The Ghost in My Brain (28 page)

DOTS PUZZLES

Find all instances of the appropriate three shapes in each of the following two puzzles. Every dot will be used.

2D PAGE OF DOTS OVERLAID

Key

 

3D PAGE OF DOTS OVERLAID

Key

Puzzle

I would like to thank the following people who were essential in bringing this manuscript to life. In chronological order: Donalee Markus, and Deborah Zelinsky, who agreed to painstakingly verify all of the notes on my recovery; my good friend the writer Pamela Janis, the catalyst who turned a collection of notes into a real book and has been the best champion for it from the start; Leslie Breed, who graciously gave her time early in this project; Howard Yoon, whose reputation as one of the finest agents in the business does not do justice to the breadth of his kindness and compassion as a human being; Melanie Tortoroli, who blessed us with her essential editing gifts and global patience in managing so many aspects of this large project; my daughter Nell Elliott, whose insight and skill are everywhere present through the six thousand edits she made in the manuscript, and the structural design she suggested; our copy editor, Michael Burke, who painstakingly cleaned up the text throughout with the logic and precision of
a scientist; Georgia Bodnar, who managed all the art; and all of the other professionals at Viking who tolerated me as an academic used to fighting over every comma. I'd especially like to thank all of those in the DePaul community who were so supportive, including, but not limited to, my compassionate deans Helmut Epp, and David Miller, and my colleagues Gary Andrus, Adam Steele, and Greg Brewster.

3D

dot exercises, 232–33, 235–37, 241

hearing, 158, 258–59

spatial world, 67, 223, 250, 255, 259

vision/visual world, 67, 121, 158, 255, 259

action initiation, 6, 9, 26, 61–63, 66–67, 79, 105, 146, 268, 278

arithmetic, 101, 127, 142–43, 157, 197, 224

attention difficulties, xx, 82, 228–29, 239–41, 245, 270, 278, 283, 295

audio

error correction, 177

input, 146–47, 159, 198–99

processing, 163–70, 259

slowness, 163–70, 176

aural processing, 91–93, 117, 132, 137–38, 142–43, 149, 164, 174, 272–73

balance, 54, 60, 72, 115, 244

and eyeglasses, xvii, 264–65, 269–70

and the eyes, xvi, 85–87, 89–90, 104, 158, 250

and hearing, 91–93

improvement in, 208, 223, 294–95

loss of, 4, 27, 31, 39, 45, 47, 49, 79, 86–88, 90, 92, 94, 119, 126, 183, 189, 296

system of, 84–89, 93–94, 119, 183

techniques for, 7, 14, 41, 88, 91–92, 98, 177, 184, 209, 279

and visual system, 79, 84–87, 89–92, 147

body-sense cognition, 183–85, 244

body-versus-surroundings sense, 88–91

brain

analogical processing of, 130–32, 138, 144

computational powers of, xix, xxii, 10–13, 109, 149, 163, 224

and conceptual information, 96–100

fatigue, 14, 17–18, 65, 67, 76, 78, 87, 97–98, 103–4, 119, 121–22, 140, 143–45, 154–55, 183, 199, 230, 248, 271

healthy/normal, 75–76, 96, 130, 132, 139, 151, 162

processing, 213, 244–46, 249

rebuilding of, xxiv, 13, 34

reconfiguring of, xiii, 262–63

recovery, 57–61, 65, 86, 91, 108, 215–16, 226, 229, 248

resources, 74, 79, 133, 135, 139–40, 142, 149, 239, 241

rest, 6–7, 18, 58–61, 65, 86, 99–100, 104, 106–7, 150, 177, 187, 267

seizures, xvii, 185–88, 215, 280

stress, 89, 117, 193–96, 208, 215, 252, 267

systems, 11–13, 55, 58, 132, 222

brain-body relationship, xv–xvi, xxii–xxiii, 181–83, 188–91, 257

brain-body states, 55, 245

brain-body system, xvii, 110, 191

brain injury

definition of, 10

diagnosing of, xii–xiii, 44–47, 192–93

life-altering changes from, 10, 53, 71–72, 84, 114, 159, 179–80, 193, 200, 209, 297

