Glad to find this site
 

I am a 57yr old male, and was involved in a "minor" vehicle accident. The airbags deployed and the resulting impact gave me a concussion. Over my life, I have had several concussions(sports and lifestyle) and like any other male, took the advice of the Dr. and waited for my headaches to subside and brain to heal. That was 5yrs ago. Today, after severe bouts of depression, cognitive impairments and a complete change of personality, I have been diagnosed with TBI/PCS. I still struggle with cognitive problems, daily "out of sync" feelings and everything related to PCS. For those recent victims of PCS, please accept the assistance of the the people here. I am just new here, but have learned I am not alone on this journey. I will be coming here frequently to learn more and share some things I hope others can learn from. I made alot of mistakes over my 5 yrs, but am now getting the proper help. One thing which has helped me, other than meds, has been Cranial-sacral massage, given by an RMT specializing in TBI.
Thanks for being here and I will be back frequently now.

Welcome to neurotalk. :) You found the right place.

Hey Paul - I am in Canada as well.. In ontario... whereabouts did you find the cranial sacral massage by RMT? Would love to get this as well...

Cranial-Sacral massage
 

Camyam,
Where in Ontario are you? I will have to check for the website to give to you. I do know alot of RMT's throughout Ont. have the qualifications. I will find the website again and send to you.

Thank you
 

Yes, I do believe it is good to be able to talk with those experiencing the same thing as you. Sharing common experiences gives new insites to what is occurring with yourself.
Thanks EsthersDoll

I'm in barrie Paul, but have no problem heading to Toronto....

What is Cranial Sacral Massage? Cranial Sacral Therapy and Osteopathic Manipulative Therapy ( newer more specific for of CST) have been mentioned and discussed here many times.

Have you had your skull plates 'read' or diagnosed?

or was this a spine massage and manipulative treatment?

What is an RMT? Reiki Master Teacher? Registered Massage Therapist? Registered Medical Technologist?

CS massage info
 

No need to go to TO. If you need or want this, I can give you the name of my Therapist. *private message me* your phone ** and I will contact you after I talk with her.

Cranial-Sacral massage
 

Mark,
As both of us are "new" to this site, we are not as aware of past discussions as what you are. I mentioned it purely as something which is helping ME at this moment. I believe this is what this site is about. Passing on helpful info to others. This may not be for everyone, but it is an option available to others. An RMT in Canada is a Registered Massage Therapist who is recognized by the prov. and fed. authorities as well as the medical community.

I did not mean to be offensive. I was just asking for more info. My online search only found Reiki Master Teacher associated with Cranial Sacral. But I did not find a definition of Cranial Sacral Massage. I was guessing about Registered Massage Therapist because I did not find that associated with Cranial Sacral Massage.

Use of abbreviations and short hand as in those used in smart phone texting is foreign to many of us.

So, what do they do in Cranial Sacral Massage? Is it just another name for Cranial Sacral Therapy or Osteopathic Manipulative Technique? Or is it a special massage technique used by massage therapists?

I suggest alternative definitions because often people will give a generalized definition or description that is just as puzzling.

Cranial Sacral Therapy or Osteopathic Manipulative Technique has been discussed. The skull plate reading and plate adjusting is highly controversial. Any attempt to manipulate the skull plates is questionable for someone with a concussion history.

The spinal manipulation techniques of CST/OMT can be very helpful as many with concussions have also suffered spinal injuries.

Hi Mark,

I've had Cranial Sacral Massage before and it's a gentle form of massage centered around the spine and from what I understand about it, it has to do with balancing the energies or circulation between the head and the bottom of the spine and everything along that path - the spinal column, where the CSF flows. :)

http://regenerate-now.com/faq-what-i...al-system.html

Mark
You were not offending me, and to answer your questions;
in Canada, an RMT is a qualified massage therapist, and the cranial massage I mentioned is part of cranial-sacral therapy. As it took 3 years to actually diagnose me correctly, I have had quite a struggle. Iam not capable of exerting myself without incurring pain and I am not functioning as " normal" anymore. Loss of both physical and mental abilities has taken quite a toll on me, given I relied on one or the other for all of my working life. Depression, anger and frustration is now a daily occurrance I am trying to cope with. Do you have any suggestions on coping strategies I might use(other than drugs)? Has anyone been dealing with this LONGER than 1-2 yrs have any suggestions?

