This book very clearly, lucidly and dramatically explains the overwhelming challenges that changed the life of the author, Anne E Ricketts, after she fell on her head in July 2000. It is almost inconceivable how one person could overcome so much, with such traumatic brain injuries, and without the support of any health professionals until over four years after the impetus that literally tipped her life upside down. Through sharing her own remarkable story, the author has given of the 'self' she was before, the automatic ego she endured, and the whole 'self' that she has so successfully rebuilt. As she gradually emerged from the fugue of brain injury Annie realised that she had gleaned many valuable insights through her experiences, not only about how her brain works, but also about life and how it works. She is well aware of how brain injury can leave you feeling as though you have lost your soul. In this time of global awakening the whole world is focused on ways to find peace, joy, happiness and abundance. In this case, the almost total obliteration of the early part of one life brings a unique perspective to the table. This book tackles an intimate journey through what it means to be human, how we find our purpose in life, and very importantly, how we sort the wheat from the chaff to find out who we are, whether we have been brain injured or not. This book and its' author are undoubtedly an inspiration to many other people, both to those who are living with similar problems and those just wishing to hear about her successful strategy in winning through to the amazing achievement of writing this book and rebuilding her life from scratch. As the living proof that people can not only regain their lost identities, lives and relationships, there is more than hope on the horizon. The experience of a TBI has moved the author from the conscious automaton of her thinking pre-injury, through the prison of brain injury and back out the other side to the clarity of almost moment-by-moment conscious choice that has enabled her to see exactly what was happening to her and why. Packed with incredibly stirring descriptions of how it feels to live without a thinking mind, the voice that is you talking to you, this book is a must, not only for those affected by or working in the field of brain injury, but also for anyone who has ever felt splintered from their 'Self, ' and for anyone who wants to get on the real 'inside' of brain injury and brain dysfunction. It is an unimaginable gift to everyone whose life is affected, in any way, by problems associated with the brain.
About the Author: Anne Ricketts was born on the south coast of England in 1964. At age 11 the family moved to Berkshire. Because she was ahead of the teaching curriculum, Anne was put in a room on her own for the school year. Left to her own devices, she wrote stories and doodled artwork in the borders. By age 36 Anne was a UK Sales Manager and managed many other international sales territories. Due to her successes she decided to set up her own limited company offering training and consultancy services. It was at this time that she met with the impetus that changed her life. On the 23rd July 2000 Anne was out riding when the horse fell. She was thrown upwards into the air. Witnesses said that she came down, as straight as an arrow, directly onto the top of her head. It was a miracle that she had not broken her neck. Despite attending hospital and being diagnosed with a serious traumatic brain injury (TBI), Anne was sent home to her 15-year-old daughter. As further symptoms of brain injury arose, none were ever equated to her brain injury. Because of the severe problems she had with processing, memory and verbal skills, it took her four years before she was able to finally convince her doctor that she had significant disabilities. In the spring of 2005 Anne referred to a neuropsychologist and to an occupational therapist. During these last weeks of 2011 she has learned that her therapy lasted until the autumn of 2006. She had 'lost' an entire year. Anne was told that she had dysexecutive syndrome and found that very slowly, over the next four to five years, that she could gradually learn from this information and she used it to try and rebuild her life. She feels that the most important aspect of her recovery was the rebuilding of her self-identity, her soul... The shattered pieces of her inner world are finally starting to come back together, and although she still has disabilities, she continues to pour her energy into overcoming them. Realising that her experiences had given her some incredible insights into TBI and into what happens in the periphery world of 'normalness' that continues when people are cut-off from this world by the dysfunctions of their brains, Anne decided that she had to share all that she had gleaned. With short-term memory issues, sluggish brain processing, a scant chronological past and still being unable to read or recall her vocabulary very well, she has forged on, determined and committed to helping other people like her and their loved ones.