and permanent damage, 34, 48, 54–55, 61, 193–95

brain plasticity, 13, 130, 137, 211

and brain recovery, xiii

and cognitive treatment, xxiii

explanation of, xii, xx

and eyeglasses, 288

and eyesight, 247, 269, 277

principles of, 246–47

research in, xx, 200–201, 294

Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science
,
The
(Doidge), 201

calendars, 8, 115, 120–24

car accident, xi, xv, 3, 19–35, 39, 44, 84, 86, 180, 188, 229, 295

causality, concept of, 120

certainty, lack of, 67–69, 77, 151

Charles Bonnet syndrome, 264

children, 6, 37, 52–54, 58, 130–38, 141, 196, 224.
See also
parenting;
specific names

cognition, xviii, xxii, 55, 84, 109, 130, 140–41, 180, 193–94, 266

cognitive

adaptability, xiii, 137

concepts, 140–41

difficulties, xi, xxii, 13, 15, 17, 20–35, 39–42, 45–49, 55–57, 69–71, 78, 94, 101, 109, 144–45, 152, 165, 184–85, 193, 209, 230, 240, 250, 255

disinhibition, 37

functions, 61, 69–70, 255

improvement, xv, 215–16, 222–24, 241, 262–63, 267, 269–71, 275–76, 285

input, 76, 154

interference, 148–49, 152

overload, 158–59, 177

patterns, 130

processing, 144

resources, 130, 142, 165, 177

rest, 7, 58–60

restructuring, xxi–xxii, 201, 205, 226–27, 241

science, 73, 110, 164

slowing, 6, 24, 29–30, 38, 45–46, 64, 79, 81, 125–28, 130, 207–8, 256, 297

stress, 47, 181

color, xvi, 11, 29, 97–98, 138, 148–49, 177, 183, 228, 233–35, 241, 243, 246

communication

difficulties with, 34, 81–82, 155, 166–70, 198, 283

improvement in, 223

See also
speech

computers, 10–11, 13, 36, 52, 73–75, 80, 110–12, 126, 194

concussion

diagnosing of, xx, 34, 40, 43, 69, 105, 193, 231

explanation of, 10, 34

serious/life-changing nature of, xx

simulation of, 13

typical symptoms of, 43, 46–47, 57, 64, 69, 85, 193, 295

concussives

and feeling nonhuman, xxi–xxiii, 61, 71–72, 109, 195, 219, 278

need rest, 58

shared experiences of, xxi–xxii, 46, 48, 72, 117, 124, 178, 219

support system for, 51–54

Conroy, John, 178

creativity, 36–37, 169, 178, 291, 293

daemons (thought processes), 73–83, 118, 133–37, 141–42, 146–47, 149, 168

decision making, 28, 57–58, 63–70, 72, 159–60, 295

DePaul University, xxiii, 3, 6, 19, 22, 31, 37, 48, 51–52, 88, 108, 231, 295.
See also
teaching

Descartes, René, xxiii, 111

directional sense, 6, 17, 22, 25, 100–2, 139, 166, 279, 295

DNA, 12

Doidge, Norman, 201

Dolly Zoom Effect, 5, 15

dreams, 101–4, 163, 265, 273, 279–80

ears, xvii, 196, 198–99, 217–19, 224, 262, 284, 296–97.
See also
audio; hearing; noise, sensitivity to

Elliott, Erin (daughter), 53, 60–61, 143–45, 155, 196–200, 206, 209–11, 275, 278–79

