As you can read in my book, "Hope And Possibility Through Trauma" or in some of the other blog posts mentioned on this site, I suffered from a Conversion Disorder (Hysterical Paralysis) in 1991. For me, it was a turning point in life, although it was a very rough one. At the time, I did not know if I would ever recover from this.
Today, you would not be able to tell I once was paralyzed with a memory that did not work, speech that was slow to non existent, feeling and sensation throughout my body that was lost, and movements that were difficult at best. It was some very dark days in my life filled with fear, uncertainty and despair unlike any other I had ever experienced.
I still remember thinking at the age of 26 as I looked at the ceiling of my hospital room, was this all I could expect in life? Was this everything that my life would be until I died? Will I ever recover and be normal again?
For me, life did almost shut down completely and as doctors explained later, my brain was in the final points of shutdown. Life as I knew it was becoming a dark blur of existence and even finding the strength to go another minute in life was difficult. It is my hope that by sharing these things on the blog, that others will know there is hope and healing.
In the following blog posts (Part 2 and Part 3), I will be sharing a few things that I remember from my experiences with the Conversion Disorder. Please see the links below for further reading and information.
Further Reading:
1) Part 2 - Recovery From A Conversion Disorder (7/12/11)
2) Part 3 - Recovery From A Conversion Disorder (7/13/11)
3) Book - Hope And Possibility Through Trauma by Don Shetterly
4) Conversion Disorder By The Mayo Clinic on CNN Health (2/10/11)
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Blog Post & Images (c) 7/10/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com
If any part of this post is used or shared, a link back to this site is required.
http://mindbodythoughts.blogspot.com/
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Today, you would not be able to tell I once was paralyzed with a memory that did not work, speech that was slow to non existent, feeling and sensation throughout my body that was lost, and movements that were difficult at best. It was some very dark days in my life filled with fear, uncertainty and despair unlike any other I had ever experienced.
I still remember thinking at the age of 26 as I looked at the ceiling of my hospital room, was this all I could expect in life? Was this everything that my life would be until I died? Will I ever recover and be normal again?
For me, life did almost shut down completely and as doctors explained later, my brain was in the final points of shutdown. Life as I knew it was becoming a dark blur of existence and even finding the strength to go another minute in life was difficult. It is my hope that by sharing these things on the blog, that others will know there is hope and healing.
In the following blog posts (Part 2 and Part 3), I will be sharing a few things that I remember from my experiences with the Conversion Disorder. Please see the links below for further reading and information.
Further Reading:
1) Part 2 - Recovery From A Conversion Disorder (7/12/11)
2) Part 3 - Recovery From A Conversion Disorder (7/13/11)
3) Book - Hope And Possibility Through Trauma by Don Shetterly
4) Conversion Disorder By The Mayo Clinic on CNN Health (2/10/11)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blog Post & Images (c) 7/10/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com
If any part of this post is used or shared, a link back to this site is required.
http://mindbodythoughts.blogspot.com/
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Don was that you on Dr. Drew tonight? I thought I recognized the name and realized it was possibly you from your fabulous blog on recovery from CD! I just wanted to give you a shout out that you did a great job! all the best, Lea Kielinen justmekielinen.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteHi Lea, yes, that was me on Dr Drew. My first time in front of a camera and had absolutely no time to prepare since I got contacted just a short time before it. Hoping that it helps others going through this and they realize they aren't alone, and there is hope! I appreciate your comments and was thinking of you as well through this whole thing.
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