Physical Injury, Mental Symptoms?
Self-brain surgery™ to help you understand what your brain is doing when it's hurt, and how your mind can make it better
[Short Summary: Why do brain injuries cause mood, memory, and thinking problems if you're “not just your brain”? Here's the neuroscience behind that, and how your mind still has power to promote healing.]
Reading Time: 5 minutes
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✉️ A letter from me about concussions, confusion, and control
Hey friend,
A reader wrote in with a really thoughtful question:
“If we’re not just our brains, why do injuries like concussions cause so many mental and emotional problems?”
It’s a question that gets to the heart of everything we talk about here, about how your brain is not YOU; it’s the interface between you, your body, and the world around you.
When the brain is hurt, your experience of life can change, sometimes dramatically. But that doesn't mean your mind is broken. It means your interface is disrupted, and the solution starts with understanding what's happening and how you can respond.
Let’s learn why!
🧠 Neuroscience Nugget: Your brain is the interface, your mind is you
Your brain is the physical organ through which you experience and interpret the world. It processes input, generates output, and regulates everything from mood to memory, motivation to movement. It does all this by producing and regulating neurotransmitters, the chemical messengers that shape how you feel and function.
When you suffer a concussion or brain injury, the normal production and balance of these chemicals gets disrupted. It’s not just a wiring problem. It’s a supply chain problem. The very substances your brain uses to create thoughts, regulate mood, and help you focus may not be available in the usual amounts.
That’s why you might feel foggy, down, anxious, or disconnected. It’s not your fault, and it’s not your identity; it’s just neurochemistry.
But here’s where your mind comes in: by choosing healthier thoughts, engaging in positive behaviors, and focusing your attention intentionally, you can influence your brain to begin healing and even reestablish better neurochemical balance. This is the power of directed neuroplasticity, and it means your mind can help lead your brain back toward wellness.
✝️ Faith Fact:
“Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”
— 2 Corinthians 4:16
This verse reminds us that even when the body is broken, the inner person (the mind, the soul, the self) is capable of renewal. That renewal starts with hope, is sustained by faith, and is activated by deliberate attention to truth.
God built into us the capacity to grow and heal, not just physically, but spiritually and mentally too.
🧠 News for Your Neurons
A 2016 clinical trial published in Pediatrics found that adolescents with persistent post-concussive symptoms improved significantly when treated with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).
Compared to standard care, those who received this mind-focused intervention had better outcomes in headache, mood, anxiety, and functional recovery over six months.
This lines up with the work of psychiatrist and neuroscientist Dr. Norman Doidge*, who famously wrote:
“The brain can change itself, if it gets the right signals.”
Doidge’s research supports the idea that mental effort and guided focus can reshape even injured brains. When your brain is underperforming due to trauma, your mind can still participate in its healing.
🤓 Nerd Zone: You can read the whole paper by clicking here.
🔁 The Science–Faith Smash:
🔬 Science shows us that attention and thought can direct brain chemistry.
✝️ Faith tells us that we are more than our bodies and that transformation starts in the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2).
When your brain is injured, you may struggle to “feel like you.” But your true self is still intact. You still have the power to speak truth, redirect your thoughts, and train your brain, with God’s help, back toward health.
Self-brain surgery starts with this belief:
You’re not your symptoms. You’re not your diagnosis. You are a resilient, neuroplastic, Spirit-empowered person.
Step into that reality, and you’ll start making progress.
💊 This Week’s Prescription
If you or someone you love is dealing with mental or emotional challenges after a brain injury, try this 5-step approach:
Name the disruption: “My brain’s chemistry is off because it’s healing, but I’m still me.”
Refuse false identity: Don’t agree with thoughts that say you’re broken, hopeless, or beyond repair.
Redirect attention : Focus on what’s true, hopeful, and within your control today.
Rebuild the chemistry: Movement, hydration, protein, rest, and thought discipline help restore balance.
Practice spiritual truth: Speak Scripture over your situation, especially when your brain doesn’t feel like cooperating.
‼️ And as always, if you’re struggling, stuck, or having suicidal or other harmful thoughts, please see your health care provider or a licensed therapist. Brain healing is possible, but sometimes you need professional help. Don’t substitute my words for medical advice.
📢 A final word from me
Your brain is the interface, not the essence, of your being. When it gets hurt, things feel out of whack, but your true self still has access to the tools that lead to hope, healing, and forward movement.
You are not your symptoms. You are not your diagnosis.
You are still in there, and your mind can help bring you back.
The good news is, you can start today. 🧠✝️
Hit reply and let me know if you’ve used these ideas to help navigate a concussion or other brain injury.
Dum spiro spero (While I breathe, I hope),
Lee
* Links to books from Amazon will pay us a small commission to support this work, at no additional cost to you.
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