Pay close attention, please —

— especially when we talk about neurological injuries.

Mar 16, 2024

More and more people around you, able-bodied and capacious as they may seem, are experiencing hidden and unexpected disablement.

Unrealized neurological injuries are especially prevalent and increasing, not only because of the many (many) neurological stressors and neurotoxic exposures occurring across all modern environments — but especially because most people don’t have accurate information about such injuries until a lot of damage has been done.

It's also important to remember that concussion injury complications and other severe neurological effects can come about as a result of…

a) toxic exposure by any vector,

b) certain kinds of fast, unanticipated movement (like something that jerks the head when a car stops suddenly, or if the body is met by some force that moves the head very abruptly), and also

c) physical impacts to the head.

If a person has hit their head in a way they think is no big deal, for instance, they may still later start experiencing concussion symptoms they and their loved ones aren't yet equipped to identify.

It's crucially important that we watch out for one another, because once neurological injuries compound or cascade, the individual is in a greatly reduced position to recognize it, address it, care for themselves conscientiously, or protect themselves from other harm.

(Incidentally, this is a large part of why I originally found myself at intersections of human trafficking violence. I did not understand the extent of the neurological injuries I was experiencing, and neither did the people around me. I became easy pickings for opportunistic perpetrators surprisingly quickly — and I am still dealing with the ramifications of those compounded injuries today.)

If someone you care about is behaving strangely or in a way that is uncharacteristic of your experience with them, check and re-check your assumptions. You, like me, may have encountered misinformation you’ve never had the chance to re-evaluate.

Maintain contact with them in whatever way you can, especially if any other support is brought into their circumstance, and pay attention to what’s going on.

Do not conclude that they’re “just an asshole” or that they don’t care about you.

Do not just foist them onto the nearest professional service. Many professionals and community resources have not received adequate training about these types of injury conditions, and can worsen the situation dramatically.

Prioritize learning the language this person is speaking, even if it’s very different than yours (and especially if it’s very different than their languaging used to be).

If they are upset or expressing emotional intensity, do not take it personally. Stay calm, present, and steady. Demonstrate that you care to understand better what they’re communicating, and ask them if you’ve understood correctly.

Be kind, patient, respectful, and caring toward them.

You can always reach out to me if I and Intuitive Network resources might be of assistance. (Telegram direct messages, Community IPR chat, my email address. You can also comment on this post on Substack.)

Thank you for reading and sharing this message.