The Ghost in My Brain: How a Concussion Stole My Life and How the New Science of Brain Plasticity Helped Me Get It Back
Written by Clark Elliott, Ph.D.
Narrated by Arthur Morey
4.5/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
The dramatic story of one man's recovery offers new hope to those suffering from concussions and other brain traumas.
In 1999, Clark Elliott suffered a concussion when his car was rear-ended. Overnight his life changed from that of a rising professor with a research career in artificial intelligence to a humbled man struggling to get through a single day. At times he couldn't walk across a room, or even name his five children. Doctors told him he would never fully recover. After eight years, the cognitive demands of his job, and of being a single parent, finally became more than he could manage. As a result of one final effort to recover, he crossed paths with two brilliant Chicago-area research-clinicians-one a specialized optometrist, the other a cognitive psychologist-working on the leading edge of brain plasticity. He was substantially improved within weeks.
Remarkably, Elliott kept detailed notes throughout his experience, from the moment of impact to the final stages of his recovery, astounding documentation that is the basis of this fascinating audiobook. The Ghost in My Brain gives hope to the millions who suffer from head injuries each year, and provides a unique and informative window into the world's most complex computational device: the human brain.
Related to The Ghost in My Brain
Related audiobooks
Concussion Rescue: A Comprehensive Program to Heal Traumatic Brain Injury Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Shaken Brain: The Science, Care, and Treatment of Concussion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Nocturnal Brain: Nightmares, Neuroscience, and the Secret World of Sleep Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lithium: A Doctor, a Drug, and a Breakthrough Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Think Smart: A Neuroscientist's Prescription for Improving Your Brain's Performance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Into the Gray Zone: A Neuroscientist Explores the Border Between Life and Death Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Breathless Sleep...no more. A compelling case study Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Learning to Speak Alzheimer's: A Groundbreaking Approach for Everyone Dealing with the Disease Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Tell-Tale Brain: A Neuroscientist's Quest for What Makes Us Human Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Getting Your Brain and Body Back: Everything You Need to Know after Spinal Cord Injury, Stroke, or Traumatic Brain Injury Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsChronotherapy: Resetting Your Inner Clock to Boost Mood, Alertness, and Quality Sleep Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Unthinkable: An Extraordinary Journey Through the World's Strangest Brains Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Desperate Remedies: Psychiatry's Turbulent Quest to Cure Mental Illness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind: My Tale of Madness and Recovery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A User's Guide to the Brain: Perception, Attention, and the Four Theaters of the Brain Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Your Brain, Explained: What Neuroscience Reveals About Your Brain and its Quirks Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Cure for Darkness: The Story of Depression and How We Treat It Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5And How Are You, Dr. Sacks?: A Biographical Memoir of Oliver Sacks Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cracked, Not Broken: Surviving and Thriving After a Suicide Attempt Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5An Anatomy of Pain: How the Body and the Mind Experience and Endure Physical Suffering Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5If at Birth You Don't Succeed: My Adventures with Disaster and Destiny Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I'll Be OK, It's Just A Hole In My Head Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Traumatized Brain: A Family Guide to Understanding Mood, Memory, and Behavior after Brain Injury Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5From Fatigued to Fantastic!: Fourth Edition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Gut Feelings: The Intelligence of the Unconscious Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Why God Won't Go Away: Brain Science and the Biology of Belief Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Medical For You
The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Body Code: Unlocking Your Body's Ability to Heal Itself Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Menopause Manifesto: Own Your Health With Facts and Feminism Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Genius Foods: Become Smarter, Happier, and More Productive While Protecting Your Brain for Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Summary: Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor: Key Takeaways, Summary & Analysis Included Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cook County ICU: 30 Years of Unforgettable Patients and Odd Cases Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Vagina Bible: The Vulva and the Vagina-Separating the Myth from the Medicine Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Adult ADHD: How to Succeed as a Hunter in a Farmer's World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Psychology of the Unconscious Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Intuitive Eating Workbook: 10 Principles for Nourishing a Healthy Relationship with Food Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The House of God Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Gene: An Intimate History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In Shock: My Journey from Death to Recovery and the Redemptive Power of Hope Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5All That Remains: A Renowned Forensic Scientist on Death, Mortality, and Solving Crimes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5When I Come Home Again: 'A page-turning literary gem' THE TIMES, BEST BOOKS OF 2020 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Soul Of Shame: Retelling the Stories We Believe About Ourselves Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Roxane Gay & Everand Originals: My Year of Psychedelics: Lessons on Better Living Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Ghost in My Brain
8 ratings1 review
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I have a mild TBI. It effects my work and personality. Hearing other people stories help me understand I am not alone. The neurologists have blown me off. I went to the neurologist in house psychiatrist years ago. She was very kind to confirm my issues as TBI. I cried in joy, someone understood what was happening to me. When I changed insurance, she would not see me. Listening to this book was good for me. Hearing about depth perception was huge. I have lost some of mine therefore driving and hitting my head due to misjudgment is not fun. When I hit my head, the issues resurface again for months. It takes me an hour to type a letter at work instead of 5 minutes. I can’t get my thoughts together plus the sentences have left out words that I see when rereading it. Then after many tries or coming back to it, I find the mistakes. I have created new words that don’t exist. My employees try to help me stay on task. It’s hard. Remember you are not alone even if your friends and family don’t understand it.
This book will be good for you or others trying to understand what’s going on. It helped my husband.1 person found this helpful