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Residue of Trauma
“I dream about blood.” That’s how Erin Maynard, Acting President and CEO of PTSD Survivors of America, begins her tragic story, “I Killed a Man and I Want to Die.” In 2008, she unintentionally drove over and killed a pedestrian on the Long Island Expressway. Maynard was heading home from her job as an editorial aide when she felt a “thump” below her car. That “thump” changed her life. That “thump” reverberates throughout her story. Maynard tells it to us straight, bares her soul on the page with stunning courage. Her story is so powerful, and...
read moreLearning Accommodations After a Brain Injury
Join me, Donna O’Donnell Figurski, from Another Fork in the Road, and Juliet Madsen, a military veteran who sustained a traumatic brain injury in 2004 when her convoy was hit by a roadside bomb, on the brain injury radio network this Sunday August 2nd at 830 pm Eastern Standard Time. Many survivors of a brain injury struggle with cognitive decline. We will discuss the various learning accommodations available after a TBI. Feel free to call in during the show with comments and questions at: (424) 243-9540.
read moreMindfulness Meditation for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injuries
Do you have post-traumatic stress disorder? A traumatic brain injury? Both? If so, and you can’t seem to rein in the scattered thoughts that disrupt your day-to-day life, you might want to try meditating. Mindfulness meditation – mentally focusing on the present moment – helps alleviate PTSD, and TBI, symptoms. In a study conducted with a large group of marines, researchers had them participate in mindfulness meditation training while monitoring their blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing. Stress-related neuro-chemicals were also...
read moreNeed Inspiration to Play the Fiddle?
Do you need inspiration to play the fiddle (or any instrument)? I’ve been playing the fiddle off-and-on for more than ten years. I used to practice every day, for an hour, sometimes longer. I was obsessed with learning new tunes. But, because of other commitments, that changed. I’m embarrassed to admit how little I’ve practiced over the past few years. Okay, I’ll admit it: once a week, for thirty minutes. Playing the fiddle is not how I earn my living; it’s how I escape everyday stressors. I play because I enjoy it, and do perform in local...
read moreVitamin D Deficiency and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Are you getting enough vitamin D? Low levels have been linked to depression, but researchers are now finding that vitamin D deficiency is also linked to psychiatric illnesses such as post-traumatic stress disorder. Vitamin D is formed from ultraviolet light and regulates calcium and phosphorus in the blood. Both of these minerals are essential for bone growth, and may help protect against cancer and diabetes. We need about fifteen minutes of sunlight a day to get an adequate dose of vitamin D, but wearing sunscreen (which is a good thing)...
read moreI Have Nothing to Write About
When people learn that I am a writer, they say, “I could never write, I have nothing to write about.” But that’s not true. Stories and narratives are everywhere, even in the narrowest cracks and folds of one’s life. If you can listen, you can write. When I worked as a wellness nurse, I visited with more than a dozen residents, eighty or older, at independent living facilities. After checking their vital signs, I asked them if there had been any changes in their medications and health I should know about. Mostly, I listened to them share...
read moreService Dogs for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Are you in need of a service dog? It is well known that people with physical disabilities benefit from service dogs, but emotional support dogs have yet to be scientifically proven to help those with post-traumatic stress disorder. Service dogs are trained to carry out specific tasks like guiding people with vision difficulties across the street, or picking up dropped items. Emotional support dogs provide companionship for those with mental health conditions. They are pets and not trained to do the tasks that service dogs are trained to do....
read moreHow to Write a Risky Personal Essay
Are you a personal essay writer, or an aspiring personal essay writer who is reluctant to write the truth about yourself because you fear others will judge you for your flaws? This past May, I attended the Muse and Marketplace, an annual writing conference held by the Boston based writing center, Grubstreet. The details of many of the workshops are worthy of sharing with you, but, since I’m a personal essay writer and memoirist, one in particular resonated with me: “Writing a Risky Personal Essay.” A poet, journalist,...
read moreBenefits of Being a Military Nurse
Are you interested in entering the nursing profession? If so, you could not have chosen a better time to do so. The fastest growing field in the United States is healthcare, with more than 3.5 million jobs projected to be added to the economy by 2020. One-third of that number will be registered nurses. If you are planning to go to nursing school, you may be interested in one of the more popular specialties: neonatal nursing, midwifery, or critical care. Or maybe you’re interested in military nursing. Nursing School Hub, a website...
read moreDo Omega 3 Supplements Heal a Traumatic Brain Injury?
With a family history of heart disease, I decided to err on the side of caution and started taking omega 3 supplements years ago. I had read that they are good for your heart, and help regulate cholesterol. But I did not know about the greater benefits packed within the glycerin coating. The brain, consisting of more than sixty percent fat, is the fattiest organ in the body. Twenty percent of that number is comprised of an omega 3 fatty acid called DHA, or docosahexanoic adic. DHA is found in the central nervous system and is believed...
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