Heal Nick

I trust everyone had as good a week as this family. Check-out the most recent additions to the Photo Gallery to see how Nicholas spent the week.

All of us wish all of you a MOST HAPPY & HEALTHY NEW YEAR.

I hope I am sending this to the correct category!

Hi Nick! My name is Tracey and I am a fellow TBI survivor. I met your mother and sister a few days ago in a store where I work. I approached your mother because she was wearing a BABIS Walk t-shirt, and I went up to her and asked her if she did the walk. I have done the walk for the last three years. She told me about you, and gave me this website.

I suffered TBI a little more than 11 years ago, when I was 16 years old. I was in the hospital for 4 months (three of those months in SRH pediatric unit). When I was a patient there, I asked my parents to kidnap me because I hated being there. At the time, I did not realize that I NEEDED to be there. But now I am so grateful to all the doctors, nurses, therapists, and anybody else who help in my recovery there. My family was there for me evey step, but at the same time, let me try some things on my on, even if they new I would “forget” or lose my balance or something…..

I have short term memory loss (post it notes everywhere around my house!), occasional migraines, but you know what? I have a full time job at the high school, and part time at a retail store at the mall. After the accident/hospital/rehab (I had to take a full year off from school) I went right into my senior year in high school, went on to college to get my Bachelor’s in Sociology!

There is still so much more I want to accomplish, and there is NOTHING stopping me, and I hope you realize, or already know, that the sky is the limit!!!

Tracey

A thought to remember and practice:

Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas. - Calvin Coolidge

Hi everyone,

There are a few things I’d like to share with you. On Saturday, December 9, TJ and I took Nick to see the new James Bond film, Casino Royal. I was a few minutes late to the house and as soon as I arrived we got Nick into the car. As we were leaving TJ was speaking in his best British accent to Nick and I was humming the JB theme song. Nick was smiling from ear to ear. As we got to the highway I promised Nick that I’d keep the speed under 160 mph with the important caveat that if “they” started chasing us there was no way I was stopping. Nick started laughing and said “No stopping!” and gestured with his hands as if to say “keep going, no matter what”. We got up to about 160 (minus 100) mph and arrived at the theatre in no time at all. Nick was definitely taken with the film; I kept looking over and he was completely awake, aware and paying full attention. He wasn’t laughing at the typical gags but definitely found humor in some of the dialogue between Bond and the female lead.

Last Friday after mountain biking in the woods between School and Pine streets in Manchester I stopped by again for about 20 or 30 minutes. I was really happy to find Nick in good spirits. He saw me from a good twenty feet away and said “Heyyyy!” We went and sat in the living room, Peter put on the CD “This is Ska” and Nick and I sat and talked for a few minutes. I asked him “Nick, why do you think the rude boys consider JB to be the ultimate rude boy ?” He smiled and was lost in thought for a minute. I thought he forgot what I asked but then he repeated my question, paused, and said “I don’t know.” I said “Sure you do. It’s because he’s a sociopathic, murderous womanizer who’s always wearing black and white.” Nick started laughing and laughing… The song “My girl Jamaica” then came on and Nick started singing along with it, right in time. I began making those classic Ska sounds “chck-it-t-ch, chck-it-t-ch”, Nick began tapping out a beat on his knees and laughing in between songs. He was definitely in great spirits and doing better than I’ve seen him in quite some time. I told him that I was happy to see him doing so well and that if he kept getting better like this than pretty soon he’d be… better. He smiled and said “Thanks.”

Bliss is Monday afternoon and a cranial scaral massage adminsitered by Maria (see Photo Gallery). For those not familair with this type of massage or therapy, I offer the following:

