A Wish Comes True for a Damaged Brain (41st Post)

 A Wish Come True for a Damaged Brain

I started my freshman year in college and soon discerned I enjoyed dormitory living. Unbeknownst to me at the time, so did my damaged brain. On my part, I discovered dorm life was a ready-made Village for me. (See previous posts on Villages.) I found many women easily willing to help if I needed assistance with my undiagnosed TBI symptoms. On, my brain’s part, it soon discovered communal living helped it obtain mental states of happiness. Little did my brain and I know at the time, we were experiencing a biological concept called “Entrainment.” Many years later, I discovered this concept while studying the nature of trauma. Entrainment is a technique that results in synchronizing or being in rhythm with one another. Here is an example of entrainment: If a baby is born with a weak heartbeat, often, in the nursery the newborn is placed beside other newborns with strong heartbeats. Being in close proximity to the stronger heartbeat, the weaker heartbeat becomes just as strong.

My brain has a damaged area, is underdeveloped, and lacks rehabilitation. Being in the dorm with adults who had functional and undamaged brains, assisted my brain with a form of stability it could not create on its own. And bonus for me the proximity also reduced my ever-present anxiety. Win-Win. And a wish come true for my brain. 

Over the years scientific research obtained evidence that brains just like to hang out with other brains. Doing so produces feelings of well-being, happiness, and contentment. No verbal interaction is required. Just being gathered together is what counts. Many years later, when working as a trauma/addiction therapist, when I had a client suffering from depression, in addition to other techniques, I would request the client leave home on outings. I asked them to go to a movie, library, cafe, or any place where people were gathered, and no verbal interactions were required. Most of the clients were skeptical of this practice. However, they always reported, how upon leaving to return home, they noticed their mood was elevated and felt a sense of well-being. They worked with me to continue the practice. As the saying goes, “the proof is in the pudding,” their brain enjoyed just hanging out with other brains. Therefore, by living in a dormitory, the proximity of other brains helped my “brain” and my “self” enjoy at times states of well-being. Dear Reader, an additional important point is needed to consider when seeking out other human brains to hang out with. People need to be careful what type of people/environments they expose themselves and their brain to due to “Limbic Harmonization.”