Elliott, Lucy (daughter), 53–54, 142–43, 275, 279

Elliott, Nell (daughter), 53–54, 142–43, 153–55, 197, 279

Elliott, Paul (son), 54, 142, 145, 196, 199, 275, 279

Elliott, Peter (son), 54, 142–43, 279

Elliott, Qianwei (wife), 53, 144, 151–55, 196, 200, 273, 275, 279

Elliott, Will (brother), 125–26

emotion, 184, 224, 245, 261, 267

emotional difficulties, xx, 60, 72, 83, 94, 178, 180

error correction, 79, 81, 165, 167, 176, 183

eyeglasses, xxiv, 241, 248

challenges of, 264–76

and cognitive improvement, xv, xvii–xviii, 267, 269–71, 275–76, 281

and colored lenses, 208, 259

and improved hearing, 216–22, 264

Phase I, 215, 263–72, 278, 281

Phase II, 226, 270–78, 281, 284–85, 291

Phase III, 276–78, 280–86, 291

Phase IV, 286–92

Phase V, 292, 294

Phase VI, 292–94

and prisms, 215, 250–52, 259–62, 269–70, 276–77, 282, 294

and regression, 277–80, 282

eyes, 102–3, 117–18, 149, 182, 207, 224

aiming system of, 237, 255–56, 269–70

and axons, 243, 245–47, 260

and balance, 85–87

and the brain, xvi, 213, 245–47, 255, 259–60, 262

focusing of, 38, 91, 139, 158, 237, 255–56, 260, 263, 269–72, 277, 284–86, 290–92

and light, 159, 243, 245–47

and music, 217–19, 221–22

movement of, 139, 158, 245, 253, 260, 269, 278

and non-image-forming retinal signals, xvi, 242–45, 248, 250, 258, 288

optic nerves of, 243, 245–46

and recovery exercises, 229, 237

and retinal processing, 213, 217, 242–48, 250, 255, 258, 260–63, 280, 288

See also
eyeglasses; vision; visual

fatigue, xx, 8, 25–27, 41, 104, 147, 190

from conversation, 81, 167–69, 198–99

and eyeglasses, 264, 268, 278

from eyesight difficulties, 253, 255

improvement in, 241, 281, 287

normal, 268, 271

from reading, 36

and recovery work, 215, 241, 275–76

from small tasks, 279–80

of visual systems, 92, 94, 172, 184

filters

cognitive, 144, 172, 237

exercises for, 237

and the eyes, 245–46, 258, 261

importance of, 76

loss of, 6, 37, 46, 76, 78, 99, 129, 144, 147, 158, 165, 172, 176–77, 185, 193, 199, 206, 297

