Brain Reboot, Concussion Recovery + Resiliency with Jessica Glaeser (part 2)

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Transcript

Journey Through Concussion Recovery

Speaker 1 0:06

All of us reach a point in time where we are depleted and need to somehow find a way to reignite the fire within. But how do we spark that flame? Welcome to Reignite Resilience, where we will venture into the heart of the human spirit. Resilience where we will venture into the heart of the human spirit. We'll discuss the art of reigniting our passion and strategies to stoke our enthusiasm. And now here are your hosts, natalie Davis and Pamela Cass.

Speaker 2 0:42

I have a whole new respect and empathy for anyone who's gone through a concussion. I really thought it was like a minor thing, but it's a huge thing. And I have met another coworker that has had a concussion and he also said he feels very hopeless, like that it's never going to gonna get better, that this is the new norm and we just have to suffer with it. And I was. You know, it's like it's kind of like ADD. It feels very ADD, like a lack of focus, a lot of frustration because it's not clicking, things aren't clicking, and then, basically, what's going on is the mind, my understanding. I'm not a doctor, I don't know how this really works, but I could just tell you my own experience. Basically, what's going on is the mind, my understanding. I'm not a doctor, I don't know how this really works, but I could just tell you my own experience.

Speaker 2 1:28

Basically, what's going on is that there is something that is distracting for the brain and the brain is spending time and energy focused on this distraction and it can't really spend the energy and time on normal stuff. So it's, and also there's like perhaps a lot of inflammation in the brain as well, so inflammation of the nerves and inside the brain. So when I was doing my treatment, we were actually retraining my brain through using like eye therapy and also we did some call of palindrome or where basically it's like you hear a sound and then you have to like click a button. So it's like kind of getting the timing right, like telling the brain like here's the timing we want to have, and then also like retraining the brain towards focus. While doing hyperbaric chamber, pence, red light therapy, red lasers, I did a whole cleanse and different supplements as well. So all of those things together my doctor called it a recipe. He's like I was like well, what was it that helped? And he's like no, it's a recipe All of it.

Speaker 1 2:41

You have to do it all.

Speaker 2 2:43

And you can't just do one. And I was like one and I was like, okay, I was like because I really did love a hyperbaric. I was like this is amazing, I love a hyperbaric, but it was the recipe, doing it all together under the supervision of my awesome functional medicine doctor, and that's how I got healed and I'm. I couldn't be more thankful because I am back to my normal self. It was like it was like the lights went on. It was like one day I couldn't stay at the computer for four hours at a time and then the next day I was like I could stay here all day.

Speaker 3 3:16

Yeah, so not a dimmer switch, actually just flipped right back on. It was like something's different.

The Brain Healing Recipe

Speaker 4 3:21

So if you had not gone through all of those steps, is that change that you saw from the concussion? Is that something that becomes permanent? Is that just the new way the brain kind of operates, or does it ever heal itself? Did you do any research on that?

Speaker 2 3:36

that's a good question. My neurologist said that eventually my brain would have healed itself.

Speaker 4 3:42

Okay, I don't know if I really believe that, because my co-worker is like five plus years past and he's still not at the normal, you know, like back to his old self, yeah, so I'm just I mean just thinking now of all these, like my kids played sports, you know, my daughter had a concussion at one point and I just think about all these people that maybe just think that, oh, this is just the way, this is just the way it is, I just have to deal with this.

Speaker 2 4:09

and yet there actually is something that can be done if it's identified right away, I'm assuming Exactly like I worry about that all the time, like all these, you know, potentially there is a misdiagnosis going on for people or perhaps there's healing that they don't even know exists. And so whenever someone tells me, like I got a concussion, I'm like okay, like please pay attention to your symptoms, even a week after, 10 weeks, after whatever, and just if anything does seem out of place, like just know there is healing and then I can connect you to someone who will heal you, you know. So, yeah, I don't want anyone to have to suffer unnecessarily when they could be healed.

Speaker 4 4:48

Yeah, because they may think that, oh, this is just the way it is, now you know, they may not think there is hope. So I love it and maybe we can supply that information in the show notes for those doctors, that people if they suspected or whatever they could reach out to these doctors, yeah, One people, if they suspected or whatever, they could reach out to these doctors.

