From the Editor
By Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief As we move into fall, I feel a sense of relief knowing the air will be less humid and sticky. My favorite season, I think fall teaches us a life lesson. Even though the leaves...
Life Lessons
Lessons Learned from a TBI
By Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief The approaching holidays can be a season of overwhelming activities, exhaustion, and burn-out for many of us. Whether it’s shopping for gifts, planning dinners with family, or traveling to loved-ones’ homes for get-togethers, the experiences...
Life Lessons Learned from a TBI
by Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief Connection. Feeling connected, whether through personal contact or virtual, is so important to our mental health and overall wellbeing. The pandemic made connection a bit of a challenge, but most of us learned how to...
Lessons: July and August
by Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief At the moment I am writing this, the world is slowly beginning to shift back to a sense of normalcy. As vaccination efforts are in full-swing, and folks are able to start seeing friends and...
Life Lessons Learned From a TBI
by Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief I first became a Citizen’s Advocate with the Minnesota Brain Injury Alliance (MNBIA) during the 2016 Legislative session. All the noise and stimulation at the Capitol was a little overwhelming for me at first, but...
The Inauguration of my Life with Traumatic Brain Injury
by JoAnne Silver Jones Inaugurations are times that mark a significant change or achievement, a changing of the guard or the opening of a new structure. For me, the first inauguration of President Obama has bifurcated my life. I...
Life Lessons Learned From a TBI
By Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief Contact. It seems so simple, yet it's so critical to our daily lives. Even introverts and people with agoraphobia still need contact whether in-person, over the phone, or on a Zoom call. Those of us...
From the Editor
By Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief As I sat down to write this issue's "From the Editor" section, I took some time to reflect back on my own journey, and how my memory was so severely impacted by my injury. In...
The Memory of an Ego: Transforming Memory and Identity with TBI
by Sam Black Memory is something that I did not give much thought to in my “before the accident” life. I relied on it in my career as a social worker. I cherished it in my pastime of creating...
The Real Reason 2020 Wasn’t So Memorable
By Ed Roth “I’ve learned two important lessons in life. I can’t recall the first one, but the second one is that I need to start writing stuff down.” – Anonymous Your memory used to be like a steel...
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Yoga: Seated Cobra Pose
By Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief Yoga is a powerful tool for neuroplasticity. Contrary to some beliefs, everyone can do yoga — you don’t need to be super flexible, be able to balance, or even be able to stand up. The beauty of yoga is every pose can be modified to accommodate anyone. An important aspect of […]
Resilience After a Brain Injury
By Dr. Shane Steadman, DC, DACNB, DCBCN, CNS Recovery after a brain injury can be a long journey. Working hard and hoping to get back to baseline often can be frustrating, and for some, unattainable. With the many doctor visits, exercises, rehab appointments, medications, and supplements, goals can become lost. However, amid recovering from a […]
The Resiliency of the Human Brain and Body
By James A. Heuer, PA As a personal injury attorney for over 45 years, I have witnessed many of my clients successfully recover from a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Whether the TBI occurs from a car crash, a slip and fall, or blow to the head, the resiliency of the human body and brain is […]
Resiliency: Is It Just Personal or Part of Brain Chemistry?
By Deborah Zelinsky, O.D. The term resiliency encompasses “the range of personal protective factors, environmental supports, and resources, as well as self-regulatory processes, engaged in response to adversity,” according to investigators writing about recovery from traumatic brain injury (TBI) for the publication Disability and Rehabilitation. Indeed, author Mike Norton said it best when he wrote, […]
Stress Away Essential Oil
By Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief A complementary tool that can help you achieve a healthy lifestyle, essential oils are easy to use and smell great, with a variety of uses. All oils are not created equal. I personally only trust the Young Living brand because I know they maintain complete control over their product from seed […]
Resiliency and the Courtroom
By Jeff Heller Resiliency is one of the greatest attributes anyone can have. From an early age, parents teach their children, “if you get knocked down, you get back up.” Coaches teach their players, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going.” And one of the cornerstones of the underdog mentality is to “never […]
The Quality of Resilience
by Shauna Hahn Sometime in 2019, in the weekly “Healing and Recovery” therapy group I lead, we discussed the topic of the quality of “resilience.” When it came time for a patient to contribute, he said, “I don’t want to be resilient. I get tired of being resilient all the f**king time.” And I heard […]
Peanut Butter Protein Fluff
By Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief What You Need: 1 cup (250g) full-fat Greek yogurt 2 tbsp. peanut butter or almond butter 2 tsp. stevia Favorite garnish (banana, granola, blueberries) Add the yogurt, nut butter and stevia into a small mixing bowl and whisk together using a hand mixer, until fluffy. Transfer the mix into a bowl […]
Arizona Man Overcomes Three Traumatic Brain Injuries and Gives Back By Building Adaptive Recreation & Socialization Program for Survivors
By Ed Roth Randy Elston is finally living his best life, which may be an odd thing to say about a Marine Corps veteran with three traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). Recently named as the Brain Injury Alliance of Arizona’s new Adaptive Recreation & Activities Coordinator, Randy’s tours of duty in Iraq left him with a […]