Our October 'Third Wednesday' meeting took place last week at the Crossfield Centre in South Hampstead. A generous turnout gathered to hear the founders of The Sound Learning Centre (SLC) explain and discuss their therapies and treatments for adults and children with conditions such as dyslexia, autism and Aspergers.
SLC is based in Palmers Green, north London, and has been established for nearly 20 years, during which time they have been researching and developing techniques for addressing these, and other, sensory problems. They have become a leading practitioner in the area (based on the work of Dr Guy Berard) and their experience is drawn upon nationally and internationally. Principal and neurodevelopmentalist, Pauline Allen, began by drawing comparisons between people they see with these conditions and people who have suffered brain injury where, in most cases, the demonstrable effects - emotional and sensory impairments, behavioral difficulties and such like - are very similar. During their time they have treated people with brain injury.
Whilst the presentation about their work was long and occasionally quite technical, the audience remained fascinated by a talk which really provided a perspective on how advanced and vital our brains are, and how much we take of their function for granted - especially when hit by one of the conditions treated by the Centre. Pauline described that whilst a diagnosis, or a name for a difficult condition or behaviour, can be a blessing for a sufferer or a parent responsible for a child, this is only the start of SLC's journey. Indeed, the SLC is more likely to disregard the 'label' and look deeper for the cause of sensory problems. Initial investigations will assess the condition via objective tests of things like vision, hearing and primitive reflexes before moving onto treatment.
The treatments themselves are based around the idea of brain plasticity - that the brain is capable of relearning and rewiring - and reinforces that learning over time - hence overcoming or reducing the impact of acquired problems. So for instance, objective assessment may reveal particular deficiencies or hypersensitivities in hearing, which in turn leads to emotional or behavioural difficulties. Sound therapies, which modulate the amplitude of the high and low frequencies, can retrain the ears and begin to address or reduce some of the problems which lead to the initial diagnosis (Auditory Integration Training, AIT). A similar process is achieved with light in Lightwave Simulation (LWS)
The SLC, as well as dealing with problems manifesting themselves in the five senses, deal with issues around balance (which is connected to the auditory system) and spatial perception (e.g. how easy it is to move in space). As a person without brain injury or sensory impairment, the discussion about scratching an itch on one's own back - and how complicated a manoeuvre this is for the brain - brought into focus how easily a bang on the head could catastrophically change a person's life, and how frustrating it might be to be seemingly trapped in that kind of world.
The SLC is a private establishment, and the discussion after the presentation established that they were neither a medical intervention (reports derived within the SLC for clients were not generally used in medical hearings, for instance), nor a spiritual process. However, they were convinced that the work that they did was demonstrating clear improvements in the conditions of children and adults suffering from very difficult and trying impairments. This was backed up by, and described through, a number of case studies and media reports that formed part of the presentation.
The presentation provoked some lively discussion, and those present were invited to listen to the modulated sounds used in the auditory treatments. Those wishing to find out more should visit the website of the centre, which is set out below.
www.thesoundlearningcentre.co.uk
It should be noted that Headway North London does not recommend particular courses of treatment or action in relation to individual circumstances. Those considering this, or any other treatment, should take appropriate advice and make themselves aware of possible disbenefits which may exist alongside possible or claimed benefits.
Monday 21 October 2013
Friday 11 October 2013
Radio Croydon interview - those song choices
I hope some of you were able to listen to yesterday's Brain Tumour Thursday show on Radio Croydon. If you didn't, there's a link here to the podcast. Listen from about 1hr 5mins. Apparently they get upwards of 5000 listeners to the show, so there's some good exposure for Headway North London! Thanks to Claire and Eileen for letting me loose!
For those wanting to know a bit more about my story, there's a good article here, and there are bits and pieces about my wife and I on the Headway site.
I just wanted to reflect on the songs I chose a little. Music is such a big part of my life that it took a really long time to come to the final three. It was also hard because I was trying to choose favourites whilst also being relevant to the topic. I realised after I'd submitted them that they perfectly reflect the past, present and future.
'Sovereign Light Cafe' is a track from Keane's album 'Strangeland'. It was released last year and for me, it's the band's best work. 'Sovereign Light Cafe' is the centrepiece of an album that is largely nostalgic, looking back on places and times that were influential and the moments that made people what they are. It comes from the perspective of adult maturity and experience, of knowing who one is. The past makes us who we are. It chimes with me for that reason, but it has added appeal for me because the backdrop is coastal and I too was brought up on the English coast in a slightly downtrodden seaside town.
