When Everything Changes
Just days after recently arriving for an extended Spring visit, my mom suffered a right CVA stroke leaving her with left side weakness, neglect, and paralysis in addition to cognitive decline of her right brain. Suddenly that changed everything.
It is in this moment that I become more aware of how my clients find their way into my office. Something happens that simply and profusely “changes everything”.
Dredging up my professional skills, I focused on remaining calm those first harrowing days in ICU by learning from the staff, meditating, reading, quietly discussing with my family, and sleeping in. Because, after ICU, my physical resources would be tapped by not only learning throughout the day the changes incurred in my mom’s brain, but “sleeping” the night bedside to assure her security and calm the anxiety she experiences with her new body.
With my new ongoing, in my face, observation of the changes of the human brain, the more I see my clients with new perspective. Amazing how even after 25 years of practice, I can still appreciate the gift of learning from others! It is in this essence, that I encourage new clients when we meet – we get to learn from each other and the walls of defensiveness that have sometimes protected my clients for years or decades or through so many other relationships diminishes and new growth occurs in the context of our safe relationship to each other.
Mom’s right brain does not grow back, instead it is rehabilitated to compensate for the loss, she is learning to accept, be open to new ideas, reframe old thoughts, to not perseverate on those ideas that no longer function well for her, to meditate, and most importantly…to appreciate this moment. Her cognitive dysfunction in the area of time concept is the function we all wish would dim in our own brains. To witness her excitement of the current moment is amazing. She appreciates the current visitor, the current caller, the current nurse care, the current tiny piece of chocolate, and so much more, in all of the glory that moment deserves.
And, then I smile and continue the same pursuit to teach others as I have done for so many years. When suddenly “everything” changes, I am there to re-right their ship.