The TBI Experience: Patient, Caregiver, and Professional Perspectives on Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment and Rehabilitation

Abstract

Traumatic brain injury is widely understood as a severe, debilitating condition that can drastically alter the physical, cognitive, and emotional capacities of the victim. Despite this, the meaning and effects of TBI are often interpreted and acted upon in different ways –thus frequently giving rise to conflict and misconception in regard to how TBI is experienced, treated, and healed among the involved parties; particularly betwixt the patient and care provider. In this paper, I will examine and compare through an anthropological lens the lived experience of a traumatic brain injury (e.g. patient, caregiver, etc.) with the professional experience (e.g. medical practitioner, alternative medicine practitioner, folk healer, etc.), aiming to summarize the multi-perspective mental and behavioral phenomena of TBI treatment and rehabilitation. Within this analysis, I will focus on addressing three main questions within the two experiences: 1.What is the definition of a traumatic brain injury? 2.What does adequate treatment look like? 3.What does it mean to be healed from a traumatic brain injury? In respect to the three queries listed above, I will identify the sociocultural factors that have caused or influenced the varying perspectives and how this influences the relationship between the two groups. My research is principally grounded in a combination of an independently-conducted survey of 25 respondents sourced from online TBI support groups, as well as a broad literature review to aid in my analysis of these data. Through these methods, my objective is to harness a better understanding of the overall TBI treatment and rehabilitation experience.