To PCS Mc GeeThanks for the heads up in regards to the Hypnotherapy. You are correct in that a person needs to be in a stable enviroment before they even start this type of inner healing work and that it is very unwise to go playing around in your sub conscious mind alone. You need to create a safe zone before you even start this or you could end up in Lolli Pop land. Your intuition is a key player in this healing process from a TBI/PCS and yes it is very wise to follow it's leading when your dealing with these type of internal emotional injuries.

*I was involved in intercessory prayer for years and you must use a great deal of discernment and caution when your dealing with emotions [Trauma] and a persons sub conscious mind or you could end up in one of those black holes of depression causing more harm then you started with. Like yourself I have experinced that and it's not a good place to go so I'm being very cautious when it come to treatment/healing of the brain.

I learned from my neurpyscologist that the brain will go through it's natural healing process within 2 years and after that point the person will have to start the relearning process creating new channels in the brain to process information.

Neurofeedback seems like part of the solution as the brain waves are rebalanced in the brain you can then start the relearning as it is very difficult to learn or create new neuro transmitters or channels when you are in pain as the pain must be dealt with first. Example try learning something new when you have a migrainheadache.

What I'm seeing is the healing process or treatment is in 3 parts. 1.The brain waves need to be rebalanced in order for the brain to start the relearning process to start2. The pain: chronic fatigue, chronic pain which is the nerve damage, depression, migraine headaches ect need to be healed/treated as they are the symptoms that the brain is sending you as red flages that something in hurt/ injured in the brain3. The cause is the TBI or emotional trauma that the brain is frozen into and this is a natural instinct from the brain to save ones life.

The brain does not know that the treat or danger is no longer present and because the symptom are still present chronic pain and nerve damage ect, the brain is doing what is hard wired to do to survive. Self Preservation.From what little re search I've done on TBI/PCS is that the Trauma will need to be treated and the emotions from the trauma released from the body / mind. This may need to be done in an controlled enviroment and in incremental steps as not to re injure the damage part of the brain.

Going through the learning curve and it's a Big One.

What is cellular release therapy and how does it work?

I had about 10 session of message therapy when I was first injured and this seemed to help but I know that the is still a great deal of nerve damage to the muscle tissue that need to be corrected.

Thanks for your feed back Mc Gee

Jeffn

PCS McGee, I have not watched the videos yet, but everything you have learned makes sense to me. I am approaching the six month mark of my accident and I was wondering if my brain was somehow preventing me from returning to cycling. I didn't think think the crash itself had left me traumatized and I didn't have any nightmares about it, but did suffer from anxiety for a while and thought it was due to all the circumstances, like the criminal elements involved and then I didn't really get any justice.

But mainly, the first thought that went through my mind as I was thrown onto the car was "am I going to die". Now my next though as I heard the sound of metal scrapping - and this is weird under the circumstances - was
"this is really going to mess up my bike". Now I think this prevented me from thinking about my family, which would have been too overwhelming. Anyway, my injuries weren't that bad and when I tied to move on my concussion symtoms got much worse, therefore there must be some connection with the subconcious mind.

Also, it's weird that you mentioned dog attacks as I was bitten by a huge German Shepherd almost exactly four years prior to this accident while on a bike ride. That time I didn't crash and was back to riding two days later, but did have nightmares about it for a while and am now afraid of large dogs.

PCS McGee, just another thought, in my opinion some of what you said here seems to go hand in hand with what Barry Willer is doing with the regulated exercise. I guess if athletes can work in a controlled environment and just below their threshhold of returning symtoms then their brains are able to overcome the fear and death threat and self regulate. Does that make sense or am I over-simplyfying?

Also, do you think that because you were out partying and having a good time when you got your concussion your subconscious mind now keeps you for having fun?

PCS Mcgee and Jeffn - your combined knowledge on all of this amazes me - I am beginniing to feel like the poor relation! I am going to have a sleep before I respond - I managed to trip over a large stone - maybe if I called it a small rock it would sound less silly and went splat on the ground this morning -spared my head though this time - which is a promising sign - was just beginning to feel inspired again too!!!! I look forward to hearing some good news about this - and I might do some saving (joke) and get myself over to Australia to try it at the same place as my QEEG. And PCSMcgee I didn't think that you merely woke up after being unconcious - then stood up perfeclty dressed, hair done, and were perfect - I am blonde but not that blonde ! These jolly icons still won't go where I want them!!! Lynlee

While I'm perfectly capable of experiencing comfort and contentment in bits and pieces, you're right in saying that I can't have "fun" at this point (at least not the big, loud, obnoxious, crazy fun that I did in the years before my injury... and that's the kind of fun that I prefer )

I think two things are at play here: As a result of the residue of my fall that still lays over my conscious mind, my personality is generally more flat than it was before this happened. I've gotten a lot of my wit back in the past 10 months, and people always tell me "but you're so smart" when I tell them about what's going on with me, but a piece of my capacity for mayhem and ridiculousness just isn't with me right now. That said, this could be explained just as easily by my ongoing pain and psychological trauma as it could be by any unresolved physical damage that my brain might be holding on to.

