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Brain Injury, Mindfulness and an Owl

March 19, 2017 by Jeff Sebell 10 Comments

The first years after my brain injury were a time filled with an incredible amount of confusion and despair. I had suddenly lost my skills and abilities; the stuff that defined me, and had no where to turn.

Forty one years ago, when I had my injury, nobody knew anything about brain injury and I felt like a rowboat drifting on the open sea.

I realized that I needed some way to take care of myself and take control of my life. What would I have to do to put my deficits aside so I could move on?

I decided the way to go was to start over as if I were brand-new.

Starting over meant first, that I had to learn all about my new self and my power. Rather than fight it, I saw that I was going to have to learn to actually be the person I was becoming, and, in order to be that person, I was going to have to learn to trust myself and my instincts.

My instincts told me that even though there were things I couldn’t do anymore or do as well due to my brain injury, I was sure there were ways I was better than before.

I chose to focus on my mental power; exploring how the power of my mind had increased even as the cognitive and physical powers of my brain had decreased. I decided to approach my brain injury as though I had been given gifts, and I was on a journey to discover those gifts and use the power of my mind.

Mindfulness

Yesterday I finished John Shearer’s book, “Mindful Actions.” John has a Facebook page, Mindfulness Coach, and his book clearly lays out the benefits of, and the ways to live, a Mindful Life. What makes John’s book really interesting to me is that he is a survivor of traumatic brain injury, and he speaks of the tailspin he went into after experiencing his injury and, in particular, how he was able to help himself by learning to live a Mindful Life and employ Mindulfness daily.

Reading his book made me think about the ways I had approached my brain injury forty one years ago, and had found ways to increase the power of my mind so that I could create a life for myself. John has a lot of great advice in his book, as well as ways to approach life so that we are actually living every moment, and building a life from the simplest beginnings.

In what was a great coincidence, the day I finished his book I saw an owl, a bird that, to me, symbolizes Mindfulness. An owl is a keen observer and assimilator of what is around him.

We all know the phrase, “Wise old owl.”

Seeing an owl in the wild is almost a spiritual event. The owl knows how to focus its energy and be powerful. The owl is purposeful; aware of what is going on around it, reacting to what is happening and doing everything for a purpose.

Discovering My Mind Power

I realized forty one years ago that I could approach my brain injury one of few of ways: 1) I could lament all I had lost, or 2) I could look at this as an opportunity to shape a new life. I chose the second.

I decided I could be whatever person I wanted, and I approached the world in a new way. This not only gave me a greater appreciation for my life, but also the ability to develop a more satisfying way of being.

I learned that I didn’t have to walk around multitasking or being super productive. I didn’t need a ton of money. Instead, I wanted to learn what it takes to be a human being, and I wanted to create a foundation for myself.

I may not have been able to do everything I did before, but I made sure that those things I did and who I was and had meaning.

I didn’t want to waste any actions and I wanted everything I did to have a purpose, so I decided to be very deliberate about how I conducted my life; there were benefits I could gain by learning to focus and simplify.

Brain/Mind

I was able to see a difference between the workings of my brain and my mind, and how my mind: the thinking and reasoning part of me, had not suffered the damage that my brain had. Just because my brain didn’t function the way it used to, it didn’t mean I couldn’t think or reason.

I had value, and my thoughts had value.

To maximize this value, I learned to concentrate on what I could do; I learned how to focus, and not waste any actions or thoughts so I could move ahead and discover my new life.

I equate mindfulness with personal power. Using the power of our mind is about being in action and being very deliberate about that action. Mindfulness starts with us being aware and acknowledging the important things around us, and comes from being purposeful about our life.

John’s book, and our lives, are about finding ways to use what we have been through to seize our power. Nothing is wasted. We can find usefulness in everything. We just need to be open to it.

Thanks for reading, Jeff

Filed Under: Published, Thriving Tagged With: abi, brain, Brain Injury, concussion, health, mindfulness, owl, stroke, TBI, tumor

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Jeff Sebell

Jeff Sebell is a published Author, Speaker and Blogger writing about Traumatic Brain Injury and the impacts of his own TBI which he suffered in 1975 while attending Bowdoin College He has been active in the community since the inception of the NHIF, and was on the founding board of directors of the MA chapter. His book "Learning to Live with Yourself after Brain Injury", was released in August of 2014 by Lash Publishing.

