Brain Injury Therapy

03/24/2026

I wrote letters to Congressmen Luttrell and Deluzio. Here's why you should too.

A leaked federal budget draft proposes eliminating the very programs that form the backbone of brain injury care in this country, and the window to stop it is closing.

The deadline is March 26th.

Reps. Luttrell (R-TX) and Deluzio (D-PA) are circulating a bipartisan appropriations letter asking Congress to protect four programs that millions of survivors, families, and clinicians depend on:

1. ACL TBI State Partnership Program: The only federal funding that helps states build capacity to serve brain injury survivors
2. CDC's HEADS UP Program: The nation's leading concussion education initiative for kids
3. National Concussion Surveillance System: Our only comprehensive source of national brain injury data
4. TBI Model Systems: The research infrastructure behind evidence-based rehabilitation

Here's the scope of what's at stake: 5.3 million Americans are living with TBI-related disability right now. That's a number that exceeds everyone living with Parkinson's disease and epilepsy combined. Nearly 1 in 5 American adults has a lifetime history of brain injury with loss of consciousness. Brain injury accounts for nearly a third of all injury-related deaths. And yet it remains chronically underfunded, underdiagnosed, and invisible to most federal policymakers.

As a brain injury specialist, founder of Brain Injury Therapy, and published TBI researcher at the University of Denver, I wrote directly to both offices with the clinical and research case for why these programs cannot be cut. If you are a clinician, researcher, educator, or advocate in this space, I am asking you to do the same.

You don't need to write a long letter. I made you a template, it's in the comments.

📧 Luttrell's Legislative Director: charlie.truxal@mail.house.gov
or Magnolia Texas district residents: https://luttrell.house.gov/address_authentication?form=/contact

📧 Deluzio's Deputy Chief of Staff: gillian.mueller@mail.house.gov

The Brain Injury Association of America is sounding the alarm. Our community needs to be loud right now.

Read more here: https://biausa.org/public-affairs/public-awareness/news/biaa-requests-meeting-with-hhs-secretary-after-leaked-budget-draft-proposes-cuts-to-brain-injury-programs

hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag

03/17/2026

We have chosen to reschedule this event to maximize our community reach. We hope to see you in July and will keep communicating about this great event and all that it entails until then!

03/12/2026

"But you look fine!" 🙄

If you’ve heard this phrase while feeling like your brain is a browser with 47 tabs open (and 3 are playing music you can't find), you’re living in the Invisibility Gap.

We just published a deep dive into why telling your brain injury story feels like trying to run a marathon in a swamp and invites you to our upcoming event to address this exact issue.

Inside the blog:

Diagnostic Exile: Why "clear" scans don't mean you aren't struggling.

The Overwhelmed Dispatcher: A metaphor to help your family finally get sensory overload.

The VOICE Framework: Our 5-step toolkit to help you be heard without the "brain crash."

Stop explaining yourself and start being understood.

Read the full story here: https://www.braininjurytherapy.org/post/learning-to-tell-your-brain-injury-story
Register for the March 28th Retreat: https://www.braininjurytherapy.org/event-details/brain-injury-virtual-retreat-with-mimi-hayes

Discover why telling your brain injury story matters for healing. Learn foundational regulation skills, the VOICE framework, and how to bridge the invisibility gap. Join our virtual retreat.

03/08/2026

Brain injury is the only condition where survivors must prove they're injured to the very people treating them. This can lead to Diagnostic Exile, when the very system meant to help you can't see what happened to you. Most brain injury survivors spend months in Diagnostic Exile, bouncing between providers who can't see the invisible injury. Which means survivors lose months—sometimes years—not to their injury, but to not being believed.

Join us on March 28th for our Brain Injury Virtual Retreat, featuring a dedicated storytelling workshop with Mimi Hayes! Mimi is a fellow survivor, a comedian , and the author of the memoir I'll Be OK, It's Just a Hole in My Head. Whether you dream of becoming a professional storyteller, or you just want to better communicate your daily reality to your care providers, Mimi will guide us through it.

🔗 Registration: https://www.braininjurytherapy.org/event-details/brain-injury-virtual-retreat-with-mimi-hayes

03/07/2026

A day to rest, rewire, and reconnect. 🌱

Healing a brain injury is a lot like tending to a forest after a storm.

It requires immense patience, quiet rest, and deep roots of hope to begin rewiring and growing again. On March 28th, 2026, join us for a Brain Injury Virtual Retreat—an affordable, fully accessible day designed specifically for the pacing and bandwidth of survivors.

We are so honored to feature guest speaker Mimi Hayes, an author, comedian, and fellow brain injury survivor. Mimi wrote her incredible memoir, I'll Be OK, It's Just a Hole in My Head, while recovering from a hemorrhagic stroke at just 22 years old. With deep heart and humor, she will help us explore how to reframe adversity and find resilience in our own stories.

This is a space to breathe, connect with community, and honor your brain's unique journey to find balance.

Register here: https://www.braininjurytherapy.org/event-details/brain-injury-virtual-retreat-with-mimi-hayes

03/05/2026

Ever feel like your friends, family, or even your doctors just don't get what it's like to live with a brain injury?
You are not alone.

Communication after a brain injury can be exhausting, yet learning how to share your story is an incredibly powerful tool for self-advocacy.
Join us on March 28th for our Brain Injury Virtual Retreat, featuring a dedicated storytelling workshop with Mimi Hayes! Mimi is a fellow survivor, a comedian, and the author of the memoir I'll Be OK, It's Just a Hole in My Head.

Whether you dream of becoming a professional storyteller, or you just want to better communicate your daily reality to your care providers, Mimi will guide us through it.

In this workshop, we will explore:
✨ The essential elements every story needs to make an impact.
✨ Fun, guided prompts to help you highlight the most important parts of your recovery.
✨ Structured, low-pressure writing time. This event is built entirely for your brain's bandwidth; pacing and rest breaks are built right in!

📅 March 28, 2026
📍 Virtual (Join from anywhere!)
Register here:

Rest, regulate, and connect at your own speed. Registration is open for our March 28th Virtual Retreat.

02/12/2026

A great event for all things Brain Injury!

Care Across the Ages Registration is open! Join Us on March 12, 2026 This year's conference will focus on strategies and considerations for professionals working with brain injuries across the lifespan. March 12, 2026 | 7:30 AM - 4:30 PM Networking happy hour to follow. Six CEs available.* Upper Lar...

02/12/2026

We are gathering interest for a virtual brain injury retreat! Please take 60 seconds to tell us if you are interested and available for our next event. This will help us set prices to keep them as low for everyone as possible while paying our amazing guest speaker, Mimi Hayes!

Gathering interest in a new program for brain injury survivors, their family, friends, and care partners. A full day of information about the brain, healing-skill building, community connecting, and mental health, specifically for brain injury survivors of all kinds and all injury levels. Our goal i...

11/06/2025

You don’t have to feel merry to be healing.
Your peace matters more than performance.