Speaker 2 5:07

Yeah, one of the things that really helped is the objective tests that they did because, again, it's internal. You can't see what's suffering, you can't. It's like a broken arm. You're like, oh, of course your arm is broken, like it's so internal, like nobody really understands what's going on in your head. So it was like for me. I was like is this real? So it was like for me I was like is this real? Is it real? Like I just there's so many like so much messages, like is this real? Am I making this up? Like what's going on? And that was a whole loop, you know and I'm trying to find peace of mind over here and like that loop just could not go away.

Speaker 2 5:42

And then finally, they did objective tests. They did a brain map on me and they did an eye test to see like how did my eyes move? Like was my eyes reacting to like stimuli normally? They did another eye pupil exam to see, like how quickly my pupil expanded and went down. And then also those like the metronome, where I would like hit a button with the sound. Those numbers dramatically improved over time, like you can see this trajectory of improvement.

Speaker 2 6:17

So I asked him. I was like, hey, I just have this loop in my head that this isn't real and that this is my new self. And he's like, okay, here's an objective test. We did a brain map on you, we compared it to hundreds of thousands of other people and, yes, you have a traumatic brain injury. And I was like, okay, okay, all right, it's not in my brain and there is healing and I just need to commit which, by the way, it was four hours every week, which was actually like eight hours because I have to drive there and I got to go back. So it was a huge chunk of my schedule committed and did it all, and I'm incredibly grateful to be here today with my full focus.

Speaker 4 6:58

Yeah, wow, well, I know the kids in sports at the beginning of the season they would do testing on the kids and then if they had any thoughts of a concussion, they would have to. They got tested and matched them Like how different is it from the original test at the beginning of the season compared to you just got hit in the head, what does it look like? And it was kind of their concussion protocol. And then if there was any thought of it at all, they were, they were benched and went home.

Speaker 2 7:25

so yeah, it gives me some peace of mind. It's my little part, you know too. It's like thank gosh, they're looking out for these.

Speaker 4 7:31

Yeah, kids yeah, but we've come a long way, because I mean, I don't think we really knew much about it when I was growing up. I'm much older, you guys there's. I mean, wait nothing this generation is getting that.

Speaker 3 7:44

Our generation didn't get any type of post-concussion testing.

Speaker 3 7:48

It was like dust it off, you're fine, go back in and right yeah get some water out of the hose, you'll be fine exactly, yeah, yeah, which is unfortunate, because now I'm thinking like gosh, all of the people that played sports or even just had accidents and concussions just in their own recreational lifestyle, right, if it's outdoor sports and things of that nature, individuals that have suffered from a concussion and have these post-concussion symptoms that you referenced, they just chalk it up as being the new normal or they'll shake it off in the next couple of weeks, right, and that's I think. Sometimes people just think, oh, I'll get better, yes, I hit my head or I injured my head and it'll get better here in the next couple of weeks.

Objective Testing for Brain Injuries

Speaker 4 8:30

And then the next couple of weeks becomes, like you mentioned, five years and it's like no, this is just they just are used to it and then they just are like well, this is just the way. It is different anymore, because it's just become something that's patterned. So I love that you share that story, because I think that's a powerful story for people to hear, because I didn't know anything about. I mean, I knew about concussions and you're supposed to stay in a dark room for like two weeks and not do anything on your computer. But that's about the extent of what I knew about it. So it makes so much more sense and there's hope. If it does happen, it's just going to be.

Speaker 2 9:06

It's going to take time to heal, just like a bone takes time to heal and every other injury that we get yeah, and I definitely felt, I felt hopeless for a while, you know about it, like just not being able to change, you know, and I was like, well, what kind of treatment are you going to do? Like what you know? Just really just didn't feel like there was going to be a real way out, but there is.

Speaker 3 9:29

So I found it Were you skeptical while you were going through the treatments as well. A hundred percent.

Speaker 2 9:35

I was like I am trusting you and I love this doctor too, Cause he's like look, you're not going to be here forever, I am only you're going to be here for six, eight weeks and then you're out. And I'm like what I was like that confidence made me trust him. I was like, okay, all right, you think I'm just going to be here for six to eight weeks, Because every doctor, like every physical, therapist.

Speaker 4 10:01

It just shows you the healing ability of our brains. So it's power there if you follow the recipe that he gave you.

Speaker 2 10:09

Exactly. Yeah, that's even better to realize that we can basically change so much about our brains in that short period of time, with dedication and consistency, you know so beautiful.

