Reprogramming the brain

Gabrielle Giffords suffers from a massive attack to her brain and physiology having been shot in the head. The human body is amazing in how it compensates for injuries, especially with the aid of modern medicine.

When I hear words such as her brain is rebuilding itself, I can relate in a very small way. Having had a cochlear implant, bypassing my normal hearing mechanism and bringing sound by wire into my cochlear, my brain is learning how to translate human speech via much less information than it is accustomed to receiving. I go to therapy to practice hearing words and phrases to train my brain to translate. This is a slow and deliberate process.

Between therapy sessions, I have the real world in which to practice. The real world is noisy and I am inclined to unplug and enjoy quiet time, but doing that I will deprive my brain of much needed practice.

Now, scale this circumstance to multiple body functions and internal communications in the Giffords’ case. She is reprogramming on a large scale. Therapists hold the practice key, but the brain will do much of the work miraculously on its own surviving in the spirit and strength of the brain’s owner.