Brain, Heal Thyself: A Caregiver's New Approach to Recovery from Stroke, Aneurysm, And Traumatic Brain Injuries [Paperback]

Madonna Siles (Author), M.D. Lawrence J. Beuret (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 30, 2006

When Eve suffered a near-fatal brain aneurysm, Madonna Siles, her housemate and friend, too quickly found herself making critical short- and long-term medical care decisions without any help. When the insurance and financial resources ran out and the conventional therapy providers discharged zombie-like Eve to the homecare of a solitary caregiver, both their futures seemed hopeless.

Instead of giving up, Siles drew on life experience and her marketing career to develop a rehabilitation program that harnessed the power of the subconscious mind. Using motivational techniques borrowed from the advertising world, she appealed to EveÂ’s subconscious to bypass the brain damage and restore normal functioning. In three short years, even the doctors were amazed at EveÂ’s recovery and return to a near-normal life.

Part memoir, part recovery manual, Brain, Heal Thyself is a guidebook for thousands of shell-shocked individuals who suddenly find themselves having to make life and death decisions for those they love. With humor, warmth, and arresting honesty, Siles’s lively narrative closely examines not only the patient’s recovery, but also the crucial role of caregivers—and the emotional, financial, and practical pressures they face.

Editorial Reviews

Review

.... Siles used her knowledge of AA's 12-step program and subconscious communication and visualization techniques (for) her friend's recovery .... Recommended. -- Library Journal Review, June 15, 2006

A holistic rehabilitation plan, drawing on experience as practitioner of A.A.'s 12-Step program and personal knowledge of subconscious communication techniques. -- Woman's Radio

Provides an excellent, well-written description of her frustrations...but takes one step further by making recommendations for nonstandard methods. --American Psychological Association

From the Author

Amazon's computers erroneously state that the author cites 6 books such as Merry Christmas, The Grand Canyon, etc. in Brain, Heal Thyself. None of these books are cited, nor do they have anything to do with the content of Brain, Heal Thyself, which is about caregiving a brain trauma survivor. Signed, The Author

Product Details

• Paperback: 221 pages
• Publisher: Hampton Roads Pub Co; 1 edition (June 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1571744762
• ISBN-13: 978-1571744760
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #246,866 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #34 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Disorders & Diseases > Strokes

More About the Author

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

EUREKA! MEMORIES AND MOTIVATIONS and BRAIN, HEAL THYSELF are based on Madonna Siles's experience as the caregiver of her best friend, Eve, the survivor of a near-fatal brain aneurysm (a level 5 cerebral hemorrhage). Eve's "insured" recovery spanned six months in ICU, a nursing home, another hospital, a month in a rehabilitation hospital and three months of intensive out-patient physical, speech, cognitive, psychological and occupational therapies. After all that, Eve was still the shell of a functioning human being.

Desperate to help her friend, Siles developed a holistic, home rehabilitation plan based on the belief that Eve's subconscious mind would do whatever it takes to help Eve survive.

As the days passed into months, Siles realized that if she didn't start practicing relaxation and stress control for herself, she would be of little help to Eve.

In developing her "home rehabilitation program-for-two", Siles drew from her experience as a practitioner of the 12-step program, her knowledge of subconscious communication techniques, and her experience with motivational techniques gleaned from a career as an advertising communicator. She learned about the subconscious mind's amazing powers, and the various methods to invoke its help in the healing process, while working as a public relations consultant for Lawrence J. Beuret, M.D.

Siles is a Certified Professional Coach specializing in caregiver life coaching. She devotes her free time to artistically expressing the natural beauty of Door County, Wisconsin, a tourist destination nestled between the sparkling waters of Green Bay and Lake Michigan. She is a graduate of the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, with a B.S. in Communications. Her web site is: Eurekamaster.com; e-mail: mms (at) eurekamaster.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't Stop Reading! A Page Turner Through The End., June 24, 2006

By 

Bruce P. Shivley (upper Midwest) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Brain, Heal Thyself: A Caregiver's New Approach to Recovery from Stroke, Aneurysm, And Traumatic Brain Injuries (Paperback)

Anyone looking for inspiration dealing with a chronic illness or a brain injury...heck, anyone looking for just a darn good "read"... will find Siles' memoir of best friend Eve's aneurysm recovery fascinating and downright remarkable. Siles' direct, humorous, and brutally honest style draws the reader in from the first sentence. You'll find yourself nodding your head in agreement with her assessments of often contradictory medical thinking and cheering Eve on as she, under Siles' practical guidance, begins her remarkable recovery. If you doubt that belief in a higher power, a positive attitude, and dogged perserverance don't effect recovery, you're wrong. They're just as important as medical science and Siles and Eve prove it!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A caregiver survival tool, June 22, 2006

By 

David Bailey (Tucson, AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Brain, Heal Thyself: A Caregiver's New Approach to Recovery from Stroke, Aneurysm, And Traumatic Brain Injuries (Paperback)

For anyone thrust without warning or experience into the role of caregiver for someone recovering from a brain injury or stroke, this book is a must-read. Ms. Siles easy style of writing brings you to tears with her down to earth honesty yet can also make you laugh as she describes the impishness of Eve as she begins her recovery. It gives hope to those who have been told their love one is destined to be a vegetable the rest of his/her life. Ms. Siles and Eve prove doctors don't always know best.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring, compelling and just plain Wonderful!, April 6, 2006

By 

F. Hanafin Elliott - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Brain, Heal Thyself: A Caregiver's New Approach to Recovery from Stroke, Aneurysm, And Traumatic Brain Injuries (Paperback)

Ms. Siles has written one of the most inspiring books I've had the pleasure to read! Her story of a friend's recovery from brain injury, from a non-medical point of view, is fascinating, and will bring great hope to other care-givers and victims alike.

The most compelling aspect of this book is its honesty. It should be "required reading" for all doctors and patients who face stroke, aneurism, and brain injury.