Brain, Heal Thyself
By Madonna Siles
Commentary by Lawrence J. Beuret, MD
Book Reviews
A well-written, engaging story of devotion, tenacity and a miraculous recovery from devastating trauma.
Thomas W. Phelan, Ph.D.
Author, 1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2-12
“Irreversible brain damage” are devastating words to friends and families. Siles hears these words and like so many members of AA “has only begun to fight”. The AA 12 Step Program has given life back to so many people. Siles uses the 12-step program and her background in advertising to formulate an effective method to rehabilitate her friend. When combined with perseverance, a strong program, and certain skills “miracles” do happen. Brain, Heal Thyself is a book that we all should read, especially caregivers, families of brain-injured patients, health professionals and their students. Our brains do have the capacity to be rehabilitated beyond our expectations. I truly loved Siles’ inspiring work.
Rose Sgarlat Myers, PT, PhD
Executive Vice President, Foundation for Cancer Research and Education
Editor, Saunders Manual of Physical Therapy Practice
Co-Author, Eating Your Way to Better Health
Madonna Siles succeeds at telling a riveting story of sudden shock, heartbreak and disappointment at the healthcare establishment, while gradually realizing that her life experience had given her the tools to overcome her dread and focus her energies on the arduous task of rehabilitating her friend. Her intuitive use of marketing communication concepts to reach and retrain her friend’s damaged brain provides a good roadmap to caregivers; her reliance on well tested 12-Step concepts sustained her throughout her ordeal. The book is a captivating tale of love, depicting the inherent ambivalence of human relationships and the need to tolerate opposite feelings and drives to carry out the responsibilities of life.
Leo Grieben, M.D. Psychiatrist
Founder, Bellin Psychiatric Center, Green Bay, Wisconsin
This book is a page-turner. The author's humor and vivid writing drew me in immediately. I had to keep reading until I found out how these women, using their life experiences, made the impossible real.
Suzanne Zuercher, clinical psychologist
Author, Enneagram Spirituality and Enneagram Profile
‘Brain, Heal Thyself’ is a compelling tale of resiliency and grace. Siles relates her experiences with honesty and humor, offering substantive insights to professionals, caregivers, and stroke victims themselves. Eve’s ongoing recovery, which I’ve been privileged to witness, is testimony to the power and dignity of the human spirit. An inspiring, encouraging work.
Thea Jarvis
Author, The Gift of Grandparenting and Eve’s college roommate
This book demonstrates one practical application of an emerging truth in the healing arts--that creating a positively energized home environment is an important aspect in recovery from any disorder, including brain trauma.
Nikki Marie Welch
MD, MD(H)--Sedona, Arizona
In addition to providing psychological services to individuals with brain injuries and their families, psychologists are often asked to make suggestions for relevant books that can provide educational information and emotional support on the basis of individuals' conditions and needs. Many of these books prove to be invaluable to family members, as they accurately describe the rehabilitation process and the frustrations of dealing with health care professionals as well as provide helpful suggestions regarding assistance for psychological, social, clinical service, and financial needs ….
Madonna Siles's recently published Brain, Heal Thyself: A Caregiver's New Approach to Recovery From Stroke, Aneurysm, and Traumatic Brain Injuries is similar in its intent in that it describes the experiences Siles faced as she learned to become a caregiver to her friend Eve during Eve's rehabilitation following a cerebral hemorrhage. The first part of Siles's book provides an excellent, well-written description of her frustrations with the health care system and providers and is likely to be of great value to caretakers.
However, Siles takes her book one step further by making recommendations for nonstandard methods for neuropsychological rehabilitation that she “invented” on the basis of standard 12-step methods she learned from Alcoholics Anonymous as well as subconscious persuasion methods for altering behaviors that she learned during her work in advertising.
In the first part of Brain, Heal Thyself, All Aboard the Merry-Go-Round of Medical Care, Siles eloquently describes her transition and life change as a caregiver to Eve following Eve's aneurysm. Siles shares her learning experiences and frustrations as a caregiver during Eve's initial hospitalization, acute hospitalization, nursing home placement, inpatient rehabilitation, outpatient rehabilitation, and transition to living at home. Siles does an excellent job of offering a straightforward, brutally honest description of the frustrations with the health care system that are experienced by many caregivers of individuals with disabilities. She is particularly honest in describing her dissatisfaction with health care providers and their unwillingness or inability to truly understand the unique characteristics of individuals with brain disorders, to try nonstandard rehabilitation therapies, or to expect individuals to recover in unanticipated ways.
Similar to the focus of the positive psychology movement, Siles believes in thinking positively, maintaining hope, and developing new strategies to encourage and continue recovery of functions. She describes the unforeseen positive outcomes that come about from life-altering changes and relates that she believes that her approach to rehabilitation facilitated Eve's recovery, to the amazement of health professionals, even three years after her stroke. This part of the book is likely to be valued by individuals with cognitive disabilities and their caregivers, as they will be able to commiserate with the disappointments that accompany the sometimes impersonal, seemingly uncoordinated acute care and rehabilitation systems. Readers are most likely to be inspired by Siles's commitment to actively participating in Eve's rehabilitation as well as her unwillingness to give up hope for Eve's recovery.
From a review for PsycCritiques
A publication of The American Psychological Assn. 1/17/07
Reviewed by Brick Johnstone, Kelly Lora Franklin
The roommate of the author typed and proofread every word of this book. That might not sound particularly amazing, but just two years earlier that individual, Eve, suffered a near-fatal brain aneurysm that destroyed certain parts of her brain. Her condition also propelled the author of this anecdotal book into the challenging and perhaps unwelcome role of caregiver. Siles used her knowledge of AA's 12-step program and of subconscious communication and visualization techniques to design a program to aid in her friend's recovery. That Eve made such a remarkable recovery-regaining 90 percent of her original capacity in two years-makes these techniques all the more interesting. That said, the advice Siles quotes from a trusted relative to refrain from seeking information on brain aneurysms for at least a week after the initial event in order to avoid "information overload" caused this librarian pain. A few other passages that did not seem fact-based necessitated a reminder that this book is a subjective remembering of the journey. Recommended for consumer health and public libraries.
Library Journal
June 15, 2006
Copyright © 2006 Madonna Siles
