Surprising Insight

As a speech pathologist, I work with many individuals who have suffered some kind of trauma to the brain, be it a stroke, a head injury, anoxia, encephalitis, or anything else that might injure the brain. I see people who struggle with cognitive deficits daily. 

It's often heart-wrenching to watch them struggle to make sense of their new existence. Many are aware of the changes that have happened to them, but there are those who are unaware. For those, I see the grief that can consume their family. Granted, it's not always bleak. They are in therapy to learn compensatory strategies to help them function independently again. I see many progress and return home with some support from their loving families. 

That said, the other day I was working with a gentleman who was very confused and seemed, to me, unaware of his deficits. He had a difficult time even paying attention to a simple task for more than a few moments at time. Toward the end of our session, when I could tell he was tired from all the mental exercise, he turned to me and with surprising perception said, "My brain feels clunky today."

"What do you mean?," I ask. I want to see where he's going with this. 

"Well," he said, "it's like waking up in the morning and somebody's set all the clocks wrong, and you can't get them back. You're not sure if you even want to because you're tired. And trying to set them back makes you more tired. It's all very confusing."

He then assured me that he wanted to keep trying. I was amazed that he had such insight into his condition. Having never had a brain injury, but seeing it often, I'd say his description is spot-on. I'm glad I get to help set some clocks back. We're making more progress every day.