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"BRAIN JOLT: A Life Renewed After Traumatic Brain Injury"

            - JoAnn M. Jarvis, RN, DHM, 2008, 2nd Edition with Homeopathic Appendix,  www.lulu.com at $15 for download. Without Appendix, $13 for
              download. Also available in paperback from LuLu.

Back cover. "JoAnn Jarvis lives in NY state with her family. She is a Registered Nurse with extensive experience in community healthcare, hospice, traumatic brain injury, allergy, and environmental illness. She holds a DiHom and DHM in homeopathy as well tutors international students in these studies. She is a certified Reiki Master. She works as a nurse supervisor at a structured day program for traumatic brain injury in Syracuse, NY. Her intention for sharing her own personal struggles with TBI is to educate and encourage others."

 Donna Earnest, DHM - "I would personally like to thank JoAnn Jarvis for writing such an awe-inspiring story of her tremendous will and determination in overcoming the detrimental effects suffered by those who have experienced a Traumatic Brain Injury. Not only the physical effects, but the emotional effects felt by the individual as well as the family. Life as they have known it will never be the same. Add to this the battles that are fought by the many companies that need to be dealt with along the way. Our health care system does not make this path any easier for the suffering. The road to recovery is not an easy road travelled and for most it is even unthinkable when such an injury occurs in their lifetime. I have personally seen and felt the effects of a TBI in someone very close and dear to me. His return was a hard-fought battle and in many ways has changed his life and ours forever. I wish that I would have had this knowledge many years ago when our family was jolted into a new way of living. I believe this book, that has been written from the heart, will be a blessing for those that follow down the road of recovery."

Terezihna Jones, DHM, PhD - "This is a book that should be given out to the families of everyone who has had to deal with brain damage! People need to know what it is like for their family and friends who experience this in order to be able to be supportive during a time that is more difficult than the average person could imagine. Very well written and authoritative!"

"RESCUING BRAIN INJURED CHILDERN"

            - Keith Pennock, Ashgrove Publishing, London & Bath, 1999, $21.95

 Back cover -

 "If you know a family with a handicapped child, make sure they read this book." - John Cleese.

 "At last! A book which destroys the myth that brain injured children cannot develop." - Anne Diamond

 "A practical, uplifting book....this superb work on the subject" - Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.

 "Most people have met or heard about someone who has been "brain damaged". This book has been written to answer the worries and concerns which ordinary families may have about brain injury.

            Brain injury need not be a life sentence. The author shows that a 'hurt' child can make remarkable progress towards independence, with the right sort of stimulation and help.

            After his first daughter, Alison, became brain injured, Keith Pennock's search for answers led him into a new career, teaching other parents the techniques he and his wife had successfully used with her.

            Keith has since helped over 1,400 brain injured children, and his consultancy, Brain-Net, works in association with four similar units in Europe and Australia. His patients have included children suffering from coma, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, physical disabilities, brain damage, hyperactivity, ADHD, ADD, dyspraxia, dyslexia, Asperger's and Down's syndrome. Many previously blind, deaf, unable to communicate or paralysed can now see, hear, read write, understand, talk, walk and run. Some even attend mainstream school with their chronological peers."

 Page 77 - "For most of us, the learning process involves being exposed to a fact or facts several times, until, as we say, 'it has sunk in'.

            If this is true for most of us well people, how much more true is it for the brain injured child, whose ability to detect, and to retain information is so severely limited. He cannot see very well, and most probably does not see our world in the way that we do. He cannot hear very well and his hearing may be very limited, or too acute. His sensation can vary in different parts of his body, ranging from hypo- to hyper-sensitive. His senses of smell and taste may be dulled, or overactive.

            It is not enough to present him with new information in the same way we would anyone else. He needs to see it, hear it, feel it, taste it, or smell it over and over and over again.

            It is a basic principle of neurophysiology that if you want to increase central nervous system transmission, you must increase the stimulus in terms of its FREQUENCY, its INTENSITY and its DURATION. A proper understanding of these three words id crucially important, if we are to establish, or re-establish function following brain injury, and they deserve a full explanation."

