Learnings

One of my favorite groups that I’ve attended at KBIC (David Krempels Brain Injury Center) over the years was a long running emotional support group named Transitions. The group was focused on how members handled change. It always amazed me that while the conversation often centered on the sudden upheaval of a survivor’s life after brain injury, our discussions usually centered on the inevitable ebbs and flows of life in our modern world. Whether it was aging, grief, relationships or even simply the weather, difficulty with change seemed to be a human theme. Accepting the discomfort of change and embracing the possibility of the novel being more gratifying than the routine, even when it means giving up the security of familiar, but destructive patterns has become my biggest challenge.   

I’ve got one school saying that the key to satisfaction and internal peace is keen awareness of the world in which I live while another instructs that I’m actually existing in a mirage with the only realm that matters being an invisible or spiritual one.

Originally intended at filling a void in societal knowledge, each March highlights research, prevention and aids available to brain injury survivors, their families, and caregivers. 

How further reflection on the answer to a common question from various audiences shows my biggest challenge has evolved over time.

Well St. Francis, is it that being recovered that allows one to aid another, or does aiding someone else’s journey boost recovery?  

So what possible need does an internal voice which undermines and shames meet? And furthermore, as the internal dialogue serves to diminish quality of life; what should be done instead? Let’s look at both these questions individually…