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Resources for TBI Survivors and Their Families

I wanted to create a space that could provide real help for you or your loved one. TBIs are complex with wide-reaching and long-lasting affects. Below I have done my best to touch upon, things I think are especially important to understand. It's critical to approach and view your journey with a lot of softness and kind eyes. You just have to remember, every day is a fresh start - have faith!

After any kind of brain injury, these are the most important things to keep in mind.

01

Remember that someone with a brain injury is a person first.

02

No two injuries are exactly the same.

03

The effects of a TBI are complex and vary a ton from person to person.

04

The effects of the injury depend on factors such as cause, location, and severity.

REMEMBER: 

Be patient with yourself. Sometimes you can feel like you're missing out and want to rush things, which can hinder you. Trust your timing. Trust your gut. Take a moment to get clear about your vision and take it one day at a time. Soon you'll look back and be so proud of how far you've come.

Want to understand your brain or injury better?

Our brains are so magnificent and complex. They control everything from our ability to walk and talk to basic functions we don't even think about like breathing and keeping our hearts pumping. Our brains are responsible for us being able to speak, process and remember information, make decisions, and feel emotions; they control and contribute to every aspect of our lives. And even though they all perform the same functions, every brain is unique, ever-changing, and extremely sensitive to its environment.

 

Any kind of injury to the brain can have wide reaching affects. I've included some diagrams that clearly show the brain and its functions to try and help you understand your brain or an injury a little bit better.

BRAIN MODEL.tif

Brain Stem Functions:

  • Breathing

  • Arousal

  • Consciousness

  • Heart Rate

  • Sleep & Wake Cycles

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The brain stem controls the body’s involuntary functions that are essential for survival, such as breathing and heart rate.

Frontal Lobe Functions:

  • Attention 

  • Concentration

  • Self-Monitoring

  • Organization

  • Expressive Language (Speech)

  • Motor Planning & Initiation

  • Awareness of Abilities

  • Awareness of Limitations

  • Personality

  • Mental Flexibility

  • Inhibition of Behavior

  • Emotions

  • Problem Solving

  • Planning

  • Judgment

​

An injury to the frontal lobes may affect an individual’s ability to control emotions, impulses, and behavior or may cause difficulty recalling events or speaking.

Temporal Lobe Functions:

  • Memory

  • Understanding Language (Receptive Language)

  • Sequencing

  • Hearing

  • Organization​

​

An injury to the temporal lobes may lead individuals to demonstrate difficulty with communication or memory.

Parietal Lobe Functions:

  • Sense of Touch

  • Spatial Perception (Depth Perception)

  • Identification of Sizes, Shapes, Colors

  • Visual Perception​

​

Individuals who have injured their parietal lobes may have trouble with their five primary senses.

Occipital Lobe Functions:

  • Vision

​

An injury to one’s occipital lobes may lead to trouble seeing or perceiving the size and shape of objects. 

Cerebellum Functions:

  • Balance & Coordination

  • Skilled Motor Activity

  • Visual Perception​

​

An injury to the cerebellum may affect balance, movement, and coordination. 

The functional sections (lobes) of the brain are also categorized by side. And while they may appear identical, they aren't the same and don't control the same functions (that I've detailed below). It's also important to remember that the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, while the left side of the brain controls the right side of the body.

BRAIN MODEL 2.tif

Left-Sided Traits:

  • Analytical

  • Logical

  • Precise

  • Organized

  • Detached

  • Literal

​

Injuries of the left side of the brain can cause:

  • Difficulties understanding language (receptive language)

  • Difficulties in speaking or verbal output (expressive language)

  • Catastrophic reactions (depression, anxiety)

  • Difficulty speaking

  • Impaired logic

  • Sequencing difficulties

  • Decreased control over right-sided body movements

Right-Sided Traits:

  • Creative

  • Imaginative

  • Intuitive

  • Conceptual

  • Empathetic

  • Figurative

​

Injuries of the right side of the brain can cause:

  • Visual-spatial impairment

  • Visual memory deficits

  • Left neglect (inattention to the left side of the body)

  • Decreased awareness of deficits

  • Altered creativity and music perception

  • Loss of “the big picture” type of thinking

  • Decreased control over left-sided body movements

When you're in the thick of it, it's hard to know where to look...or who to go to for advice. I have complied a list of resources below that will be helpful in any stage of your journey. Whether you or your loved one have just experienced a TBI, and you're trying to find resources to figure it all out…or you're a survivor who wants to better understand what happened and find support – there are resources to help! And please always feel free to reach out to me, as this is something I’m so passionate about, I’m happy to help in any way I can!

Resources

This is really the national brain injury information center – I would say they have the most comprehensive resources out there. You can find everything from basic TBI info (including diagnosis, treatments, and FAQ) to a robust and active community. They even have a whole section of their website dedicated to education for survivors, caregivers, and professionals. This place has it all!

This is a great resource if you’re looking for raw data. It looks at TBIs at large across the US, but also has a lot of good factual information. It goes over both mild TBIs and concussions to moderate/severe. It has some wonderful, user-friendly workbooks and videos for the public.

This has great resources with sections specifically geared to those with a TBI, caregivers, professionals, military & veterans, and children with TBIs. For each category it has a lovely range of both explanations, management advice, support, and resources.

If you are feeling overwhelmed, this is a good site with very clear bullet points and links to other resources. This is especially helpful if you’re looking or need to make decisions about caregiving and/or rehabilitation centers.

If you are looking to find a physical therapist anywhere in the US, this is the best website.

Great source for military and veterans – especially those looking to seek treatment.

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SUNRISE THE JOURNAL

Don’t go it alone! I created the Sunrise Journal to help guide you through your recovery experience. This journal gives you daily prompts to help you navigate your TBI experience better. This journal is a safe space full of daily prompts and inspiration. Please remember to be kind to yourself, and remember you're healing.

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