"COGNITIVE REHABILITATION: An Integrative Neuropsychological Approach"

            -McKay Moore Sohlberg, PhD and Catherine A. Mateer, PhD, The Guilford Press, 2001

 Flyleaf:

"Sohlberg and Mateer's Introduction to Cognitive Rehabilitation helped put cognitive rehabilitation on the map for a generation of clinicians, researchers, educators, and students. Now, more than a decade later, the discipline has come of age. The research base has broadened, theory and terminology have been refined, and a wide range of intervention approaches have been articulated. This new volume offers a comprehensive overview of this fast-evolving field. More than a revised edition, the text reflects recent developments in neuroscience and computer technology, coupled with changing service delivery models. Authoritative and up-to-date, it is an indispensible resource for anyone working with individuals with acquired cognitive impairment.

            The volume begins with an introductory section reviewing the fundamentals of practice. Chapters then describe rehabilitation methods with applications to specific cognitive process - attention, memory, executive functions, and communication - as well as associated emotional and behavioral difficulties. Approaches covered encompass behavioral interventions; process-oriented therapies, including cognitive process training; environmental manipulations, and psychotherapy. For each, theoretical underpinnings are reviewed in depth and detailed descriptions of how to implement the techniques are presented. Difficult concepts are explained in a clear, straightforward fashion, and realistic case examples bring the material to life. Also featured are samples of relevant assessment instruments, rating scales, and patient handouts. Throughout, the volume emphasizes the need to work from a community perspective, Particular attention is given to ways that interventions can expand knowledge about brain injury and its effects; foster self-management of cognitive and behavioral challenges; and enable successful collaboration among patients, families, and therapists. Special topics covered include the management of mild brain injury and brain injury in children.

            This state-of-the-art volume belongs on the desks of professionals across a wide variety of rehabilitation specialties, including neuropsychology, clinical and cognitive psychology, psychiatry, speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, neurology, and rehabilitation medicine. For student use, the book will replace its predecessor as a key text in courses on rehabilitation methods and neurogenic disorders.

 ABOUT THE AUTHORS

McKay Moore Sohlberg, PhD, is a nationally recognized leader in the field of traumatic brain injury rehabilitation. For the past 16 years she has worked as a clinician, researcher, and administrator in the development of programs to assist individuals with brain injury to reintegrate into the community at maximum levels of independence. She has published numerous articles, chapters, and manuals on managing cognitive impairments following neurogenic insult. Dr. Sohlberg is currently an associate professor in the Communication Disorders and Sciences program at the University of Oregon.

 Catherine A Mateer, PhD, is a board certified clinical neuropsychologist with an extensive background in clinical assessment, clinical intervention, and both basic and applied research. She has published over 75 articles and book chapters and two previous books relating to brain organization for language, memory, and praxis, as well as to the assessment and management of acquired disorders of attention, memory and executive functions. Dr. Mateer is widely known for her pioneering work in the rehabilitation of individuals who have sustained traumatic brain injury. She is currently a professor in the Department of Psychology and the Director of the Graduate Program in Clinical Psychology at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada.

 Back cover -

 "This is probably the best book on neurobehavioral remediation on the market. It is grounded in the neuro- and cognitive sciences while based on the authors' extensive rehabilitation experiences. The science is sound; the methodology is practical, effective, and respectful of the patient's dignity and well-being; and the coverage of conditions and issues is comprehensive and up to date. Students and practitioners alike will profit from the knowledge, technical advice, and practical admonitions these experienced and insightful clinicians provide." Muriel D. Lezak, PhD, Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Oregon Health Sciences University

 "Like the authors' original seminal text, this volume provides a systemic, practical framework that is clearly referenced to contemporary theory and research. In addition to up-to-date information on cognitive rehabilitation, the volume is enhanced by chapters on behavioral and emotional disorders, the special needs of children, and mild brain injury. In all areas, current best practices are  described and accompanied by an extensive array of worksheets, assessment and monitoring tools, and other useful supporting materials. Sohlberg and Mateer have once again produced the premire text in the area. It belongs within arm's reach of any professional or student in disciplines providing post-acute brain injury rehabilitation services." James F. Malec, PhD, Professor and Director of NIDRR Traumatic Brain Injury Model System, Mayo Clinic and Foundation.

 "This book is precise, well organized, and easy to follow. It covers the main topics of concern to clinicians and families, and the sequence is logical and clear. Sohlberg and Mateer have a real gift for explaining difficult concepts in ways that make them seem completely understandable and sensible. In addition to these strengths, the book's balanced perspective and solid theoretical grounding really make it stand out among others in this area." Jill Winegardner, PhD, Neuropsychology Consultant, Dominican Hospital, Santa Cruz, California.