Gold MindMeditation Project
(Benefits for fellow
head-injury survivors)
Head-injury is an invisible disability, not easily seen from the
outside like wheelchair or crutches. It is a complex injury to a
complex organ. This condition is a disability known profoundly from
inside and having a wide array of symptoms - different for each survivor. Gold Mind Meditation Project has
the purpose of empowering you to transform your relationship with this condition
and actually thrive: through the power of
mindfulness, bringing bright awareness to what you perceive in the present
moment.
I
speak from personal experience. Returning
to college years ago, I was involved in a serious car accident. Jaws-of-Life
were required to free me from the vehicle, I got a skull fracture and was in a
coma for seven days. My brain swelled in my skull and when I came to I had
amnesia, diplopia (double-vision), and severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). In
an instant I was not who I used to be.
Since
that time I have lived with the challenges of TBI. I struggled to complete my university
degree and to get on with my new life. I graduated from the university and then
within a few years experienced frustrating failure in the loss of several jobs.
Often I was cloudy and very unaware of what I could do or be. My friend who is
an occupational therapist pointed out that this was the direct result of my TBI
and that I could have some say in my own rehabilitation.
TBI
has often been misdiagnosed and thus poorly treated. In top-of-the line and
expensive rehabilitation programs I was taught 'compensatory coping strategies'
for the 'cognitive deficits' of my brain injury. These strategies were
well-intended rehab but fell short of knowing and actually addressing innate well-being.
They didn't work for me; I had to learn that necessary transformation for
myself. In my own explorations I learned
to sift gold (possibilities) from the gravel of my life experiences in order to
find meaning, value and purpose for myself.
Having
the direct experience of the devastation and frustration of this condition, I intend
to share what I've found in my life to be a powerful healing benefit.
I’ve
learned mindfulness meditation
practice also called Insight Meditation.
Learning
this simple practice can enhance your life with satisfaction, way more ease and
smiles. Really! There is light
at the end of the tunnel for each survivor.
Regular
meditation practice has helped me be clear-eyed and mindful, capable of
sustained attention. This training is intended to relieve suffering and
dissatisfaction, freeing the mind of illusions. It grounds us in a sense of
dignified inner wellness, and peace beyond the damages of our trauma and change. This is the golden
path of being authentic to your life now.
Mindfulness
practice can lead to brain healing (neuroplasticity - the brain can heal
itself). I am now choosing to live my life intentionally
and more skillfully, making peace with this malady and finding the healing I
need. You can too. This is the start of a new path!
