TBI Recovery Advice

I hope that none of you reading this are suffering from a tbi (traumatic brain injury) but after my recent progress I was inspired to share my experience with you on the off chance that it may be helpful to someone.

First, a quick disclaimer. This is only my personal experience and your results may vary. Always consult with your doctor before starting anything new. 

Now on to my advice. I have started noticing that after I have been exercising repetively and intensely for six days a week, and walking with my walker for five days a week, that my brain is finally starting to wake up and reconnect again. 

I cannot even express to you how overjoyed I feel to be back in control of my recovery. I am no longer a passive prisoner of my health conditions. I don't have to just accept my fate and think that I will never get any better. I must continue exercising intensely six days a week for the rest of my life. It will not be easy, but it will be worth it. 

I must continue doing the repetitive action which I want to retrain my brain to do. I also don't want to allow it to go dormant again and lose all of my hard earned progress. 

Now the part that you have been waiting for. Firstly, after reading a book given to me by my uncle Richard (my mom's younger brother) about brain plasticity, I started doing a mental visualization technique where you visualize the outcome of the thing that you want.

I started off just telling myself that I will have a good exercise session. I noticed about a 10% increase of good things happening for me. However, I refined my technique even further. For example, when my arms and legs wouldn't cooperate with me, I started to image myself floating on the elliptical machine on the top of a cloud.

In addition to this mental visualization technique, I started to mentally picture each individual part of my body and I started commanding it to work. I didn't ask it politely to work or beg, negociante or plead with it to work. I simply don't give myself room for failure. 

This technique doesn't last forever. My body eventually gives out. However, I have noticed a huge improvement in my mind and body working together. At first, I didn't understand what was going on. I was just happy that it was working. 

I did some research, from everything that I have been reading, it turns out that mentally visualizing the outcome that you want, not only releases positive chemicals in your brain. It also allows you to will a particular outcome into existence. 

By commanding my body to work w me and not against me, I am activating neural pathways in my brain that allow things to work together. 

Additionally, when you mentally visualize something, your brain activates the neural pathways as if you were actually doing the action even if you never physically do it. I won't lie to you, I dismissed all this as hippie, new age stuff that could never work. 

However, intense, repetitive working out releases a chemical in the brain which scientists have nicknamed fertilizer for the brain. It repairs damaged neural pathways and additionally, it has been shown to protect against Alzheimer's disease. It is only released when you do enough exercise to break a sweat. The experts recommend that you do 120 minutes of any form of exercise which allows you to break a sweat. Currently, I am doing at least triple that. 

That was until it really started working for me. I am a believer now. I don't truly, fully understand what is happening. I just know that something positive is going on. I have also been seeing a chiropractor who has been doing all kinds of adjustments on me and giving me a ton of pills, potions and supplements. I don't understand any of it. However, I do believe that it is working. I am also doing red light therapy. Finally, I am taking the last minute of my daily shower, ice cold. I don't enjoy it but it is supposed to naturally boost the dopamine levels in your brain. That is the chemical that gives you motivation, reward, drive and happiness Again, I don't understand it all and I don't know that it will make a difference but it won't hurt me either. 

Til next time, Tyler