Hi Paul in Canada,

The issue with anger and especially depression is well known to me. There are a number of things besides drugs that might be of some benefit to you.

I don´t know how you currently cope with your TBI related issues, but I can mention a few things that have helped me or others:


1) Breathing techniques are a way to make you more relaxed when bouts of anger surface. These techniques calm the body and reduces stress levels:

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART00521...exercises.html


2) Art therapy for depression is an interesting approach in getting out feelings of anger and despair and can be done at home by anyone:

http://www.nursingschools.net/blog/2...body-and-soul/

http://www.ehow.com/video_7876588_ar...epression.html [short video]


3) I often listen to relaxing music on youtube, where rain forest sounds and thunderstorms are amongst my favorites:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_Wey...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8iip...eature=related


4) A self help book that has helped many people cope with depression is "Feeling Good" by David D. Burns. It didn´t do much for me but many people benefited from this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Feeling-Good-T...5377401&sr=8-3


5) Lastly we have cognitive behavioral therapy done by psychologists or brain injury support groups run by volunteers that might also benefit.


-GlassHead

I'm going on 21 months here after the concussion I sustained. Luckily, I was properly diagnosed with a concussion from the beginning. Unfortunately, I also had a rare complication called IICP (Increased Intracranial Pressure) that seriously prolonged my recovery and may have actually damaged my brain worse than the initial concussion (although there is no way to quantify that theory.)

I didn't really start to improve until the IICP was relieved six months after the concussion - before then, I got much worse.

It's been a slow and long process. I still struggle mentally and physically every day and I was a very productive, over-achieving and active individual who also relied on both my mental and physical faculties for my career and general well-being.

I had several months of speech therapy that helped improve my speech and cognitive functioning. I also had several months of physical therapy that helped reduce the pain I was in. I was in an auto accident and the accident gave me the concussion which caused the IICP and bulging disks in my neck and exacerbated some shoulder pain that I had years before but was completely under control for years before the accident.

I continue to improve - so I try to focus on that. My boyfriend will remind me that I haven't experienced any plateaus yet during my recovery, so that is really something to be grateful for and it's a clear indication that I will continue to improve.

I have better days emotionally when I'm not over-fatigued; so I really try hard not to over-do it. I try to pay attention to my body when it says I need to rest. I used to be very active, so this is still difficult for me to do. But I feel better when I do. I try to recognize when I might be getting overstimulated and I try to remove myself from whatever the source is so I can let my brain rest.

I am the kind of person that likes to be productive. So watching TV doesn't really make me feel good about myself. I try to do little projects, like sewing and coloring, so I can see results of my time spent resting. Resting doesn't have to mean laying down on a bed in the quiet when it's dark. It can just mean allowing my brain to not be over-stimulated.

I also find great help by speaking to a therapist weekly. I never understood how helpful that could be - I never really needed it before this accident. So, it's made a world of difference and I highly recommend finding a therapist that you trust to help you deal with the depression, anger and frustration. It's not easy.

Also, try to work on accepting that this has happened to you. It will help you to move forward in your life. That's what I'm trying to do...

And be compassionate and patient with yourself. You've undergone a major trauma and you need adequate time to understand what the results of that trauma are and to accept it. You need to go through the emotional pain in order to get through it - does that make sense? It's completely natural.

And I find comfort in calming my brain and resting it through mantra meditation. There are many kinds of meditation though - and mantra meditation might not be the right kind for everyone recovering from a brain injury - especially those who experience mental "loops" - I don't suffer from those so I can turn the mantra off when I'm done, but people who experience "loops" might have a lot of trouble doing that.