselves isolated and alone because of changes. Changes that are out of their control. Changes that are often hard to identify. In this category, I will share what helped me to begin to understand. I share what helped me to begin to accept myself when other people couldn't or wouldn't accept me. Accept me in new reality. As I began to recover I began to realize that I did not have to limit myself because of my limitations.
In this category I go on to share what has helped me to continue to recovery. Recover from the impact of living with a brain injury and an invisible disability for nearly 49 years. In my experience, as I grew in my recovery process, I grew in hope. May what I share in this category and through out Second Chance to Live help you in your process to also grow in hope. With hope, we can live our dreams. With hope we can accomplish what we never dreamed possible. Our brain injuries do not have to define who we are as individuals. Our limitations do not have to limit us. In this category I share articles that have helped to empower me in my ongoing brain injury recovery process.
"The journey of a thousand miles begins with the 1st step. Once we start walking, before long we will be able to see how far we have come in our process, because we did not give up." Craig J. Phillips MRC, BA
Riddle: How do you eat an elephant? Answer: One bite at a time.
"If you advance confidently in the direction of your dream and endeavor to live the life that you have imagined...you will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." Henry David Thoreau
What helps Me to Have a Healthy Relationship with Hope
My hope is that if you have given up on hope, that this article will help you to have a new experience with hope. An empowering relationship with hope that will encourage you to follow your dreams. Hello and welcome back to Second Chance to Live my friend. I am happy to have you around my table. In December 2014 I wrote the article, Do I want to be right or Do I want to be … [Read more...]
Moving From Fear to Faith and Finding Freedom
Below is an article that I wrote in October 2014 and revised today. The article helped and continues to help me move from fear to faith to find freedom. Yesterday I was fortunate enough to be able to attend a day of workshops. One of the workshops title was, Moving from Fear to Faith. During the introduction by the work shop leader and in subsequent discussion some great … [Read more...]
Defining Success for Ourselves after a Brain Injury
I have been thinking about some thing that I feel led to share with you. In my experience I have found that there are several traps that can leave you and I feeling like we are failures. We can be led to believe that because of our brain injuries that we are failures, because of what happened to us. Consequently, we may find ourselves focusing on what we can not change (what … [Read more...]
Attending College, University and Graduate School after a Brain Injury Part 2
Several days ago I wrote the article, Attending College, University and Graduate School after a Brain Injury Part 1. In that article I shared that it took me 10 years -- one junior college and 2 universities -- and 4 different majors to obtain my undergraduate degree. I also shared that it took me 3 1/2 years -- 2 graduate schools and 2 different graduate degree paths -- to … [Read more...]