Darius Rucker was/is the lead singer in an American college band called Hootie and the Blowfish. They were huge in the early 1990s, and again Hootie are a nostalgic look back for me. More recently, Rucker has released solo country and western albums and his last, 'Charleston SC, 1966' was released in 2011. The first track, 'This' is about contentment in the present, an acknowledgement that all sorts of things happen in life and that, right now, despite or because of all those things, I'm okay. It's a good place to be.
The final track is also fairly recent, from KT Tunstall's 2010 album 'Tiger Suit'. 'Lost' helped me through a difficult time when I needed to make a decision about my future. For me, the track is a realisation that the path taken is wrong, that she's following the crowd instead of doing what she wants or feels is right - 'what did I do that for - am I am idiot?'. It's raw and honest, and about choosing the future and having some control over it. At the time I first heard it, I was uncomfortable where I was, and I did something radical - and have benefited from it since.
I dragged the wife I lost to concerts by all of these artists, and I drag my current wife to them as well. My 4 year old daughter can sing 'Sovereign Light Cafe' all the way through. They're important artists to me generally.
I also have a mantra since my wife died - there's no point worrying. If you can do something about your worry, do it; if you can't do anything about it, then there's no point worrying. It's worked for me.
For those wanting to know a bit more about my story, there's a good article here, and there are bits and pieces about my wife and I on the Headway site.
I just wanted to reflect on the songs I chose a little. Music is such a big part of my life that it took a really long time to come to the final three. It was also hard because I was trying to choose favourites whilst also being relevant to the topic. I realised after I'd submitted them that they perfectly reflect the past, present and future.
'Sovereign Light Cafe' is a track from Keane's album 'Strangeland'. It was released last year and for me, it's the band's best work. 'Sovereign Light Cafe' is the centrepiece of an album that is largely nostalgic, looking back on places and times that were influential and the moments that made people what they are. It comes from the perspective of adult maturity and experience, of knowing who one is. The past makes us who we are. It chimes with me for that reason, but it has added appeal for me because the backdrop is coastal and I too was brought up on the English coast in a slightly downtrodden seaside town.
Darius Rucker was/is the lead singer in an American college band called Hootie and the Blowfish. They were huge in the early 1990s, and again Hootie are a nostalgic look back for me. More recently, Rucker has released solo country and western albums and his last, 'Charleston SC, 1966' was released in 2011. The first track, 'This' is about contentment in the present, an acknowledgement that all sorts of things happen in life and that, right now, despite or because of all those things, I'm okay. It's a good place to be.
The final track is also fairly recent, from KT Tunstall's 2010 album 'Tiger Suit'. 'Lost' helped me through a difficult time when I needed to make a decision about my future. For me, the track is a realisation that the path taken is wrong, that she's following the crowd instead of doing what she wants or feels is right - 'what did I do that for - am I am idiot?'. It's raw and honest, and about choosing the future and having some control over it. At the time I first heard it, I was uncomfortable where I was, and I did something radical - and have benefited from it since.
I dragged the wife I lost to concerts by all of these artists, and I drag my current wife to them as well. My 4 year old daughter can sing 'Sovereign Light Cafe' all the way through. They're important artists to me generally.
I also have a mantra since my wife died - there's no point worrying. If you can do something about your worry, do it; if you can't do anything about it, then there's no point worrying. It's worked for me.
Wednesday 9 October 2013
Why Headway is important
I've been made aware recently of the Brain Tumour Thursday programme on Radio Croydon. The station broadcasts on the internet and, whilst many of the shows are likely to be of interest to people living in Croydon, the brain tumour programme has regular listeners from around the world. It's presented by Claire Bullimore and her mum Eileen, Claire having survived a brain tumour herself. I'll be discussing Headway North London on their show tomorrow, October 10.
I've been listening to their show from last week. It discusses in some depth the issue of guilt. As the carer of a victim of a brain tumour, I'm well aware of the guilt involved in caring and not being afflicted myself, but I'm also aware of the guilt that the victim suffered as a result of not having the energy to do the things she wanted, of not working, of letting people down, of not being the person she was or wanted to be. The guilt ripples out as well, to family and friends. Whilst the guilt is inevitable, it is also irrational but, despite that, it is still felt.
I'm also aware that guilt isn't the exclusive domain of brain tumour sufferer. I would be surprised if anyone suffering from a disease or condition that diminishes what they would consider their normal self didn't experience some kind of guilt. There's no doubt that this extends to brain injury survivors - some of whom will have fallen into the brain injured category via a brain tumour!
