Re:Ask HN: How to navigate the world as a brain-damaged 17 y...
by AdviceAlt on Thursday June 29, 2023 @06:10AM
(#36518516)
Thank you, I hadn't heard of cognitive neurotherapy/neurofeedback. It's been suggested by some other people in this thread. I looked into it and I can get it privately for ~£2000, which is within viability.
I had a lot of concussions as a kid; at one point I had three in a row the effectively zeroed out my short term memory. I had a task to memorize 5 paragraphs from some Shakespeare writing. Additionally, I was unable to do basic math in the timelines given for testing. Among those symptoms I'd also stopped eating and my childhood depression worsened. Things didn't look too good.
I went to cognitive neurotherapy done by Dr Jonathan Walker (https://www.neurotherapydallas.com/copy-of-about-1) in Dallas, TX. I was first given a brain scan to set a baseline and did months of EEG oriented games that targeted areas of my brain that were seemingly less active. At some point I had a small seizure while playing the games and the ease with which I played increased rapidly. Within a couple weeks I was able to memorize the lines I was required to and my math returned to functional levels. Check in to cognitive neurotherapy, as far as I know it's still experimental but it seemed to help me a lot. They also give it to war veterans with TBI (Traumatic brain injuries) at the VA.