Brain Injury and Journaling

 By Barbara Stahura

On Oct. 19, 2009, I had the privilege of appearing on Arizona Illustrated, a daily program on KUAT-TV in Tucson, to talk about my new book, After Brain Injury: Telling Your Story, published by Lash & Associates Publishing/Training. My co-author is Susan B. Schuster, M.A., CCC-SLP, who was not able to be on the program. Our book is the first journaling workbook written specifically for people with brain injury.

As a freelance writer and  long-time journaler, I knew that numerous studies have demonstrated the therapeutic benefits of journaling for various groups of people. Journaling became my lifeline during the chaotic, frightening time after my husband, Ken, sustained a TBI in a hit-and-run accident in 2003. Several years later, I created a journaling workshop for people with brain injury, knowing they could also benefit from this form of self-expression. Susan, who was Ken’s outpatient speech therapist and is now our friend, was equally enthusiastic about the workshop. We have been able to facilitate it for more than two years now, running the six-week program twice a year. The book evolved from the workshop.

In our 90-minute workshop sessions, participants usually write two or three journal entries, based on exercises in the book. (Some of their writings are included in the book.) After each writing, anyone who is willing is encouraged to share what they’ve written with the group—and most often, they all do. So, first they are able to do some self-exploration on the page, and then in the readings they can see how they are not alone in their experience of brain injury. They respect one another, and offer encouragement and support. Everyone is moved by these stories and by our participants’ courage in facing a new life after brain injury. We hope that more people with brain injury, their families, and medical or therapy teams will join us in this healing, helpful exercise. Also note that people whose brain injury occurred many years ago can also benefit from journaling, even long after they have completed therapy or rehabilitation programs.

To view the interview, click here.