A brain injury can change your life drastically, and recovery from such injuries often takes a long time, even years or decades in some cases. However, there are complementary therapies that can make the recovery process more effective and promote faster improvement in people who have suffered brain injuries. Here are five complementary therapies that can help with brain injury recovery.
1) Yoga
Yoga is excellent for brain injury recovery. It helps to engage both the mind and body, and the stretching and strengthening of muscles will also help improve strength and coordination. Yoga’s calming effects are also beneficial for helping to reduce stress, which can lead to better mental clarity. By improving physical well-being, it is possible to recover from a brain injury at a quicker rate. This sense of well-being has positive effects on mood and overall happiness.
2) Meditation
Meditation can help you develop an overall sense of peace and contentment, while strengthening your mind’s ability to focus. This skill will prove invaluable during brain injury recovery, which can be a stressful time for those affected by it. By focusing your mind on specific goals during meditation, you are training yourself to perform actions in a focused way that translates well into other areas of life, such as rehabilitation.
3) Acupuncture
In Chinese medicine, disease is seen as a disruption in energy flow, or qi. Doctors use acupuncture to correct imbalances in qi, according to Western practitioners who practice acupuncture. As we’ve covered before, there’s ample scientific evidence supporting acupuncture for pain relief and other health problems. There are also electroacupuncture devices that stimulate nerves by sending electrical pulses through needles inserted at specific points on your body.
4) Art Therapy
This involves sessions focused on drawing, painting, or sculpting. These sessions can allow for self-expression and help you connect thoughts to actions. Art therapists are trained in how to help people express themselves in a safe way; they’ll often ask open-ended questions that can prompt further conversations about your experience. During a session, art therapists might also provide tips for alternative ways of finding expression through activities such as writing poems or recording music. Art therapy is something that has been around since long before brain injury recovery was an issue—but it’s still gaining popularity among neurologists today as an important therapeutic treatment option that helps patients work through many difficult issues associated with brain injuries. Many art therapists recommend keeping a journal following each session so patients can track their progress over time and reflect on any important insights they gained from their experiences during each visit.
5) Music Therapy
Like art therapy, music therapy has been found to help people who suffer from traumatic brain injuries. In fact, some studies suggest that it may actually work better than art therapy for brain injury patients. The reasons for its effectiveness are numerous. Music can easily be matched to different moods and emotions, and its beautiful melodies can play an important role in calming your emotional state during recovery time. It is also possible that music triggers more emotional responses than other stimuli. When listening to a song, you will likely think of memories attached to it. These memories serve as a form of comfort that helps you emotionally heal after a brain injury. Although research into music therapy’s effects on TBI patients is still ongoing, many doctors do recommend musical exposure as part of their treatment plan for their patients.
Both personally and professionally, I have witnessed the benefits of combining both traditional Western medicine with complementary therapies for people with many health challenges, including brain injury. If you are unable to take your loved one out for these therapies due to finances or logistical reasons, there are many ways to add them to your regimen. Check out books at the library, look on YouTube, find resources at a local college program, often students need practice hours and will provide supervised care at a reduced cost. There are so many possibilities!
