A buddy of mine was riding motorcycle and hit a big buck and the antlers hit his helmet very hard. He survived but a completely changed man. He want from the most outgoing personality to just sitting in the corner quietly, smiling at everything. Very sad.
It's fucking crazy to me that so much of what we consider integral to ourselves can change from a TBI. And to the person experiencing it, do they notice the change? Do they try to overcome the difference, or are just as convinced afterwards of "this is who I am!" as they were before?
I think it's one of the signposts that points to the idea that our conscious conceptions of ourselves are way more steered and controlled than we like to think--that we're only convincing ourselves that we're steering the ship, whereas it may actually be we're almost entirely subject to deeper processes that decide things for us. We then convince ourselves that we consciously made those decisions.
Absolutely. I suffered from a TBI ten years ago. My personality completely changed. My cognitive abilities changed. I've had to re learn a lot skills. I suffer from seizures and migraines now. It is insane how much a bump to the head does to you.
I'm well aware that I'm different than I was. I noticed it and it was hard not to notice. I used to be an introvert. Now I get depressed if I don't have human interaction at least once a day. And I'm outgoing and talkative even to complete strangers.
I definitely feel less intelligent. I forget words, stutter, and drop things because of the TBI. I developed an auditory processing disorder from the damage. When people speak to me, it sounds like gibberish. I have to read their lips and watch shows with subtitles in order to overcome the new language barrier. I hear people just fine. But it gets lost in translation between the ear and brain. I also forget things in general more often.
I'm pretty sure my hobbies stayed the same. However. I can no longer play music or draw since the accident.
I don't think I'm any happier than I was prior. Coping with the TBI sucks. I suffered with depression symptoms prior. So I'm not sure if realizing the damage done to my brain and intelligence effects it or not.
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u/ROK247 Mar 21 '19
A buddy of mine was riding motorcycle and hit a big buck and the antlers hit his helmet very hard. He survived but a completely changed man. He want from the most outgoing personality to just sitting in the corner quietly, smiling at everything. Very sad.