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Brain Injury Survivors: Narratives of Rehabilitation and Healing

Laura S. Lorenz
Brain Injury Survivors: Narratives of Rehabilitation and Healing
ISBN: 978-1-58826-728-3
$28.00
2010/203 pages/LC: 2009044672
Disability in Society
"A well-conceived and beautifully written treatise. The book is clear and concise while still offering inspirational material that is obviously close to the author’s heart."—Cheryl E. Daugherty, Issues in Mental Health Nursing

Offers a sensitive, innovative, and client-centered approach to working with individuals suffering from TBI."—C. Alexander Simpkins, Milton H. Erickson Foundation Newsletter

"Adopts an original, interesting and quite ingenious approach to brain injury.... A brilliant approach.... [It] may be invaluable in helping [brain injury survivors] and others, get a much closer understanding of life with a brain injury."—Mark Sherry, Disability & Society

DESCRIPTION

Although millions of people are affected each year by brain injuries, what it is like to live with these injuries is often misunderstood. Laura Lorenz delves into the experience of acquired brain injury (ABI) survivors to reveal how they make sense of their changed circumstances—and how social policies and medical expectations can enhance, or detract from, their quality of life.

As she traces individual journeys on the road from diagnosis through rehabilitation, Lorenz evokes the reality of living with ABI. She also tackles the systemic problems undercutting the quality of current medical and social support. Moving beyond ABI, her work encourages a fresh approach to the patient-provider relationship for people with a wide range of disabilities.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Laura S. Lorenz is lecturer and senior research associate in the Institute for Behavioral Health at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University.

Visit  www.lslorenz.com to view the author's personal website.

CONTENTS

  • Introduction.
  • Acquired Brain Injury: What It Is and Why We Should Care.
  • Learning from Brain Injury.
  • Living with Frustration and Confusion.
  • Encompassing Darkness and Light.
  • Discovering a New Identity.
  • Conclusion: Implications for Healing, Policy, and Future Research.
  • Glossary.