Aurora Lassaletta Atienza

The Invisible Brain Injury (eBook, ePUB)

Cognitive Impairments in Traumatic Brain Injury, Stroke and other Acquired Brain Pathologies

• Format: ePub

Produktbeschreibung

The Invisible Brain Injury recounts, in her own words, the experience of Aurora Lassaletta, a clinical psychologist who suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) after a traffic accident. Presenting her unique dual perspective as both a patient and a clinician, Aurora highlights the less visible cognitive, emotional and behavioural symptoms common to acquired brain injury (ABI).

This moving account showcases Aurora's growing awareness of her impairments, their manifestation in daily life, how they are perceived, or not, by others and the tools that helped her survive. Each chapter combines Aurora's perspective with the scientific view of a professional neuropsychologist or physiatrist who provide commentaries on her various symptoms.

This book is valuable reading for professionals involved in neurorehabilitation and clinical neuropsychology and for clinical psychology students. It is a must read for ABI survivors, those around them and clinicians, who are all an essential part of the rehabilitation, adjustment and acceptance process involved with ABI.

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Produktdetails

• Verlag: Taylor & Francis eBooks
• Seitenzahl: 156
• Erscheinungstermin: 1. November 2019
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9781000728118
• Artikelnr.: 58043683

Autorenporträt

Aurora Lassaletta had to stop her work as a psychotherapist in a public mental health service in 2005 due to her TBI. She undertook a path of learning and improvement that she still follows today. At her new pace, Aurora enjoys helping other survivors learn to live with ABI through psychological support groups.

Inhaltsangabe

List of contributors
About the author
Note
Preface
PART 1: THE INVISIBLE BRAIN INJURY
1. The invisible brain injury - Aurora Lassaletta
Introduction
The history of the book
PART 2: COGNITIVE SYMPTOMS
2. Cognitive symptoms related to attention - Aurora Lassaletta and Amor
Bize
Neurological fatigue: continuous energy calculations
Attention difficulties
Just one intense thing a day! The saturated hard drive
Brain sluggishness. Orders take time to arrive.
3. Cognitive symptoms related to executive functions - Aurora Lassaletta
and Amor Bize
Need for external guidance with organisation
Complicated decision-making
Difficulty adapting to changes
Impaired creativity
4. Cognitive symptoms related to memory - Aurora Lassaletta and Amor Bize
Memory difficulty: the need for "cognitive crutches"
Slow learning curve
Not learning from experience, nor remembering it
5. Cognitive symptoms related to thinking - Aurora Lassaletta and Amor Bize
Difficulty summarising
Concrete thinking
6. Cognitive symptoms related to lack of awareness - Aurora Lassaletta and
Amor Bize
Lack of awareness of the real situation
PART 3: BEHAVIOURAL, EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS
7. Behavioural symptoms - Aurora Lassaletta and Amor Bize
Impulsivity and verbal incontinence
Tendency to passivity
Loss of improvisation
8. Emotional symptoms - Aurora Lassaletta and Amor Bize
Affective flattening and emotional inexpressiveness
9. Physical symptoms - Aurora Lassaletta and Susana Pajares
Body awareness and sensitivity
Sleep disturbance and loss of satiety sensation
Loss of balance
Hypersensitivity to medications
Asymmetry
Auditory and optical hypersensitivity, diplopia, hyposalivation
PART 4: LONG-TERM ADJUSTMENT AND CONCLUSIONS
10. Identity reconstruction - Aurora Lassaletta and Christian Salas
Long term emotional adjustment following an ABI
Awareness of deficits and integrating the new me
Internalising compensatory tools
11. Concluding remarks - Aurora Lassaletta
References
Index

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List of contributors

About the author

Note



Preface

PART 1: THE INVISIBLE BRAIN INJURY

1. The invisible brain injury - Aurora Lassaletta



Introduction



The history of the book

PART 2: COGNITIVE SYMPTOMS

2. Cognitive symptoms related to attention - Aurora Lassaletta and Amor Bize



Neurological fatigue: continuous energy calculations

Attention difficulties

Just one intense thing a day! The saturated hard drive

Brain sluggishness. Orders take time to arrive.



