Healing a Traumatic Brain Injury
Going through a scarring experience such as suffering a Traumatic Brain Injury can be life-altering. No matter what part of life you’re in, it can bring suffering, grief, anxiety, depression, irritability, & many other mental & physical symptoms. I have made this blog post for survivors of a TBI, a loved one of a TBI survivor, and/or anyone interested in learning a little bit about Traumatic Brain Injuries & how they can affect us.
I was 15 years old when I got into a car accident that caused my Traumatic Brain Injury. It not only caused severe anxiety, but it led me to grief & loss. I had no idea what a headache felt like, let alone a migraine. I never knew what it was like to have so much mental & physical pain. I couldn’t figure out who I was anymore. In this blog post, I will be sharing with you:
What I have developed & created for survivors of a TBI
My TBI story to offer comfort & support
I Have Created A Guide to Healing for Survivors of a TBI
Although every brain injury & healing process is different, we all suffer a loss of who we were before our injury. We all feel a loss of connection within ourselves. We will never be the same person.
Every story is different & unique; that is why I created a Guide to Healing for survivors. This guide provides support, practices, habits, & strategies to go deep into your mind to awaken healing. It has one part designated to your mental health & how to heal your mind after suffering a painful experience & another part for your physical health. I have implemented the same self-improvement & self-healing strategies to help heal my brain injury.
This guide includes how to accept the healing process, how you can heal & grow from it, how to calm the mind, how to deal with all the emotions & relax the body, along with many other habits & practices that helped me relieve my anxiety & sadness while also helping me understand my true purpose in this life. I want to help TBI survivors & provide them with a support system. Get my Guide to Healing to start healing your mind & body in gentle & effective ways!
My Story
I would like to tell you what I was like before my TBI. I was a young girl in high school, clueless about what I wanted to do in life, I just knew I was going to be successful in some way. I was thinking about where I wanted to go to college & how I could be happy living my life, but I knew my life path might look a little different (I’m more on the unconventional side- still am lol!) I knew I was going to do something different from others career-wise. My intelligence & appearance were what gave me value & confidence at that time. I had no idea what was in store for me.
I was in a car accident while headed to school when I suffered a TBI. I didn’t know it at the time, but my life was flipped upside down. Luckily it was only my head that sustained an injury. I was not educated on concussions at the time & as I went back to school the next day, the lights bothered me. I couldn’t see the whiteboard in front of me. I was anxious to be around people.
Soon my symptoms turned into severe anxiety & sadness, & along came a lot of migraines. Most doctors I went to told me to get back to my normal life! I didn’t understand how they could tell me that when I physically couldn’t. No one knew who we were before, what activities we did, or what type of life we led except for the people closest to us. I couldn’t figure out how to properly heal.
When my family finally found Madonna Rehabilitation Center, a weight was lifted off our shoulders. I still remember my first appointment with the doctor. He looked at me & asked how I was doing & how I felt. Surprisingly, that was the first time a doctor or therapist looked into my eyes & asked me how I was doing. I remember crying & feeling so relieved.
My school at the time was not supportive or nearly educated enough to help accommodate me in school. We had a very hard time relaying to them that my head injury was just as serious as a sports-related injury. I went through many forms of therapy for a few months. I was out of school for my whole second semester of sophomore year. I felt a sense of loneliness. I began to feel a void within myself.
My therapists at Madonna were so nice to be around, so that helped me get through. Since I was at Madonna so much for a few months straight, I began to gain a new perspective. I saw how many other children suffered from brain injuries & how lucky I was to be able to heal. I was lucky to be able to walk & talk & be able to do mostly, all the same things when I was healed. The scripture, Romans 8:18 also popped into my life a lot! I believe a higher power & the universe were sending me signs in the form of scripture- I don’t even read the Bible, but that message will always stick with me. At that time, I have received signs before from nature, but nothing like this. It was like they were physically telling me, “Hold on & be patient, we got you.”
By the time I was finished with my sophomore year, I also got to leave therapy! I was so excited, but I didn’t realize how much more healing I had to do. Mentally, I had a lot of work to do, but I was in high school. I wanted to enjoy my high school years & that is exactly what I did. I decided I didn’t want to go to college & I wanted to do something to help people.
I created Aligned Soul, my wellness business, & this Guide to Healing for anyone who needs help within themselves. I am providing you with support, tools, habits, practices, & strategies to help better your everyday life, so you can be fulfilled! I want all people to feel happiness & relief. I want to be able for people to learn their true value- not the possessions we own & the body we have, but instead, for what we actually contribute to the world. You are able to provide the relief you need to yourself with these practices, habits, & strategies! We are all able to be awakened & aligned with our true selves!
I am so grateful my life path has led me to where I am today. To update you on my healing journey with my TBI- I still have migraines, but I am using many practices to help them not be as painful & often for me. I still think about my accident from time to time, but fear doesn't engulf me anymore. It’s comfort. I know I used my trauma to better myself. My resilience & will to keep pushing to reach my dreams in life is still the same drive I have today. I will always strive to be a kind & compassionate individual no matter what service I am creating for others & I hope this has given you a glimmer of hope to keep pushing too. You got this!