Spirit, Mind, & Body Resources for Making Neurochoices
The Creation and Maintenance of Wellness by Dr. Charlotte A. Tomaino
Psychology
Treating clients with brain dysfunction became a passion for me after my older sister suffered a brain injury that changed the course of life for me and for my family. The pain of this event was a driving force in my career; I moved from focusing on learning disabilities to developing my own model for treating brain trauma—one that could go beyond the limits we experienced in seeking care for my sister. Although my life's biggest unwanted challenge, this event has been my greatest source of growth and has enabled me to impart a perspective to others that I would not otherwise have to offer.
It is important to me that you know that everything in this book is real. All the neuropsychological brain functions and brain images explained here are the basis for the brain rehabilitation methods I use to assist patients in my office. All the stories of clients who have succeeded in achieving improvement in cognitive, emotional, and behavioral change are true events, just with new names. The stories from my own life that I have included here were selected to convey specific real-life experiences of brain function that over time I have used to provide a sense of hope to the clients who seek this information. The single most profound message that I have repeatedly received from those patients who have persisted in their recovery and achieved their goals is that, if they were given the option of the brain injury, they would do it again because of all they learned and ways they grew.
At first this was hard to comprehend. The pain and struggle involved are not desirable. But slowly, my patients showed me the specific ways that, because of this intense journey, they had acquired the "pearl of great price" in what they each had achieved. Each person who has said this has reached a place in themselves that was not accessible to them and now is treasured. When you are in the midst of a huge challenge, expanding your abilities and letting go of the past, it isn't usually possible to confidently state that perspective. But many patients who have gone through this "dark night" have been transformed in the process. They have achieved health, skills, inner peace, awareness, and a lifestyle where they have found expansion. They have found their inner strength and clarity about what is really important to them in life.
©Tomaino, Charlotte (2012). Awakening the Brain.
New York:Simon & Schuster.