3. Cognitive symptoms related to executive functions - Aurora Lassaletta and Amor Bize



Need for external guidance with organisation

Complicated decision-making

Difficulty adapting to changes

Impaired creativity



4. Cognitive symptoms related to memory - Aurora Lassaletta and Amor Bize



Memory difficulty: the need for "cognitive crutches"

Slow learning curve

Not learning from experience, nor remembering it



5. Cognitive symptoms related to thinking - Aurora Lassaletta and Amor Bize



Difficulty summarising

Concrete thinking



6. Cognitive symptoms related to lack of awareness - Aurora Lassaletta and Amor Bize



Lack of awareness of the real situation

PART 3: BEHAVIOURAL, EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS

7. Behavioural symptoms - Aurora Lassaletta and Amor Bize

Impulsivity and verbal incontinence



Tendency to passivity

Loss of improvisation



8. Emotional symptoms - Aurora Lassaletta and Amor Bize



Affective flattening and emotional inexpressiveness



9. Physical symptoms - Aurora Lassaletta and Susana Pajares



Body awareness and sensitivity

Sleep disturbance and loss of satiety sensation

Loss of balance

Hypersensitivity to medications

Asymmetry



Auditory and optical hypersensitivity, diplopia, hyposalivation

PART 4: LONG-TERM ADJUSTMENT AND CONCLUSIONS

10. Identity reconstruction - Aurora Lassaletta and Christian Salas



Long term emotional adjustment following an ABI

Awareness of deficits and integrating the new me

Internalising compensatory tools



11. Concluding remarks - Aurora Lassaletta



References



Index

Rezensionen

'Aurora Lassaletta writes an insightful and engaging account of the consequences of her brain injury which is truly inspiring. This book succinctly describes and demonstrates with such clarity the invisible consequences of traumatic brain injury (TBI) that so many experience but find it tricky to explain. Throughout the book she takes us on a journey through these consequences and how she comes to learn to work with them to lessen their impact on her day-to-day life. Her honesty and openness about the ongoing process of acceptance and reflections on identity within this context is so important in gaining insight into the psychological challenges faced following a TBI. This book will be of great value to those who have experienced a brain injury and their families as well as clinicians and researchers working in the field. I would encourage everyone to read this book who has experience of or interest in the impact of acquired brain injury. Thank you for sharing your experiences.' - Fiona Ashworth, DClinPsych, AFBPsS, Anglia Ruskin University, UK

'Wow! This book captures the essence of the brain injury experience brilliantly. It is written in clear language that is easy to read and digest, addressing all the common challenges that people with brain injuries and their families go through in a way that few other such books have done. As both a clinical psychologist and a brain injury survivor, Aurora Lassaletta uniquely applies insightfulness and keen observation to her personal journey from "normal life" to injury and on through years of rehabilitation and personal growth. Her message of perseverance and hard work and hope is an inspiration not only for survivors and their families, but also for professionals, who will undoubtedly re-think their stereotypes of rehabilitation as mostly impairment-based and only relevant in the acute stages of injury. I can't wait to have the book in hand to recommend to my colleagues and clients with brain injuries alike.' - Jill Winegardner, PhD, Director of Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

'This book, written by a colleague, provides a moving, honest and brave account of the experience of suffering a traumatic brain injury. The narrative and commentary vividly brings to the reader the sheer determination, professional support, and resilience required to make the long journey back to living a meaningful life after suffering a traumatic brain injury. It is essential reading for all of those interested in the real story of what long-term rehabilitation after traumatic brain injury actually entails for many people.' - Rudi Coetzer, DClinPsy, School of Psychology, Bangor University, UK.