And there, in a nutshell, is the some of the complexity of dealing with conditions such as brain injury and raising the profile of a charity like Headway. The brain tumour community can congregate around their clear definable condition and self support, share experiences. They do cross over into the domain of other conditions, clearly, but if you have a brain tumour, the condition is relatively easy for the lay person to comprehend or appreciate. Other conditions are similar - strokes for instance.
Brain injury survivors don't tend to have the same circumstances. Brain injury can be caused by all sorts of things - by falls, assaults, traffic accidents and through conditions like stroke, tumour, encephalitis or aneurysm. Brain injury is the result of something else - and it's the something else that often forms the focus of a persons recovery. Whilst every brain injury has similar effects, the nature and extent of those is different in every case and most of what goes on is not physically apparent. Likewise, brain injury often comes with side effects - loss of sight or other sensory perceptions, epilepsy, difficulties of movement, difficulties with memory - many of which might be addressed individually by medical teams.
Headway tries to provide a focus for people with brain injury, however they find themselves in that community - and remember, no-one is immune from - say - a bad fall. Headway tries to deal with the person as a whole, and not as a series of conditions or as a victim of something in the past. It's about the person, helping them through their difficulties and the changes they need to make to their life as a result of their injury. People who find Headway - and for many it is a case of stumbling across it - really value the interactions they have with the charity, and the local groups provide a valuable focus for discussion, debate, support and friendship.
My brain tumour victim had lots of teams dealing with her different conditions - pills for the epilepsy, memory tests for the mind, implements to help the loss of sight become more manageable and advice to see her through radiotherapy. No-one dealt with her issues of confidence, self-esteem, frustration, worry and fear within the health service. We had to find help for that ourselves. Whilst we found various sources of possible support that could address these things, nowhere did it quite like Headway and no-one else understood it like they did from the context of a brain injury. This is why supporting Headway is important, and why you should support your local branch.
I've been listening to their show from last week. It discusses in some depth the issue of guilt. As the carer of a victim of a brain tumour, I'm well aware of the guilt involved in caring and not being afflicted myself, but I'm also aware of the guilt that the victim suffered as a result of not having the energy to do the things she wanted, of not working, of letting people down, of not being the person she was or wanted to be. The guilt ripples out as well, to family and friends. Whilst the guilt is inevitable, it is also irrational but, despite that, it is still felt.
I'm also aware that guilt isn't the exclusive domain of brain tumour sufferer. I would be surprised if anyone suffering from a disease or condition that diminishes what they would consider their normal self didn't experience some kind of guilt. There's no doubt that this extends to brain injury survivors - some of whom will have fallen into the brain injured category via a brain tumour!
And there, in a nutshell, is the some of the complexity of dealing with conditions such as brain injury and raising the profile of a charity like Headway. The brain tumour community can congregate around their clear definable condition and self support, share experiences. They do cross over into the domain of other conditions, clearly, but if you have a brain tumour, the condition is relatively easy for the lay person to comprehend or appreciate. Other conditions are similar - strokes for instance.
Brain injury survivors don't tend to have the same circumstances. Brain injury can be caused by all sorts of things - by falls, assaults, traffic accidents and through conditions like stroke, tumour, encephalitis or aneurysm. Brain injury is the result of something else - and it's the something else that often forms the focus of a persons recovery. Whilst every brain injury has similar effects, the nature and extent of those is different in every case and most of what goes on is not physically apparent. Likewise, brain injury often comes with side effects - loss of sight or other sensory perceptions, epilepsy, difficulties of movement, difficulties with memory - many of which might be addressed individually by medical teams.
Headway tries to provide a focus for people with brain injury, however they find themselves in that community - and remember, no-one is immune from - say - a bad fall. Headway tries to deal with the person as a whole, and not as a series of conditions or as a victim of something in the past. It's about the person, helping them through their difficulties and the changes they need to make to their life as a result of their injury. People who find Headway - and for many it is a case of stumbling across it - really value the interactions they have with the charity, and the local groups provide a valuable focus for discussion, debate, support and friendship.
My brain tumour victim had lots of teams dealing with her different conditions - pills for the epilepsy, memory tests for the mind, implements to help the loss of sight become more manageable and advice to see her through radiotherapy. No-one dealt with her issues of confidence, self-esteem, frustration, worry and fear within the health service. We had to find help for that ourselves. Whilst we found various sources of possible support that could address these things, nowhere did it quite like Headway and no-one else understood it like they did from the context of a brain injury. This is why supporting Headway is important, and why you should support your local branch.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)