“Mind is the master power that moulds and makes, and man is mind, and evermore he takes the tool of thought, and, shaping what he wills, brings forth a thousand joys, a thousand ills. He thinks in secret, and it comes to pass. Environment is but his looking-glass.” James Allen

Let’s face it, if you are “results driven”, neurologic recovery can be extremely frustrating. The process is slow and there are no guarantees you will recover 100%.

With that said, in the pursuit of success, it is natural to fixate on external factors such as opportunity, resources, and circumstance. These are the factors we can see, touch, and quantify. These factors are important but not sufficient. Understanding this will undoubtedly make this arduous climb up the mountain less frustrating. But more importantly, get you as close to that “100%” that I know you want.

So, if your desire is to restore as much function as possible, you will want to pull up a chair, and grab a coffee as we connect the dots from physical health, to the mind, and ultimately to the heart.

Now, before we dive in, it goes without saying when it comes to neurologic recovery, “the superficial” matters. A lot. If you want to have any success in restoring your physical abilities (following a neurologic injury), there are daily activities you must do. And for some, this will be enough.  But for the majority, fixating on the external factors will work for a while…… until it doesn’t.

Ugh, the “plateau”. That time in the recovery process when it feels like every exercise takes double the effort, and little to show for it. But why?

There are multiple factors that impact your outcome including the amount of neurologic damage, co-morbid conditions (diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, chronic inflammation, metabolic syndrome, obesity…etc.), family support, and access to medical care.

But here is another data point that is of equal if not more importance. A history of depression and anxiety pre and/or post stroke also impacts functional recovery. Here is where the rubber meets the road.  Depression is correlated with some health conditions that increase your risk of a stroke. Depression also impacts post-stroke outcomes. And so, begins an often silent first missing spoke in the wheel of neurologic recovery.

In other words, you can have everything “stacked in your favor”. And yet, get diminishing returns on your efforts by ignoring your mental health.

So, hopefully we have connected the dots from “physical” factors to “mental” factors”. And yes, this connection is important, but not sufficient.

Our mind (thoughts, feelings, beliefs) is a manifestation of the heart.

Experience has shown me over, and over, and over again, this is what separates the ordinary from the extraordinary. The outliers. The ones who do what others can’t.

Although not unique to Christianity, the bible talks about this…..

Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. Proverbs 4:23-27

What exactly does that mean? Andy Stanley explains it best in his book, Enemies of the Heart.

Anger. Envy. Guilt.

We have all been there and will continue to return there as long as we are walking this earth. You and I are flawed. And so are the humans walking around us. These are “heart issues”. If left unchecked, they are like an infection that start as a tiny molecule and multiply until it infects the entire organism.

I think anger is the most prevalent and easiest to justify. Anger says “someone owes me”.

“The medical team who allowed this to happen owes me”

“The drunk driver who hit me owes me”

“That family member who gave me unhealthy food owes me”

“That “able-bodied” person owes me”

But envy can also be enticing. Envy says “the universe owes me”.

“I deserve her/his skill/ability.”

“I deserve his/her face, skin, body…etc, etc.”

However, guilt is probably the sneakiest one of all. Guilt says “I am in debt to something or someone else”.

“I am in debt to myself for my unhealthy lifestyle”

“I owe my family a fully able body to work, take care of the kids, clean the house, cook the food….etc, etc.”

These are the “heart issues” I have heard, seen, and sometimes felt in my own heart as I listen to someone tell me their story.

Although justified, if left unaddressed, can limit the extent of your neurologic recovery.  And if you have experienced a neurologic injury, I say this with compassion….these  heart issues can’t be denied, ignored, or validated. To do so, will limit your neurologic recovery.

So, yes, having the “perfect rehab plan” is necessary. This will get you on the road toward a successful outcome.  But the factor that will keep the tank full and take you to a destination beyond what the “experts” can “predict” requires going deeper beyond the “external” to the heart.

Attribution: In Andy Stanley’s book, Enemies of the heart, he brought to mind this idea of the “heart issues” being a type of “debt” mentioned in this article.

“The outer conditions of a person’s life will always be found to be harmoniously related to his inner state….men do not attract that which they want, but that which they are.” James Allen, Author of as a man thinketh.