Speaker 3 10:19

Have you carried on any of the treatments, like the red light therapy or anything like that?

Speaker 2 10:24

yes, yeah, I have a real enjoyment, not for, therapy.

Speaker 2 10:28

I have a red light therapy definitely research for yourself, like what red light therapy can do, but for myself, like I like it. I have one at home now and I also have a pimp which is the pulse electromagnetic mat and basically it sends electric magnetic pulsing. So it's very healing, it helps with inflammation, it helps with red blood cell risk restoration. Look it up, it's kind of interesting. There's a lot of like my doctors. There's a lot of like not so good mats out there that are totally bogus, but then are some great ones out there that are real. So I have what he told me was a good one and I do that so we don't endorse this product.

Speaker 3 11:15

we're not affiliated with the product, but I would love to hear, because I've actually been on the hunt for a mat for about a week and a half now, and it's interesting because there's a range, right, you can get one for 50 bucks or you can get one for $4,000. And I'm like, well, what's which one is the one that you need to get?

Speaker 2 11:36

Yes, exactly. I was like I'm going to buy one, and he's like okay. And I was like, well, how much is that mat over there? And he's like $25,000. Oh not that mat Okay.

Speaker 4 11:46

I guess I'm not going to get that one.

Speaker 2 11:50

I don't need a medical grade one.

Speaker 3 11:51

I just need something that I can operate at home.

Speaker 2 11:54

Yeah, I was like oh, that thing, it doesn't look that expensive. But yeah, he said it's omni pimps is the one that he likes and they're like 200, so where can?

Hope for Healing

Speaker 3 12:05

you get those online? Yep, I love it. Yeah, we'll tag it in the show notes. Yeah, I think that's great not endorsing.

Speaker 2 12:14

I have nothing to do with it, but at home you know a way to treat yourself for and heal, a natural way of healing. You know why not try it.

Speaker 4 12:23

And then the red light therapy. Did he give you recommendations for that as well, for which one to use?

Speaker 2 12:29

He didn't give me. He has one like. He has a little pad that you can buy at his office. It was $200. But I decided to like do a little bit of research and I went to like Andrew Huberman's link and I found it's called Juve J-O-O-V and pretty pricey, pretty pricey little tool there. But you know it's at home so I can use it as much as I want, which is nice. But you can also go see my doctor and you can get all this done real quick and I think it's pretty affordable. So yeah.

Speaker 4 13:02

Yeah, I think there's a lot of places that I think tanning salons do red light therapy. Now, too, they actually have red light therapy machines. I don't know how good they are, but you see it a lot now. Yeah, it's a thing Awesome.

Speaker 3 13:15

Well, and I think it's all relative, Jessica, when you say like it's expensive. I think it's all relative, Jessica, when you say like it's expensive. I've started to have that realization. I think the closer you get to the fourth quarter in life and, looking at the tail end of life and what that looks like, we can say that it's pricey. You know, it's a one-time investment of a couple thousand dollars longevity and your ability to have like a healthy fourth quarter lifestyle where you're not in pain and you're not suffering. I feel like it's worth the investment. But that's my own, that's me, my journey, that's my preference that I'm not telling anyone what to do. Invest in what you want to invest in research what you need to research to figure it out.

Speaker 4 13:57

When we're young we're pretty rough on our bodies because we don't think about it. We think because we're invincible forever. Then, when you get to a certain age, as I am, it's you think a lot differently and I am more willing now to invest in my body, my mind, my spirit, all that stuff, because it's we got one. We have one. It's not like I go trade it in for a newer, maybe nice trade it in for a new, younger model. It just doesn't work that way, yeah, and so I align with that as well.

Speaker 2 14:29

It's just important like to focus on health and wellness, like I do all the normal things that everyone else may do or may not, but I focus on sleep and water nutrition. I've recently cut out all meat that I don't know where it comes from, so I buy farm-raised meat, local Colorado meat, and I have it delivered. I found a delivery service, so I have very much like invested in, like health nutrition. You know a lot of vegetables, a lot of greens. I now cook basically every single meal because when you go out like you don't know where that meat came from, you know. So it's definitely changed my life and I think that it makes my life a little slower. It makes my life a little bit more relaxed in some ways. So I'm happy with it and maybe I hope it's also helping my body. You know, helping my body show up every day, just like you said, like is it pricey or is it really, in the long run, like you are going down the lower expense route?

