Through my 50 years of living with the impact of a brain injury and as an invisible disability I have come to realize that brain injury recovery needs to involve/include the whole person, not just the brain injury.
That is why I believe that brain injury recovery and peer support needs to include healing in the mind, body, spirit, and emotions following a brain injury.
The Global Brain Injury Peer Support Network
On February 6, 2007, a little over 14 years ago, I created Second Chance to Live to offer and share what has helped and continues to help me to heal in my mind, body, spirit, soul, and emotions.
My traumatic brain injury occurred due to an open and depressed skull fracture in a motor vehicle accident in 1967 when I was 10 years old. Although I was not expected to succeed academically beyond high school, I obtained my undergraduate degree in 10 years. I then went on to obtain my graduate degree in 3 1/2 years — Rehabilitation Counseling from the University of Kentucky in December 1990.
I have been in my own ongoing brain injury recovery process for the past 33 years.
The Global Brain Injury Peer Support Network serves individuals within the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Africa and South America.
See the Organizations that is served by the Global Brain Injury Peer Support Network by clicking on this link.
Past and Present Organizations
See the Publications and Radio Programs that are served by the Global Brain Injury Peer Support Network by clicking on this link.
Publications and Radio Programs
For 14 years, our global brain injury support network has provided this service without a fee, cost or expense to the individual, family and professionals.
For our International Brain Injury Community
In October 2009 I created a way to translate Second Chance to Live into a host of global languages. To translate Second Chance to Live into your home language, click on the respective links below:
Albanian Arabic Bulgarian Catalan Chinese Simplified Chinese Traditional Croatian Czech Danish Dutch Estonian Filipino Finnish French Galician German Greek Hebrew Hindi Hungarian Indonesian Italian Japanese Korean Lativian Lithuanian Maltese Norwegian Polish Portuguese Romanian Russian Serbian Slovak Slovenian Spanish Swedish Thai Turkish Ukrainian Vietnamese
Our Focus
Second Chance to Live and our Global Brain Injury Peer Support Network serves to empower the whole individual, not focus on the brain injury. Our network serves to emphasize that although our lives have been impacted by a brain injury, we are not our brain injury. Our network serves to offer solutions for living and thriving in life as an individual living with the impact of a brain injury. Our network serves to remind us that we are not a label, stereotype or stigmatization.
Our network serves to remind us that we no longer have to be limited by our limitations. Our network serves to encourage us to focus on possibilities. Our network serves to empower the individual living with a brain injury to discover what works for them, in ways that work for them. Our network encourages balance through the recovery of our mind, body, spirit, and emotions in the healing process as individuals living with brain injuries. Our network serves through offering hope for the future in today.
Our network’s focus is to empower the individual, not the individual’s brain injury.
Resources Offered through Our Network — Click on the Link to Open the Resource
1877 articles, created 420 video presentations, 20 slideshows presentations and 11 eBooks.
Navigating Life with a Brain Injury and an Invisible Disability
Limbic System, Fight or Flight Response and Brain Injury Recovery
Neuroplasticity, Small Successes and Learning/Relearning Skills and Skill Sets
Second Chance to LIve YouTube Channel
Testimonies and Endorsements
Below is a list of the 12 Brain Injury Peer Support Categories offered through our Global Brain Injury Peer Support Network.
By clicking on each category link a page will open for you. Once the page has opened, you may scroll down the list of articles within that category. When you see a title of interest, click on that title and the article will open for you.
As you read the articles within each category and questions come to mind, please send those questions to me. All questions are good questions. I look forward to hearing from you.
Category Building Self-Esteem after Brain Injury — List of Articles
Category Brain Injury Recovery An Ongoing Process — List of Articles
Category Self-Acceptance after a Brain Injury — List of Articles
Category Celebrating Success Following a Brain Injury — List of Articles
Category Creating Hope after Brain Injury — List of Articles
Category Finding and Knowing Peace after Brain Injury — List of Articles
Category Finding Purpose after a Brain Injury — List of Articles
Category Fulfilling Dreams after Brain Injury — List of Articles
Category My Journey Living with a Brain Injury — List of Articles
Category Overcoming Bullying after Brain Injury — List of Articles
Category Peer Support after Brain Injury — We are Not Alone — List of Articles
Category Relationships Following a Brain Injury — List of Article
10 eBooks that are Free to Download
Living with a Brain Injury eBook Putting the Pieces in Place 60 Video Presentations (PDF file)
Being Your own Hero through Overcoming Adversity – Tool for Rebuilding Your Life eBook
Living with a brain injury and Building Self-Esteem and Self-Acceptance eBook
Living with a Brain Injury, Making Sense of Why and What is my Destiny? eBook
Living with a Brain Injury, What Helped Me to Stop being my Enemy and Create a life for Myself eBook
Warning — It’s Never too Late to Create Hope eBook got hacked and links in it that I created for good have been changed to porn. This is something that I don’t know how to change. Please do not click on links within this eBook.
It’s Never too Late to Create Hope eBook
Moving Forward Following a Brain Injury eBook
Living with a Brain Injury and Taking Care of Ourselves eBook
Having a Relationship with Myself and Other People after a Brain Injury Video Presentations eBook
Celebrating Success after a Brain Injury Video Presentations eBook
To download each of the eBooks, you may click on each of the below links. They are free to download at this time.
