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Recovery Strategy: Confusion A few years after my brain injury, I realized that I often had three day periods of confusion. This happened suddenly every few months. Lying in a quiet room was the only safe activity. I would get very frightened and believe the setback would be permanent. Limiting my activities didn't help. One day, I began to wonder if these three day periods of confusion were actually part of the healing process because I improved after each one. I began to wonder when the next one would occur and to be grateful when it happened. I relaxed into my confusion and imagined my brain healing. Then, I developed my own personal, unscientific explanation of what happens to me during each of those three day periods. I decided that my injured brain has two primary goals: 1) to stay alive, and 2) to repair its damaged processing system. The repair involves corrections to my processing system minute by minute. Every once in a while, so many corrections have accumulated that my brain needs to rearrange and condense them for greater efficiency. Each reorganization must take about three days. The reorganization requires so much energy that I must be shut down except for breathing, heartbeat, etc. Since my unnecessary brain functions do not receive energy, I am suddenly too confused to do simple things. If I rest during these periods of confusion, I imagine that more of my energy can be directed to my brain for this important healing work. Several more years have gone by. My periods of confusion are not as deep or as long. Still, I know that my brain will send the signal of confusion when it's time to slow down for a while. I still imagine that healing work is being done by my brain while I rest. |
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