Concussion Stories podcast

Neuroplasticity, or brain plasticity, means the ability of the brain to form and reorganize new connections, also after injury. If you want to understand why you need an active approach toward post-concussion syndrome recovery, you need to understand neuroplasticity. And who better to learn about neuroplasticity from than Professor Sitskoorn? As the author of numerous books on this topic, you could say “Neuroplasticity” is her middle name. Together with Melanie, she completely brings the topic to life in this episode of Concussion Stories!

Interview shownotes: https://www.lifeyana.com/neuroplasticity-professor-sitskoorn/

Free guide: https://www.lifeyana.com/3-ways-to-speed-up-your-concussion-recovery-right-now/

Lifeyana Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisislifeyana/

Table of contents:

00:45 Professor Sitskoorn
06:19 Neuroplasticity: how it works
12:31 Neuroplasticity after a concussion
21:19 Neuroplasticity and brain injury

What to do with the advice to rest your brain after sustaining a concussion? A lot of us still get this advice, and a lot of us are confused about it. Because we notice it doesn’t work, and even leaves us feeling worse than before. Where does this advice come from, and more importantly: what to do with it?

Professor Michael McCrea is an absolute authority on traumatic brain injury (concussions and post-concussion syndrome are traumatic brain injury). He shares from his experience and insight based on 2 massive American research projects involving both civilians and military service members.

Please keep in mind that a concussion is a so-called mild traumatic brain injury. Whenever we say “TBI”, this means traumatic brain injury.

Interview shownotes: https://www.lifeyana.com/brain-rest-concussion/

Free guide: https://www.lifeyana.com/3-ways-to-speed-up-your-concussion-recovery-right-now/

Follow Lifeyana on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisislifeyana/

Table of contents:
[01:48] Resting your brain after sustaining a concussion
[06:58] Active recovery for concussions
[10:22] Concussion recovery is possible
[16:43] Concussions and mental health
[24:22] Compassionate concussion care
[27:11] Concluding this Concussion Stories episode

Brain injury healing is a process. As all of us know, it’s just as much a psychological as it is a physiological process. In this Concussion Stories episode, brain injury survivor Nick Mercer shares his story. From post-injury depression to accepting and adapting his mindset: Nick shares his journey. You may know Nick from Concussion Talk, his podcast about traumatic brain injury recovery.

Interview shownotes: https://www.lifeyana.com/brain-injury-healing/

Free guide: https://www.lifeyana.com/3-ways-to-speed-up-your-concussion-recovery-right-now/

Follow Lifeyana on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisislifeyana/

Table of contents:
[00:45] Nick Mercer
[04:58] Nick’s brain injury story
[09:14] Coping with a brain injury
[12:42] Acceptance and mindset
[19:14] Speech problems after traumatic brain injury
[22:08] Better brain injury care
[25:56] Concussion Talk podcast

During post-concussion recovery, many of us feel absolutely lost. This often (partly) originates from our conversations with doctors. We are checked for clear injuries, like a brain bleed or an inability to find words, and when we don’t have them, a lot of us are sent home.

After a while, our concussions turn into post-concussion syndrome. And when they do, many of us hear that we need to learn to live with our symptoms, that our symptoms might be due to stress, or that our brain damage will very likely never recover.

These are truly harmful messages, especially so because so much about post-concussion syndrome is not yet understood by science, and one can never predict the outcome of another person’s recovery. Moreover: both science and my complete recovery show that there is hope!

Interview shownotes: https://www.lifeyana.com/post-concussion-recovery/

Free guide: https://www.lifeyana.com/3-ways-to-speed-up-your-concussion-recovery-right-now/

Lifeyana Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisislifeyana/

Table of contents:
03:05 The harmful side of post-concussion care
06:56 Medical professionals and post-concussion recovery
10:31 Harmful post-concussion advice
13:07 Post-concussion depression
17:54 Your post-concussion recovery

This is the first of 2 episodes with Lindsay Wilson, who is a Professor of Neuropsychology and one of the researchers studying Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) within CENTER-TBI. In this episode, Lindsay talks about the long-term effects of a concussion. Particularly the mental and emotional experiences that a lot of us know all too well.

Interview shownotes: https://www.lifeyana.com/long-term-effects-of-a-concussion/

Free guide: https://www.lifeyana.com/3-ways-to-speed-up-your-concussion-recovery-right-now/

Lifeyana Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisislifeyana/

Table of contents:

00:45 Lindsay Wilson and CENTER-TBI
05:06 Post-concussion side effects
12:22 It can take long to recover from a concussion
15:08 Emotional consequences of a concussion
20:27 A concussion is an invisible injury