Living with a Brain Injury eBook Putting the Pieces in Place 60 Video Presentations
Living with a brain injury and Building Self-Esteem and Self-Acceptance eBook
Living with a Brain Injury, What Helped Me to Stop Being my Enemy and Create a Life for Myself eBook
Living with a Brain Injury, Making Sense of Why and What is my Destiny? eBook
Being Your own Hero through Overcoming Adversity — Tools for Rebuilding Your Life eBook
It’s Never too Late to Create Hope eBook
Moving Forward Following a Brain Injury eBook
Living with a Brain Injury and Learning to Take Care of Ourselves
Having a Relationship with Myself and Other People After a Brain Injury Video Presentations eBook
Celebrating Success after a Brain Injury Video Presentations eBook
How I Use the Principle of Neuroplasticity to Create new Neural Pathways and Brain Reorganization
Below are links to short video presentations showing the progression of how the concept of neuroplasticity through repetitive mirrored movements has benefited my mind, body and spirit.
I began my process of using repetitive mirrored movements through different martial art disciplines in October of 1998.
In August 2013 a friend of mine made a video presentation of the progress that I made using the principle of neuroplasticity. Other friends have helped me to make video presentations of my progress in each year since 2013. Below are links to YouTube presentations of the progress made using repetitive mirrored movements. To watch the progress made using the principle of neuroplasticity over the past 5 years, click on the below links.
Neuroplasticity through Martial Arts Disciplines August 2013
Neuroplasticity Demonstration August 2014
Brain Injury, Neuroplasticity and Personal Gains August 2015
Balance and Coordination through Repetitive Mirrored Movement 2016
Brain Injury Recovery and Repetitive Mirrored Movements 2017
Improving Our Brain and Body’s Ability to Excel after Brain Injury 2018
Stroke, Brain Injury and the Benefits of Neuroplasticity
Nine Habits to Benefit from Using the Principle of Neuroplasticity
Below is a link to a powerpoint presentation that I created and am available to present at coming conferences
Neuroplasticity and Opening the Door to Hope PowerPoint Presentation
About the Global Brain Injury Peer Support Network
In 1967 at the age of 10 I sustained an open skull fracture and a fractured left femur (thigh bone) in a motor vehicle accident. With my open skull fracture, I experienced right frontal lobe damage, a severe brain bruise with brainstem involvement. I remained in a coma for 3 weeks. Through my brain injury recovery process I discovered that many people led me to, wanted me to or needed me to believe that I was my brain injury. But what I found was that what I was led to the belief only kept me stuck.
Kept me stuck focusing on what I was powerless to change.
But, thankfully my circumstances motivated me to start looking at things in a different way.
Brain Injury Recovery, Balance and What I Discovered through my Recovery Process
For many years I bought into the notion that if I just found the “right” information then I would be healed. Healed from the impact of “whatever” was making living my life difficult for me. So I set out on a pilgrimage to find that “right” knowledge. You see, I was led to believe that there was a “silver bullet”. A “silver bullet” or a “special knowledge” that, if found; would “fix me”. Would fix me so that I would no longer be affected by what was getting in the way of living my life. But on my pilgrimage, I discovered that there was no “silver bullet” or “special knowledge” that would “fix me”.
The Process
Took time but I am glad that did not stop searching. Searching for a way to improve my life and well-being. What I discovered changed my life and the way in which I saw myself. What I discovered helped me to realize that I needed to become aware. Aware of how my mind, body, spirit, and emotions had been impacted by the injury to my brain. And as I became aware, I grew in the ability to accept myself. As I grew in awareness and ability to accept myself I found a new power. The power to accept the things that I could not change so that I could begin to change the things I could change.
As I grew in self-acceptance I gained the ability to change the things that I could change. In the process, my life took on new meaning. Instead of continuing to buy into the notion that I was my brain injury, I discovered my creative capacity. The creative capacity to now follow my dreams in ways that would work for me. The ability to define and own my own identity, as an individual living with a brain injury; but not by my brain injury.
We are Not Our Limitations
What I discovered helped me to realize that I no longer had to be limited by my limitations. What I discovered helped me to realize that change could come in my mind, body, spirit, and emotions. What I discovered served to give me hope. What I discovered helped me to realize that although my life was impacted by a brain injury I could experience freedom. A freedom to be me. A freedom to follow the dreams. Dreams that I once thought were out of my reach. Dreams that I could achieve by learning to use my gifts, talents, and abilities in ways that would work for me. Dreams that I could achieve by not giving up. Dreams that I could achieve by trusting the process, a loving God and myself. Dreams that would become real with time.
You have my permission to share my articles and or video presentations with anyone you believe could benefit, however, I maintain ownership of the intellectual property AND my articles, video presentations and eBooks are not to be considered OPEN SOURCE. Please also provide a link back to Second Chance to Live. In the event that you have questions, please send those questions to me. All questions are good questions. I look forward to hearing from you. More Information: Copyright 2007 -2019.
I DID SEE SOME OF THIS EARLIER TODAY CRAIG!