Acquired Brain Injury: Meaning-Making Out of Lived Trauma

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to extend the findings of a research project independent of this article but from which this article arises. More specifically, this article examines the lived experience of a major life event from the perspective of the individual: How is meaning brought to such an event? To address theoretical and professional issues related to the meaning-making process of a brain injury experience, narrative data was collected over a seven-week period from five adult survivors of brain injury (mean age = 41.4 years; range, twenty-eight to fifty-three years). Analysis of content was conducted from which a composite case scenario was derived. Felt losses and needs are documented, and coping responses described. Findings of (1) the importance of a future rather than a one-day-at-a-time perspective, (2) the contribution of caring relationships, (3) the role of spirituality, and (4) the need to feel understood, are delineated and discussed.