Holistic neuro-rehabilitation in the community: Is identity a key issue?

Abstract

Many people experience identity change after brain injury. Impaired self-awareness after acquired brain injury is also common and can, along with other factors, affect the identity change a person may experience. Holistic rehabilitation programmes attempt to address both cognitive and emotional difficulties and specifically problems of self-awareness after brain injury. Does identity change require longer-term rehabilitation interventions? This paper describes a community-based neuro-rehabilitation service that has incorporated some principles from more traditional holistic programmes with a view to providing long-term, low-intensity brain injury rehabilitation. Specific reference is made to problems of identity and how these may be addressed during long-term psychotherapeutic follow-up. The potential relevance of the total duration of rehabilitation input rather than simply the number of sessions when working with adjustment and identity change after brain injury in community settings is discussed. The service model is compared to more traditional holistic rehabilitation programmes. A case study and early outcome data are presented to illustrate some of these points and to provide more information about the nature of the programme.

Keywords:

• Identity
• Brain injury
• Psychotherapy
• Holistic neuro-rehabilitation.

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank Lance Trexler and the other two reviewers for their thoughtful and helpful feedback on an earlier draft of this paper.