Speaker 4 15:34

you know, not getting sick exactly because those bills are going to be far more than a couple of thousand dollars. Oh my gosh. Yes.

Investing in Health & Wellness

Speaker 3 15:43

Medical costs have continued to skyrocket and it just I'm appalled every time I hear a friend that goes through medical treatment and the cost of treatment prescriptions that are tens of thousands of dollars per month. It just blows my mind. So, yes, if you're really nurturing and taking care of your body, I feel that it pay off, is there?

Speaker 2 16:02

That goes back to the stress thing, right, and the anxiety thing is when I research it's like stress is kind of the start of, it's like the gateway, it's like the entry point, it seems like, of so many different illnesses. I mean it makes sense because our body's flooded with cortisol and adrenaline. It stopped the cortisol could slow down your gut, slows down everything, so our body isn't normally going to be able to do the normal things when you're stressed out, so your body isn't able to nurture itself, heal itself, and so that makes so much more sense. So I'm like I want to live a low stress life, right, so that I can kind of cut off any future diseases that don't necessarily have to happen, you know.

Speaker 4 16:49

Yeah, that is such a powerful thing for people to hear, because I think, if you can do an audit of your life, what are the areas of your life that are bringing you stress? Could be people, could be a job, it could be the news, it could be whatever and are there ways that you can limit or remove those things from your life so that or find other ways whether it's meditation or whatever it is to kind of make sure that you're taking care of that stress? Because I know that that's what caused my cancer was 23 years of just high, high stress, and so it does show up in your body different ways, and so just being aware of it like it's huge, yeah.

Speaker 2 18:26

Absolutely, I think. Taking a stress audit, it's a great idea. Pam, exactly, do you have a stress audit? Yes, let's do an audit people.

Speaker 4 18:35

Where is it showing up in your world right now? Well, jessica has one.

Speaker 3 18:38

Isn't that part of your brain training program Correct? I feel that you took us through a practice, an audit.

Speaker 2 18:46

I feel that we did what we do in the beginning. We do like a grounding exercise where we start to feel any sort of tension in our body and, like I feel that we did, to be setting out those different hormones in the body. So definitely those are some ways that we address it in the brain training and I think we have to slow down long enough to self-reflect and do our self-reflections and we have to practice catching thoughts. Like just catch a thought, like I talk about in that brain training, that there was a thought running through my brain so fast that I couldn't find it. For I mean, I was in therapy myself for so long I never found this thought, but when I was slowing down and focusing I caught it finally and it this thought had been changing how I lived my life. This has been a factor in like my daily routine, my experiences with other people, my relationships and travel and everything. It was like infiltrating everywhere and it's just so wild that I had never caught it. Like you have to slow down long enough to catch your thoughts, because some of them are just moving so fast you can't even sense them sometimes.

Speaker 2 20:12

So once I did realize what this thought was, I was like that is totally bogus. It's not even real and I don't have to live according to this thought anymore. Like, and it's just. Maybe it's a sign of where I was, how I was raised. But I was worried about food and water. I was worried that there was not going to be any food or any water and I realized I was like you know what? I live in civilization, like I, there's literally food and water within a half mile of me at all times, like, usually, right, so I do not need to be worried about this.

Speaker 2 20:49

But that thought had been changing the way that I prepared for my day and what I was comfortable with, like for an adventure or for fun, or like where I would want to go with my boyfriends or whatever. It's like what. This is so not real, and so I encourage everyone to like slow down. And that was stressful. That was stress in my life and it was coming through so fast I didn't even catch it. So we got to slow down long enough to catch our thoughts is what I'd say.

Speaker 4 21:18

Yeah, but we live in such a hustle culture we're just like I got to do more, I got to do more, I got to do more, and so it's very hard. And I don't know about anybody else, but it's not like that anymore. But there used to be a time where, when I did stop, I was felt guilty. I was like, oh, I need to be doing something, like I can just sit here, like, like what are people going to think, and so it's like I felt like I had to keep going. Now I'm much more aware of it and I'm like, nope, just gonna be quiet.