CRANIO-SACRAL THERAPY
by Oliver Nash

CranioSacral Therapy is a gentle, hands-on method of evaluating and enhancing the function of a physiological body system called the CranioSacral system.
The CranioSacral system is comprised of the membranes and cerebrospinal fluid which form the fluid-filled sac around the core of the nervous system - surrounding, nourishing, and protecting the brain and spinal cord.
Like the pulse of the cardiovascular system, the CranioSacral system has a rhythm that can be felt throughout the body.
Using a touch generally no heavier than the weight of a small coin, skilled practitioners can monitor this rhythm at key body areas to pinpoint the source of an obstruction or stress.
Once a source has been determined, they can assist the natural movement of the fluid and related soft tissue to help the body self-correct. This simple action is often all it takes to remove a restriction.
Other times, CST may be combined with other complementary therapies to help restore the body to it’s optimum functioning level.
Evaluation
A practitioner using CranioSacral Therapy has some key evaluation techniques available to help locate restrictions in the body, among these techniques are…
The CranioSacral Rhythm (CSR)
The CSR is a very subtle rhythmical movement which is transmitted via the muscular, nervous, and fascial systems and can be felt anywhere on the body.
The practitioner feels for the strength, amplitude, and quality of the rhythm in different places on the body to track down areas where the rhythm is impaired - this helps the practitioner find areas where healthy tissue function is restricted.
A person with a left knee problem may have a healthy, ample rhythm all down the right leg but restricted rhythm from the knee down in the left leg.
To the practitioner this indicates a restriction in the left knee or the nerve supply to that area.
Fascial evaluation
Connective tissue (fascia) is continuous in the Human body from the top of the head to the bottoms of the feet.
It is layered with pockets between the layers containing the structures within the body such as organs, muscles, bones, etc.
Normally, fascia is free to glide a millimetre or so and maintains a fairly elastic property.
Adhesions, and restrictions can be pinpointed by testing the free gliding ability of the body’s fascia - feeling for areas that do not move as easily as others.
The practitioner can feel the left knee restriction of our imaginary person by taking hold of both ankles and gently pulling towards the feet, the fascia in the right leg moves easier and further than the fascia in the left leg, which is bound up in the left knee.
Typical treatment session
In a typical CranioSacral Therapy session the client remains clothed and lies on their back (if possible) on the treatment table.
The therapist may place their hands on key evaluation areas such as the ankles, head, neck, lower back, assessing the state of the client’s CranioSacral system.
The treatment itself involves the application of very light forces applied by the therapist’s hands.
Limbs may be picked up and moved gently and slowly as the body tissues are allowed to ‘unwind’ themselves.
A typical session lasts an hour - though half-hour sessions may be better for children and infants.
It’s uses
It’s far-reaching effects enable CranioSacral Therapy to be useful for a wide scope of health problems, including:
• Headache
• Migraine
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Digestive problems
• Chronic back pain
• Depression
• Strokes
• Brain and spinal cord injuries
• Problems of the brain, spinal cord, and nervous system
• Multiple Sclerosis
• M.E.
• Menstrual problems
• Menopausal problems
• Arthritis (osteo & rheumatoid)
• TMJ dysfunction (jaw problems)
• Chronic Pain Syndrome
• Post-operative adhesions
• Dyslexia & Dyscalclia
• Allergies
• Neuralgia
• Sinusitis
• Tinnitus
• Vertigo
• High & low blood pressure

I was away all week and can’t report anything specific on Nicholas’ progress. Will & TJ took him to see Casino Royale. (Thanks guys. Much appreciated.) Daniel Craig received his approval and should be considered one the best 007’s.

We are very close to ending a recovery phase, as Nicholas will have his last session of therapies at CRC (Medford) on Wednesday. Then he’ll take a couple of weeks off for the holidays before starting the next one which, along with continued PT, will include both music and speech therapies.

btw, that email address is makeitst0p@yahoo.com with a zero as the o in stop. it looked weird on the site, so I thought I’d make sure you had it.

A

Dear Nick,

Hi. My name’s Alex, and we’ve never met. I hope I’m not intruding. I’m also in the process of recovering from a very bad TBI, and I came across your website while googling something about the healing powers of music for brain injuries.

First, I just wanted to say that you have a wonderful website, and an incredibly devoted and bright support network. I’m blown away by what I see here. Judging by all this, I can only guess that you are a truly amazing person and I’m sure you have the inner resources and external support to make a “miraculous” recovery.

Second, I wanted to ask if you had ever tried out that “healing instrument” your friend ina mentioned in her post. It sounded promising, and I looked into it, but they seem to have discontinued the product. If it really works though, I’d like to try to find out more about how it works, and try to find one/beg one of my musical friends to make one for me. Maybe you could put me in touch with your friend ina so I can ask her more about it…

Last, I wanted to say that if you ever want to talk to someone else going through somehting similar, I’d love to talk with you. I suspect we have quite a bit in common. I’ve figured out a lot of great healing stuff, and I’m always looking for like-minded people to share ideas with, but I often find the whole …er…tbi “scene” as it were, a bit offputting because there’s too much negativity and because I don’t really want to get into embracing this as an identity, yatta yatta…That said, it is sometimes nice to talk to someone who understands, and you sound like a fine chap. I’m not sure how to leave my contact info without inviting an avalanche of promises to improve my mortgage, my car insurance rate and my penis ( I have none of the three, but the spam still cometh) so I will just leave you my junkmail address, and if you want to write me there, we can exchange “real” contact info. It’s makeitst0p@yahoo.com. (Btw, not sure if you can use email yet—I prefer the phone as well because I have ocular problems, and because it’s just nicer.)

Of course, I completely understand if you are not feeling up to communing with random girls from the ether. But either way, good luck with everything. I’m sure you will kick this tbi’s butt.

cheers,

Alex

There will be no posting on Sunday,December 3rd, as I’ll be away for a few days. All’s well.