After suffering a serious brain injury, Theresa Byrne asks, if you could alter your reality through the power of thought, would you?
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Would you let yourself choose the reality that felt amazing? I’m talking about rewriting your reality. Re-scripting it, and no, it’s not been a real word until now. Could you do it? Would you do it?
One of the coolest things I’ve found is that as both a reader and writer, I get the chance to look at the world through these interesting alternatively colored lenses.
Sometimes the lenses are dark, sometimes rose, sometimes clear. Sometimes they’re technicolor and sometimes they shimmer with magic.
And as a reader and writer, I can interpret what I see through those lenses in new ways.
If I’m reading a lot of poetry I may see the world through that lens. Or sci-fi, inspirational stories or whatever. You get the picture. The lenses change, the vision changes.
I propose we can create changes in our reality.
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You may think to yourself, “Reality is reality, writer lady, there’s no way I can ‘rewrite’ it. It’s based on facts. And facts are true. Facts are facts, pure and simple.”
Please allow me to put on my superhero cape (hey, it’s my head and my reality) and Writer Girl will explain.
Suspend disbelief for a moment and allow me the opportunity to open your mind. Ask yourself, “How do I define reality? What do I use to determine whether or not I think something is “real”? And how do I know what’s true?”
When looking at reality based on certain factors they are in fact, mutable. Some facts are undeniable; like laws of physics, but sometimes it’s whatever we’ve made them mean that can change. Are we “old” or are we “growing wiser”? Is there a “man-box” or can men be free?
We create our defined reality with these four factors in mind:
1. What we believe to be true. We think of them as facts.
2. What we’ve been told is true. Again, facts based on cultural or familial opinions, science, or wherever we get our information.
3. What we see/perceive is the truth. Based on what we think, we often perceive as factual or reality.
4. What we think is the truth. What our brains tell us, based on past and beliefs.
And how are these changeable? Perception. Reality is a perception, and that’s where choice lies. Now let’s go quantum. I believe we can change or adjust our view and reality, and we can go quantum to do it. The place beyond where we are just a result of the effects of our lives. Beyond cause and effect. A place where we can create.
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I believe we can change or adjust our view and reality, and we can go quantum. The place beyond where we are simply a result of the effects of our lives. Beyond cause and effect. A place where we can create.
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I found this out recently when I actually forgot which reality was the REAL one. And I’m absolutely serious. Because they both could be real. Have you ever wished you could change the way you looked at something, or yourself, because the way you viewed it wasn’t working for you?
Hear me out for a second before you call the guys in white lab coats—I’m not insane. Not in the certifiable way, at least. Maybe in the “we are the crazy ones who see things as we believe they can be” way.
The facts: I had a hit and run car accident that resulted in three full impacts for me and ended with my totaled SUV slammed into a brick retaining wall and me left with a serious brain injury.
The injury impacted every lobe of my brain and was akin to six or more concussions at once (contre-coup: hit and return). I’ve been on doctor-ordered rest/low stimulus environment to help my brain heal for almost a year. So much for my NFL career. (Humor = coping)
One day after talking with my mother, I noticed I was having a panic attack (yet another fun symptom) and I tried to trace it back to the triggering thought or belief. Sometimes I can, sometimes I can’t remember what started it; it can be a feeling triggered by my brain that starts a cavalcade of symptoms. My conversation with my mom was the day prior, and it was a sneaky little fear I had to look around to find.
On this particular day, I searched my memory banks for the trigger for panic. Aha. Found it. Panic-anxiety was caused by THIS version of reality:
My mother was understandably worried about my future. She was incredibly concerned about the martial arts studio business I own since I was unable to teach or work; and we didn’t know if I’d ever be able to teach or work in that capacity again. The doctors don’t even know.
In my mother’s concerns and reality, I was potentially medically “disabled” by this brain injury for the rest of my life. She was worried what I would do, who I would be, how I would live, that I’d be OK, etc.
Heavy, right? In the midst of that panic attack, I felt like THAT was my new reality too. And I didn’t want it. My panic was me fighting back against those fears.
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My reality has been this: my brain is on a “healing adventure” with innumerable changes. I’m an explorer in new uncharted territory; exploring my own neuroplasticity and regions in my brain that have never been utilized. I’m using intuition and higher energetic empathic sensory processing skills to help me navigate these crazy waters.
In that panic attack, I felt like THAT was my new reality too. And I didn’t want it. My panic was me fighting back against those fears.
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My reality is that I will somehow be OK, and use my story to help others. I’m relearning how to do many things AND consciously choosing which things I want to do through upgraded habits. I’m opening up to new skills and ideas and processing.
Through the accident I’ve been positively focused on one thing: this happened for a reason and I will use what I’ve learned to help myself grow and I will share it. (Funny thing, much of what exhibits in brain injury are things a majority of the population experience at one time or another, but to a lesser than degree. You may forget things, we often can’t track and may have some amnesia. You can’t sleep sometimes, we get insomnia. Many others have depression, most of us with brain injuries get that symptom as well.)
To be clear: yes it hurts and yes the symptoms suck, I don’t mean to minimize them but I make sure I don’t get stuck IN them. I wouldn’t wish a brain injury on anyone. It’s the hardest road I’ve ever walked, and this warrior has been brought to her knees in surrender over and over.
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Many people with brain injuries, or really any long-term health challenge, can get engulfed by the overwhelming amount of symptoms and focus solely on them, it’s easy to do.
You can BECOME the injury. Or the impatience/anger, the depression, the memory loss, the insomnia, the ADHD, or any other symptom.
Your entire world, as you knew it, has changed and you may have pain daily. Your own idea of yourself is either gone, or completely changed. You are not the same.
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Instead of focusing on the management of symptoms, you can slip into BEING stuck “as the injury.” It can define you, and it’s easy to see why it happens.
Your entire world, as you knew it, has changed and you may have pain daily. Your own idea of yourself is either gone, or completely changed. You are not the same.
One neurologist I worked with humorously called me a “hot mess” on the scale of a brain injury.
But that’s not my reality. The positive protocol created with the help of great doctors is cutting edge; it doesn’t exist as much as I’d like to see. I’d love to see that change. If I could help one other person think differently: that’s great. That’s enough.
If I believed in the fear-based reality I’d probably never end up doing much of anything. Including my secret weapon of using speech-to-texting these articles into existence in the Notes section of my iPhone, then having amazing editors at The Good Men Project help me take out the mistakes.
I’ve trained myself to move past the “obvious” facts, and changed my reality. By re-scripting. You can do it too. What’s your reality?
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This post is republished on Medium.
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Photo credit: iStock
Hi Theresa
There is magic in your writing!
Silke: Wow. I can’t thank you enough for your kind words. But thank you!