In fact, considering my specific symptomatology, I have absolutely no doubt that the psychological component of my problems is the key to getting my life back to the place it was before all of this happened (or at least to the area of lucidity and contentment that I enjoyed before my fall). It wasn't at all apparent until 2 years had passed after my initial fall, but I absolutely have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, it's an irrefutable fact.

Whenever I go out to see my friends, or go to a bar, or even sometimes when I just talk to my friends on the phone, my body loses its connection with its surroundings and all of the pain in my head clenches up like a fist (a lot of other stuff happens that I won't get into, but the key component for understanding my situation is that while the pain in my head is a constant, it becomes activated and amplified by social interaction, going to bars... really, anything that reminds my body of the night I fell). It's just very clear to me that a critical portion of my psyche is still living within April 25, 2003.

More than anything, I believe that this disconnection from the present is what disallows me from having fun (though obviously being triggered by seeing my friends doesn't help). After all, true fun happens when you're living in the moment, and that's exactly what I'm incapable of doing right now.

PCS McGee, thank you so much for sharing this with us. Sorry, I have never been much of a writer, I find it hard to put my thoughts on paper (to the dismay of my family in Germany). Luckily phone rates to Europe have gone down dramatically, ha. But anyway, I think you are doing us all a great service by posting your experiences and possible therapies and might prevent those of us who are still early in this PCS from longtime suffering.

Thank you all so much for all of this. I have just had the opportunity to sit and concentrate and read this. Since tripping over that stupid stone last week I have been a "bit out of it" - real nuisance. I would be keen to look at hynotherapy before neurofeed back - however from the sounds of things I would have to be very careful. At the moment I seem to have a fragile balance with coping to work my 3 hours, not giving in to depression etc etc. With my best energy brain time going into maintaining my job it is hard fitting in time to study any thing else. So thank you again, Lynlee

To all those interested in neurofeedback.

I picked up the book Getting Starts with Neurofeedback by John Demos last night as I had to order this book not on the shelf and I'm in the process of doing my first read. Excellent informational guild for those interested in Neurofeedback and how the brain works.

Quote" What is neurofeedback ? It is a comprehensive system that promotes change at the cellular level of the brain and empowers the client to use his or her mind as a tool for healing. Neurofeedback training combines the principles of complementary medicine with the power of electronics. Neurofeedback is founded on computer technology joined with auxiliary equipment that can measure the metabolic activity of the cerebral cortex."

The book is written for clinicians as a technical study guide so it's kind of heavy but well written and understandable to the layman like myself.

Learning the technical langauge, how the brain works, what parts of the brain are effected with TBI/PCS the assessment process the symptoms and setting up the protocol for re training the effect part of the brain. I have a lot of home work to do and this study is going to take some time.

Having the correct information, the technical langauge, and the understanding of how this therapy works is important. Creating a base line to start from, establishing realistic goals , clinical assessment and knowing how to read your assessment and setting up a treatment and therapy plan to reach your goals.

It looks to me like there is a great deal of home work, study, information gathering and research to be done before you start the therapy/ treatment process. I'm being a turtle here as I'm more interested in long term results then a short term fix that does not work. Starting with the end results in mind.

PCS Mc Gee, you may find this resource book helpful if you decide to try neurofeedback therapy.

Thank you for starting the post I have learned a great deal here from all who have posted. Learning

OK:Back to work I HAVE A BRIAN TO REBUILD Jeffn

Hm, I have not heard any cases of people going into "la la land" after using a Neurofeedback device, but after dealing with headaches and all the other symptoms for over 15 years, it's well worth it to me. Also, I'd rather entrust myself and my girlfriend to do any kind of brain exercise, (she will be helping me connect the device) way more than even the most qualified hypnotherapist. My equipment should be arriving at my house soon, along with my assessment which determines which part of my brain needs work, if any.

I am going to start a in depth online journal to post about my progress, I will put a link in this forum once it is setup and has an entry or two.

Thanks guys, best of luck to everyone.
-Dave

I am going to document my experience with Neurofeedback so tune in, if you like. Here's the link to my Neurofeedback blog. I posted pictures of my stage one assessment.


http://www.strandland.com/neurofeedback/

Thanks,
-Dave