This Hat is a Helmet

  For audio reading of this blog post, go here:  https://soundcloud.com/krystal-joy-466462472/common-humanity-part-2 I ask each of my clients this question: “What are your priorities and values in life?” This question is so important. It tells me so much about what I have to learn and do to give my clients something that is true to them. Something that honours their experiences instead of placing on them the priorities and values upheld in white oppressive healthcare. One time a client answered me with this: “I value common humanity — the idea that we’re all here and connected in some way.” Yeah. I feel this. Do you? In Part 1 I offered a call-in to my fellow white TBI survivors. I asked why it seems there is little representation of BIPOC folks in brain injury blogs, media, and support groups. Systemic racism affects all communities, even ours in Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). I am now sharing this again as a white person to invite other white survivors who are down for this conversati

  For audio:   https://soundcloud.com/krystal-joy-466462472/common-humanity/s-f3G6pugiMzu How are you doing today? You don’t deserve to suffer People worldwide don’t deserve to suffer Yet if there’s anything this pandemic has blatantly shown us It’s that many people unjustly do How have your symptoms been? For me the early part of this pandemic changed very little of my day-to-day, already having “practiced” self-isolation for so long. But I know for some Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) survivors, the extra layer of self-isolation along with added bodies, voices, and stimulation stuck at home has been tough. In the beginning I saw comments in support groups about how the news was fearful of this virus. And with a low energy brain trying to make sense of it all, things like anxiety may have surfaced. And now, something else very important has bubbled to the top as the calls for social justice have gained more momentum with the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. I am a white person writing