Accepting Your Feelings after Brain Injury
The time following a brain injury is an incredibly confusing, frustrating, and emotional period for both the survivor and his or her family and friends. All involved should be expected to experience a wide variety of emotions, from depression to denial, from anger to hopelessness. These feelings are completely normal, and the patient and his or her family shouldn’t feel bad about having them.
Patients and their families and friends should be encouraged to share their feelings with the physician, therapy team, and counselors, and should talk about, in particular, what is distressing them. Perhaps they are afraid that they won’t have the same relationships with their friends, or perhaps they are worried about ever working again. Talking to someone who knows what the future is likely to hold can bring emotional relief, and can help the patient focus on what’s really important‒recovery.