The following was sent to us by Laurie Roman and fits right in with our motto. Have a good story you’d like to share as well? Learn how you can promote art and creativity here. You can also read more about what art therapy is and its benefits.
Crocheting for Brain Injury Awareness and Art Therapy
Prior to a head injury in 2006 I was a Freelance Native American Family History & Food Writer Researcher & Speaker.
That all ended when I was sent flying backwards head first into a cinder block wall.
It took me 51 years to be who I was. My goal is to be who I was again, even if it takes me that long to work my way back to it. I’ve accepted the fact that there is no way to fix my head. The way they explain it, is that I have to find a way to rewire it.
It has been frustrating going thru the list of things I used to be able to do without much effort. To determine what things I can’t do anymore.
Depressing at times to find out how many there are. Like sewing I used to be able to alter my own clothes. Now I can’t do a straight stitch that actually holds together.
Too many things to list that I can’t do anymore.
I had been trying to relearn how to crochet. After many months of trying and not being able to understand the directions. I figured out it was the printed directions that I was having trouble with.
I tossed the directions away, picked up some yarn and a crochet hook and started playing with it. After more tries than I care to count. I spent many months crocheting granny squares, tearing them apart and starting again.
I hit what the Therapist described as a muscle memory and am proud to say, even though I can’t do anything fancy, I am able to Crochet again. I am using all the squares I crocheted to make blankets.
It is my dearest hope the Granny Square Blankets I am making can be used somehow to raise awareness for Traumatic Brain Injury Survivors. Those of us who, unlike Politicians and Sports figures, do not always get the treatment and understanding that they need.
The blankets I have made can be seen on my facebook page photo album Virkning is Swedish for Crocheting.
Nothing like a handmade blanket crocheted with love.
love the square blanket it connects mind and emotions 🙂
that’s a great story. Keep going Laurie!
Laurie: Would love to learn more about you. We are a Clubhouse in London Ontario Canada. We have a very active fibre arts program where survivors can knit, crochet, etc, and contribute to our clubhouse. We would be interested to know where you are, what your circumstances are.
As a Clubhouse staff, I am of the mindset that fibrearts are an integral part of healing in brain injury.
It would be great to hear from you.
Keep hooking!!!
Best wishes,
Caraleen Baker
Clubhouse Facilitator
THE PRINSHORN COLLECTION.
I currently live in Hong Kong where I am researching for a book on prosopagnosia , or in plainspeak, face blindness.
There is an amazing book which I hope you will find as interesting as I have,its been a bible to me working, as I do, wih people with extreme anxiety disorders.
The mind body connection is interesting and it appears that deviating from the percieved threat(pshychological problem) and re create in the part of the brain, the creative part therapy ….calmness can be achieved if only temporarilly,
However as with most things and espcecially habits which are formed if consistently used,7 weeks seems to be the ccepted assumption,knitting or working with the hands in conjuction with the brain ,using both the left and the right part, has ceeded enormous results.
I hope you will find this of interest, and I thank you.
lee du ploy (hong kong)
I have had two areas of stroke, one left cerebrallum and lt medulla.from trauma at the age of 54. I was fairly skilled at embroidery and crochet but lost visual ability to perceive size, see lines, judge distance. The Agency for the Blind and Visually Impaired were working with me. I could not read. I was learning to walk. I was a nurse and this injury occurred because a patient hurt me. I started tring to crochet and I could make things after msany trials like baby hats and washcloths. I am now able to make baby booties and my greatest challenge is getting them to be the same size. Those areas of my brain are gone but that does not mean I can not train new pathways. I lost a large portion of my cerebellum but the pace of crocheting must also be stored elsewhere. Control of focus in my sight has been hurt but is being trained with the help of the exvercise of crochet and creating a lovely, tactile thing.