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A Positive Approach to Acquired Brain Injury - Fact Sheet
 There are common elements about getting through catastrophic situations in an emotionally and physically healthy manner.
Brain injury is a major public health problem worldwide, and when it occurs, it intrudes upon the lives of every member of an extended family. Just as the person who is injured is changed, all others who care about that individual are affected in a variety of ways, some positively, while others negatively. What are some of the forces at work that help people cope with these inevitable changes?
THE HALF FULL GLASS
In any catastrophe, people will react in a wide variety of ways. Some will groan and feel it just confirms for them that the world is an unjust place full of misery. Others will smile and say ‘what doesn’t kill you can only make you stronger’. Not surprisingly it is the latter group who make the best recoveries after a brain injury. They see negative situations as a time to grow and develop. They also tend to be more selfless and concerned about others and may say the best way to deal with one’s own difficulties is by helping out someone in a worse state.
Even if this isn’t your natural personality, having a brain injury can mean this is a crucial time to develop these traits. Changing the way you view the world and yourself in a more positive way can be a lengthy difficult task but can pay huge dividends in the long run.
LAUGHTER AS A MEDICINE
In addition to faith as a major component promoting healing, many families use humour to sustain them through difficult times. There is certainly nothing funny about brain injury, but finding reasons to smile each day is a factor in health and raises the level of optimism. Research shows that our attitudes and beliefs have a strong influence on the body’s ability to heal itself. If in fact that statement is true, then it stands to reason that finding ways to approach our problems with humour and greater optimism should reduce the negative impact and allow us to deal more effectively with them.
DETERMINATION
People with a brain injury often say rehabilitation is the biggest challenge of their lives. While you may never get back to ‘normal’, the good news is there is no limit to the extent of your rehabilitation. How far you get depends on how much you put in, and even if improvement is painfully slow remember progress is better than staying where you are.
Some are naturally inclined toward being high achievers—their genes and family upbringing lead them to naturally approach the brain injury as a problem to be overcome through hard work. These personality types usually approach their rehabilitation in a similar vein and reap the rewards with time.
Those of us not so inclined can still choose to take a similar approach by setting and prioritising goals, implementing plans and making the most of support networks to stay motivated.
A SPIRITUAL ANGLE
When faced by a tragedy, part of dealing with the grief will be coming to terms with ‘why’ it happened. This can be a very hard process after a brain injury as a family comes to grips with a car accident, cancer, near drowning or sporting injury that has affected a loved one.
Many families and survivors say that faith helps them through the recovery process. Some families with
brain injury fact sheet no religious affiliation and little or no experience with prayer found that when faced with tragedy involving a family member or dear friend, they found themselves praying, possibly for the first time. Some take comfort in thought that the brain injury has occurred for a reason and then make the most of learning from the experience.
Alcoholics Anonymous have incorporated belief in a “Higher Power” into their programme that allows people from various belief systems to use faith as part of their recovery. For many, this can be empowering as they often feel they don’t have the personal strength to face the coming trials and tribulations.
WHATEVER WORKS FOR YOU
Some families and survivors manage catastrophic events extremely well, surviving with much less effect than others whose negativity seems to sabotage efforts to improve the final outcome. Much of this comes down to personality types, and many of us simply find it incredibly hard to shrug of despair and depression.
However, having the right attitude is not acting happy when you are not. It is simply choosing to not give in to negativity, and finding the strategies that will help you do this. The “whatever works for you” strategy does make one an active participant in the outcome. As Ronald E. Osborn said, “Undertake something that is difficult; it will do you good. Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered - you never grow.”
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A positive approach to brain injury 