and spoken dialogue, 129, 165, 176–77, 198–200

of visual data, 37, 96, 99, 147

See also
sensory: filters

Folstein Mini-Mental State Examination
, 44

Gallwey, Timothy, 189–90

geometric line drawings/shapes, xi, 185–86, 206–7, 229, 231–39

geometry, 128, 133, 139, 146, 183–85

of cognition, 231–39

difficulty with, 5, 9, 23, 40–41, 77, 90, 95, 155

and time, 120–22

triggers symptoms, 157, 186–87, 207–8

God, 107–9, 111–12, 195, 224

guilt, 78–83, 162

handicap parking, 100

handwriting/writing, 36–38, 279, 283–84

hearing, xvii, 84, 109

difficulties with, 278–79, 283, 292

improvement in, 217–22, 224,
264, 271

and pain, 159, 177, 296–97

and phonosensitivity, 29–30

and visual/spatial systems, 164, 244, 258

See also
audio; aural processing; ears; sound

Heather (professional organizer), 200–1, 225

hemispatial neglect, xxii, 137, 144

high-functioning people, xii, 75, 127, 178, 228, 236, 240–41

homeodynamics, 244, 261

hospital, 21, 28, 33–35, 39–42, 54, 70, 192

house rebuilding project, 26, 37, 53, 95–100, 157, 200

human mind, xxii–xxiii, 10, 12–14, 21, 31, 83, 103, 110–11

humor, 156, 159–62, 169–70, 265, 293

ideaesthesia, 144, 148

Inner Game of Tenns
,
The
(Gallwey), 189–90

itching, 188–89

Jake (friend), 54, 63, 66, 79–82, 101, 146–55, 159–62, 178

Kowar, Dr. Lisa, 287–90

Lakoff, George, 114–15

left and right sides

concept of, 6, 16, 24, 137–38, 140–41, 184, 249, 252, 268, 271

and eyeglasses, 264, 267, 269–71, 277, 283, 289–93

and the eyes, 256–58, 269

letting go, 140, 142, 194–96, 200, 274

life after death, 109–11

light

bent left versus right, 251–52, 262, 277

and the brain, 245–47

and eyeglasses, 213, 250–52, 259, 261–63, 269–70, 276–77

and retinal processing, 213, 243, 245–46, 258, 262–63, 280

sensitivity to, 31, 159

line-drawing exercises, xi, 206–8, 228–39, 241

lines, making sense of, 185–88, 263

linguistics, 142–44, 152, 154–55, 167.
See also
communication; speech

logic, 67–68, 82, 121–22, 130, 144, 184, 190, 271, 294

Markus, Dr. Donalee, 126, 297

background/description of, 201, 205–6, 208–9

cognitive puzzles of, xii–xiii, xxiv, 130, 205–6, 225–26, 241

diagnostic tests of, xi, 206–9

exercises of, xii, 228–41, 270, 275, 278

first meeting with, 205–9

recovery plan of, xi–xiii, 209–12, 215–16, 227–31, 241, 262–63, 294

and Dr. Zelinsky, xv, 212, 215, 267, 282

Martha (Zelinsky's assistant), 214–15, 249–50, 252–54, 257, 286–87

medical community, xi, xvii, xx, xxiii–xxiv, 192–94, 209–10, 248

meditation, 7, 88, 106–7, 157, 295

memory, 111, 119, 151–55, 164, 169, 244

capacity/size of, 11–12

improvement in, 222, 224, 266–67

loss of, xii, 13, 70, 99–100, 113–14, 266, 274, 276

and planning, 121–22

and problem solving, 131, 142

and wearing glasses, 218, 266–67, 271, 274, 276

“working,” 131, 142, 218, 222

metacognitive voice, 126–29

metadialogue, 229

metaphor, 67, 114–17

mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI), xii, 10

Miller, Dr., 123

Mind-Eye Connection, The, 213–14, 286, 294.
See also
Zelinsky, Dr. Deborah

motion sickness, 31, 86–87, 102.
See also
nausea

motor function

and brain seizures, 188, 215

and cognitive processing, xvi

and cognitive stress, 45–47

and eyeglasses, xvii, 265, 267–68, 271, 279

and the eyes, 243–44, 250, 252, 261

improvement in, 223

loss of, xi, xxii, 14–17, 23–24, 26, 31, 33, 39–40, 49, 61–64, 66–69, 91, 99, 152, 177–78, 193, 195, 207–9

and recovery exercises, 229, 233, 238–39

slowing of, 6–9, 24, 45–46, 66, 98, 125–26, 175–76, 296

and spatial sense, 61–62

and taking tests, xi, 45–47, 207–9

See also
balance

multitasking

causes fatigue, 167

difficulty with, xxi, 31, 38, 57, 78, 120, 158–59, 164–65, 198–99, 262

improvement in, 295

muscles, 26, 28, 62, 136, 284

extraocular, 85, 253

and fatigue, 187

knotted up, 158, 207, 267–68

motor control of, 238, 257

pain in, 40, 156–58

peacefulness in, 274

spasms in, 271

music, 106–7, 128, 138, 151, 195, 199, 209, 217–22, 224, 259, 266–67, 272, 281, 284

nausea, 18, 27, 31, 33, 39–40, 45, 87, 92–93, 98, 104, 116, 119, 140, 156–58, 165, 177, 223, 264, 295.
See also
motion sickness

Nelms, James, 12

neural

pathways, 182, 261

programming, 8, 109–10, 180

signals, 132, 243

structure, 73

neuro-optometric rehabilitation, xvi–xvii, xxi, 212–15, 226, 294.
See also
eyeglasses; Markus, Dr. Donalee; Zelinsky, Dr. Deborah

neurodevelopmental rehabilitation, 226, 242, 248–94

neurological oddities, 7, 88, 91, 185–89, 250

neurologists, xx, 43–47, 54, 61, 102, 192–94, 216

neurons, 110–11, 164

neuroscience, xi, xvii, xxiv, 129, 205, 212–14, 227, 246

noise, sensitivity to, 29–30, 42, 78, 149, 159, 172–75, 259, 283, 296

Nolan, Christopher, 114, 119