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Comments

  1. B says

    March 20, 2017 at 5:54 pm

    Amen! Thanks for sharing–it helps so much!!

    Reply
  2. Susan Leayr says

    March 20, 2017 at 6:48 pm

    Thank you….I love the owl…this morning we have had rain here after many a month of high temperatures. the joy I experienced when I looked out my kitchen window and saw the raindrops clinging to fine branches of a tree was overwhelming-tiny little spheres hanging on were like little crystals. And the colours have changed from dry ,pale colours to wet, rich colours…..
    Thank you once again

    Reply
  3. Gaya says

    March 21, 2017 at 3:19 am

    Excellent thank you!

    Reply
  4. Cathy Frietsch says

    March 24, 2017 at 8:49 am

    Mindfulness helps me to live in a more calm state of peace- which I must have to exist from day to day. It helps to shift total function from the selfminded panic that so-easily comes with any TBI, or concussion, or even mild head injury (is there such a thing?!). We get so easily distracted, and unless we practice a form of self control OURSELVES, or thinking mechanism, to ASSIST in modern medicine in the process of healing, then we won’t properly do ourselves justice in the overall picture.
    So, yes! A shift in perspective comes through with living a mindset of peaceful coexistence and mindfulness. Turn off the clutter of negativity as well. Namaste. Strength is built up by what you can do, and as Jeff says, what you CAN DO, you can improve upon that. His writing has inspired so many lives. It has changed mine.
    Thank you, Jeff. I am off to go look for the owls. Chuckle.
    Cathy

    Reply
    • Jeff Sebell says

      March 24, 2017 at 7:57 pm

      Thanks for your comment Kathy. I have a feeling you will find your owl.

      Reply
  5. Lisa A. Stuckel says

    April 1, 2017 at 12:39 pm

    Jeff,

    You are truly a gift sent from Above to help others. You are Blessing, for sure!
    Thank you, and I love the owl. What is it’s name??? 🙂

    Lisa

    Reply
    • Jeff Sebell says

      April 2, 2017 at 7:05 am

      Thanks so much Lisa. Never thought of giving the owl a name.

      Reply
  6. Cynthia says

    July 1, 2018 at 6:10 pm

    I just read several of your articles and had to leave a note of thanks to you. 5 years ago I was stopped on the highway behind a stopped car waiting for oncoming traffic to turn. I was rear ended by a pickup going 60. I want to get your book….I have had balance issues, have not driven again because I know I would not be safe regarding reflex etc,, but last night experienced a frightening overload at a restaurant that had loud music playing and dishes and silverware clanging. All of a sudden I felt like I was going crazy, I was seeing flashing colored lights and a throbbing temple area headache. I left with my husband as soon as we could. Since then, I am so tired and don’t know what happened. I had a similar thing at a movie theater where I just started crying with the over stimulation, and dont go to movies anymore……is this a familiar issue to you or anyone?

    Reply
    • Jeff Sebell says

      July 25, 2018 at 11:28 am

      Thank you for your kind words. The feeling that we are going crazy because we feel bombarded and unable to cope is something that can affect a great deal of us. Sitting here reading your comment I was taken back to my own situation. My own feeling is that there is a fine line between feeling crazy and feeling normal, and that it can be crossed easily. You are not alone. I wish you good luck.

      Reply
    • Jamie M says

      November 30, 2018 at 12:13 pm

      See a neurologist you may be having a type of seizure

      Reply

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Jeff Sebell Author and TBI SurvivorJeff Sebell is a published Author, Speaker and Blogger writing about Traumatic Brain Injury and the impacts of his own TBI which he suffered in 1975 while attending Bowdoin College  He has been active in the community since the inception of the NHIF, and was on the founding board of directors of the MA chapter. His book "Learning to Live with Yourself after Brain Injury", was released in August of 2014 by Lash Publishing.

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