Hi has anyone returned to education following their brain injury, did it help? If so how?
I'm making enquiries into studying an open format MA/ MSc in psychology. I had a long conversation with an adviser from the Open University and found that their open module system sounds good and flexible and can cater for a wide range of interests encompassing all aspects of understanding BI.
Any comment on this subject would be appreciated
Thanks.
I did and finished, due to do my final part in 2 weeks. It was research based so no classes which suited me a lot, on my good days I made up for my bad ones. It was really tough and took 4 years but the best thing I did get out of it was a solid purpose for the 4 years while I recovered more, to be honest.
I decided not to tell my university I had a BI, but knew I could if I really wasn’t coping.
My advice, it’s a long road, pick something you are really passionate about studying. But the open university is a good route, they are flexible for everyone, not just those with a BI.
Good luck 😊
Thanks, that sounds really positive.
Did you have any problems with funding, I mean do you get help via the DWP or similar on top of the education loan.
Mine was a bit different, it was in science, mainly in the lab and I applied for a funded project. I got paid (a little) to do it and they used the research I did.
I really enjoyed it but it was very difficult at times, if I’m honest.
I did it less than 2 years after a brain haemorrhage. But when I look back at how I was when i started, I was still very unwell compared to where I am now. So it definitely gave me time to recover while doing something. My reading and writing definitely improved as I was very slow to begin with, along with many other things...
That's great, so glad you did well. I'm looking at this to help redevelop my skills or adapt new skills to patch the cognitive faults. The person I spoke to said they were very flexible in their approach. Because the course is open I can do as much as I want within my scope of capabilities. I think it will be good for me. Thank you so much for your advice and time.
Because people's injuries and conditions and their impact and origins differ so much, I would say it depends very much on the individual, the effect their condition has and the structure of anything you tackle,
Because my VP shunt was working 'properly' and had done for a few years when I did my BA Communication Studies degree in 1994, it was only the unique way I stored key points for exam essays that differed from what everyone else did. ( A big fact and quote tree in my head with 2 trunks, 4 main branches, and 4 minor branches off each of these, as I recall and a mnemonic to remember whose theories I was going to cite on a given topic)
Essay writing was, to me at least, entirely logical. " Tell 'em what you're gonna tell 'em, tell 'em, tell 'em what you've told 'em," as an hugely entertaining and well known in his field Professor memorably advised me.
I studied, like I have done many things in life, purely because it was something I hadn't done before. Knowing WHY study interests you is important too in my opinion. I studied with people whose motives were entirely different to mine, but it never caused a problem.
I was delighted to be able to complete my degree with a 2 :1and I even indulged my Mum and went to the mortar board and scroll ceremony, despite it not being my sort of thing in the slightest.
As with any issue that may affect your ability to achieve something, people in the appropriate positions can only ensure you get any support you need if you tell them. I'm sure you do. Not everyone feels comfortable with identifying things that may make extra provision appropriate for them, however, and I think it is important that is respected as much as people's right to extra resources, due to a health condition or disability.
Hi thanks, 'the memory tree', I remember having a living organism as my memory at uni, structure, function, control, blue prints, power source, machinery. Oh dear where did that come from. Old memory kicking in.
Thanks for your words and advice I think it's a goer no matter what, it just seems so logical.
Logical is good! Everything crossed here that you get where you want to be. I had something of a forest at finals time...A psycholinguistic tree with yellow and red branches ( If there is no word for embarrassment in Spanish, does that affect their ability to feel, express and understand it etc.) A mnemonic for the Galtung and Ruge's ' News Values' on the criteria for what gets in the news or doesn't painted on the tree trunk and scenarios on the branches, oh and a train that stopped at stations named after the key points in discussions around communication in people on the autistic spectrum are three of my scenarios...Utterly me....but it worked!
thats the beauty of doing a higher degree....its research based. good luck, keep us informed
Thanks
Maybe you could do a thesis on brain injury or PCS and how it can effect recovery or something else related to what you’ve been through. You would have so much experience to put towards it.
Yep that's the intention, simple methods to promote neural network regeneration via plasticity. Have been practising myself and seeing what works. Would also like to look further into visual weirdness (have written a few posts), have been making a lot of correlations. Will see which way the wind blows at the time, changes in thought patterns happen so fast, that's the plasticity for you.
Sounds like plans are already underway. Such endeavour seems a million miles away at the moment, although the effects of diagnosis knowledge on verbal and non verbal behaviour by health care professionals towards those in their care was what I always imagined I'd do, if I ever want to 'upgrade' my study beyond my degree. ( Not a recent thought, one that predates my latest attention seeking by 15 years or more.)
Brilliant, sounds like a plan. You will have to tell us if you find something.
And you will have so many options to put your experience to your reports and thesis.
Exciting 😊
My daughter had an ABI in 2017 but it affected her really badly. So although she was in the middle of a Uni course prior to ABI, she had to go back to college to do a very basic Maths and English course to learn the basics.
It worked very well and she’s now back at Uni part time. The Uni have been really supportive and she has Disabled Student Allowance which really helps by things like providing a 1:1 tutor and some tech.
It’s definitely helped her stretch in a structured way. If you would like case studies on neuroplasticity please get in touch, we’d be very keen to try anything!
Good luck pinkvision !! 👍🏼😀
Hi Phoenix, sounds like your daughter is getting back on track, I wish her well.
Neuroplasticity seems the key point to developing a balanced 'new' brain.
I came across a phrase that said a brain injured person has the brain of a new child. What I took from this was treat yourself like a child, play, learn, socialise, exercise and so on. We have a bonus that we carry plenty of information and experiences however it needs to be reorganised, and adapted with new information to make a new person. My cognitive assessment showed some areas that are very poor, very slow, but also showed areas that were well above average. I suppose it's a question of going with the strengths to build confidence and slowly build on the deficient areas later.
A good positive and optimistic outlook is the primary start point.
You can't do everything at once so building the basics are important but will be different for different people. Reading is a problem for me so I needed to address the visual problems.
One of my best exercises is 'tightrope walking' along an old railway line (it's now a footpath). My balance, visual focus, mental focus and body core strength has improved to the point that from struggling to walk 3-5 paces at the start to now where I can go for a few hundred metres on a very good day.
Bare foot walking is another one that has great benefit also, It's focused based, like a meditative practice. There's evidence to show that this also grounds you electrically, sounds a bit new age most people think, however NASA uses this technique via a material layer in the suits of their astronauts. To cap that off as having benifit is that many German ambulances and emergency recovery rooms use this material also as it helps with a faster recovery rate over time.
Thanks for your reply, when I start writing I find it difficult to stop. (it's another technique, keep writing, work it all out, 'set it in your mind'. Also doodle art, it helps build the picture) Cheers and good luck to your daughter, thumbs up.
That’s all really interesting, we’ll give those activities a try! Keep us posted, you will bring such an insight into the fascinating and yet-to-be discovered area of neuro plasticity 👍🏼🌟
Will do
Breakdown after brain injury
Seizure after brain injury 
Help needed to support my daughter after her recent brain injury