Slowing Down to Catch Thoughts

Speaker 4 21:42

And those thoughts that come up, I mean those can be like things that we heard from our parents. They can be so deep seated that we don't even realize and whether that's our relationship with money, with food, with shelter, with safety, with relationships. I mean it could show up in so many different areas of our life and we're not even aware of it. My coach had once asked me what patterns are you seeing in certain things? And once you start to like stop and think of what are the patterns that keep showing up not good ones, then you can start to unravel it a little bit and think, okay, why am I feeling like I'm not going to have food and and shelter? Like what is that from? Why does this pattern keep coming up? So yeah, crazy. This has been amazing. I went through your brain training thing and I learned a whole bunch of new stuff. This is amazing.

Speaker 2 22:30

Yes, Thanks, Pam. I echo what you're saying too. I totally get what you're saying and I agree Like wow, we've got to slow down.

Speaker 4 22:37

I heard something the other day where when we're so focused on the outcome, it never works out. But if we stop focusing on it, we get to be a participant in our life. And I was like, oh my gosh, that is such a powerful thing Because, yeah, if we're so focused on what's here, we're not participating in our actual life. And how beautiful would it be to actually be a participant, like be here, fully present and be a part of it. We get to write the own journey, but if we're focusing on that, we're just allowing everything else to kind of guide us yeah, that's a really good nugget to to sit with 100 I.

Speaker 2 23:14

I love that because you're more present. You're going to be part of the story, not predicting the story in some way.

Speaker 4 23:20

Exactly, exactly so I love it anything else for our listeners before we finish today?

Speaker 2 23:27

not really I. You can follow me on Instagram. I guess Low Stress, Jess, home Loans, send out some content. I try to post things about living with joy. I try to post things about mortgages and dogs and community events. So definitely would you know if anyone wants to follow me for that great. No, I hope I could be of any help to anyone.

Speaker 4 23:53

Yeah this is amazing, it was.

Speaker 3 23:55

And I'll let you all know she doesn't try to do those things. She absolutely does them. So you're going to get that there. I know that you said that you try to post things about those and you absolutely knock it out of the park. I think that what you share is so valuable and we've had the opportunity to work together and it is not just a tagline.

Speaker 3 24:13

If you are in the market for a home loan or just to have a conversation about the process. That's exactly what Jessica has as a process and it is thorough and the key thing that you said, it's empowering to the borrower, the person that's looking to make that purchase, because they know exactly what's happening and what's coming up next. There are not any surprises and you are definitely readily available to answer questions. So if you're looking for that side, you absolutely can reach out to her and get that. But if you're wanting those nuggets to implement and reflect on in terms of living with joy and in love, I think that's the piece. It's having love showing up as love. She offers that as well. So thank you. This has been an absolute pleasure, jessica. I appreciate it.

Speaker 4 24:57

I could think of a better way to end the week. I know, I know.

Speaker 3 25:05

Well, you know what I may need to do the hypnotherapy session because I just wrote down three things that I need to go purchase and I don't know if they're impulse buys or if I've done the reflection I really need to buy them.

Being Present in Your Story

Speaker 4 25:17

I'm thinking I know the things that you have on your list are probably on my pad.

Speaker 3 25:20

Exactly, exactly. I need to make some purchases, but it's given me clarity, so I appreciate that. No, this is the perfect way to end the week.

Speaker 2 25:26

Thank you thank you, thank you, thank you for taking the time out to join us. Thank you all. Thank you so much. I love you so much, all of both of you. You're just amazing little bright, shining stars in my world. So, yeah, I just love you.

Speaker 3 25:39

Well, I feel the same mutual feeling is exactly absolutely love and adore thank you, jessica, and for our listeners, we will make sure that we tag the resources that were referenced today in the show notes so that you can go and check them out. But, as Jessica mentioned, we are not trained medical professionals, so seek medical advice if you are going to implement something new that's going to impact your health into your life. And if you want to just find out what's going on in the world of Reignite Resilience, make sure to head on over to reigniteresiliencecom. Check out our think letter. It is released every Saturday morning, gives you some fabulous reading material and insight to kick off a strong weekend and give you things and nuggets that you need to continue through the weekend. So check that out as well. Until next time, we will see you all soon. Thanks, everyone.

Speaker 1 26:27

Thank you for joining us today on the Reignite Resilience podcast. We hope you had some aha moments and learned a few new real life ideas. To fuel the flames of passion, please subscribe on your favorite streaming platform, like or download your favorite episodes and, of course, share with your friends and family. We look forward to seeing you again next time on Reignite Resilience.