After Brain Injury: Survivor Stories was launched in 2014 to meet the need for a series of books aimed at those who have suffered a brain injury, their families and carers, and professionals who are involved in neuropsychological rehabilitation. Brain disorders can be life-changing events with far-reaching consequences. However, in the current climate of cuts in funding and service provision for neuropsychological rehabilitation, there is a risk that people whose lives have been transformed by brain injury are left feeling isolated with little support.
Because so many of the books on brain injury are written for academics and clinicians they can for the most part be filled with technical and academic language which may be of little help to those directly affected. Instead, this series offers a much-needed personal insight into the experience, as each book is written, in the main, by a survivor or group of survivors, who are living with the very real consequences of brain injury. Each book focuses on a different condition, such as face blindness, amnesia and neglect, or diagnoses, such as encephalitis and locked-in syndrome, resulting from brain injury. Readers will learn about life before the brain injury, early days of diagnosis, the effects of the brain injury, the process of rehabilitation, and life as it is now lived.
Alongside a personal perspective, professional commentary is also provided by a specialist in neuropsychological rehabilitation. The historical context, neurological analyses, data on the condition, treatment, outcome and follow-up, will appeal to professionals working in rehabilitation including psychologists, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, social workers and rehabilitation doctors. Books in this series will also be of interest to students of clinical psychology, neuropsychology and related courses who value a case study approach as a complement to the more academic books on brain injury.
With this series, we also hope to help expand awareness of brain injury and its consequences. The World Health Organisation has recently acknowledged the need to raise the profile of mental health issues (with the WHO Mental Health Action Plan 2013-20) and we believe there needs to be a similar focus on psychological, neurological and behavioural consequences of brain disorder, and a deeper understanding of the role of rehabilitation in making the lives of brain injured people more tolerable. Giving a voice to survivors of brain injury is a step in the right direction.
By Aurora Lassaletta Atienza
November 18, 2019
The Invisible Brain Injury recounts, in her own words, the experience of Aurora Lassaletta, a clinical psychologist who suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) after a traffic accident. Presenting her unique dual perspective as both a patient and a clinician, Aurora highlights the less visible ...
By Charlie Bacchus, Marie Beau
October 24, 2019
This is the remarkable story of Charlie Bacchus, who was diagnosed with a severe case of viral encephalitis and later with multiple sclerosis and bipolar. This moving, funny, sometimes explicit book charts his life, including recollections of his childhood, the acceptance of his diagnoses and his ...
By Jo Clark-Wilson, Mark Holloway
September 25, 2019
Brain Injury not only affects its victim, but those around them. In many cases, relatives are often overlooked despite facing many obstacles accepting and adjusting to a new way of life. Family Experience of Brain Injury showcases a unique collaboration between relatives of brain injured ...
By Sheena McDonald, Allan Little, Gail Robinson
April 23, 2019
Rebuilding Life after Brain Injury: Dreamtalk tells the survival story of Sheena McDonald, who in 1999 was hit by a police van and suffered a very severe brain injury. Sheena’s story is told from her own, personal standpoint and also from two further unique and invaluable perspectives. Allan ...
By Barbara Wilson, Paul Allen, Anita Rose, Veronika Kubickova
July 19, 2018
The newest title in the series Survivor Stories, this book tells the story of Paul Allen, a photographer who likes opera and was a good baritone singer. At the age of 56 he sustained a stroke that left him paralysed and speechless. He has Locked-In Syndrome (LIS), a rare consequence of brain damage...
By Christopher Yeoh
June 14, 2017
Whilst preparing for his travel adventures into a world he had yet to explore, Christopher Yeoh was involved in a road traffic accident and experienced something few others would be "privileged" to witness. Eight days in a coma, more than a year in and out of hospital and a gradual re-introduction ...
By Ava Easton
March 28, 2016
Encephalitis is a devastating condition whose impact upon people should not be underestimated. It robs people of abilities most of us take for granted, it leaves people without their loved ones, and even in those families where the person affected survives the person they once knew can be ...
By Barbara A. Wilson, Samira Kashinath Dhamapurkar, Anita Rose
February 09, 2016
At the age of twenty eight Gary was assaulted by a gang with baseball bats and a hammer, resulting in several skull fractures and severe brain damage. For nineteen months he had little awareness of his surroundings before he started to show some recovery. This inspirational book documents his ...
By Barbara A. Wilson, Claire Robertson, Joe Mole
October 20, 2014
Imagine being unable to recognise your spouse, your children, or even yourself when you look in the mirror, despite having good eyesight and being able to read well and name objects. This is a condition which, in rare cases, some brain injury survivors experience every day. Identity Unknown gives ...
By Barbara A. Wilson, Jill Winegardner, Fiona Ashworth
August 28, 2013
This is the first book of its kind to include the personal accounts of people who have survived injury to the brain, along with professional therapists' reports of their progress through rehabilitation. The paintings and stories of survivors combine with experts' discussions of the theory and ...