Conquering Concussion Victims of traumatic brain injury often grapple with crippling life challenges years after their initial trauma. The authors of Conquering Concussion believe that many of these patients have a strong chance of healing through effective biofeedback therapy, an avenue they fully explore in this informative and highly engaging resource book.
Looking back through history, the authors explore the circumstances behind head injuries of famous people such as King Henry VIII, Lord Nelson, Mary Lincoln and Howard Hughes, and how the incidents likely caused their severe behavioral changes. The book goes on to explain how concussions lead to physical and emotional problems that sometimes don’t respond to treatments such as medications and traditional rehabilitation programs.
Author Mary Lee Esty is a licensed clinical social worker with a Ph.D. in health psychology. She is a scholar on traumatic brain injury and has worked extensively with patients experiencing recurring health issues to bring improvements through a series of bio- or neurofeedback sessions that help the brain to get “unstuck.” The minimally invasive, non-traumatic techniques not only work for those diagnosed with concussions, but has been found to help those with ADHD and PTSD. Using biofeedback (the effectiveness of which has been backed by decades of clinical research) to return the brain/body connection to a balanced state can be “life-changing,” Esty believes.
Esty’s book (co-written by C.M. Shifflett, a science and technology writer) is thorough yet highly readable — rich with explanatory and well-documented details and illustrations that enlighten without overwhelming. It includes a wealth of powerful case histories of Esty’s successes as well as easily understood chapters on all aspects of what happens in brain injury, how it is diagnosed, long-term consequences, and what can help toward its repair.
Overall, this impressively penned primer will be a valuable find for a broad audience of professionals, caretakers and those troubled by the consequences of brain trauma who seek to improve their well-being.
