The Second Act E-Book

Andrew Davie

• Herausgeber: Next Chapter
• Kategorie: Sachliteratur, Reportagen, Biografien
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 77

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

After surviving a life-altering brain aneurysm in 2018, Andrew Davie embarked on a fresh journey, not back to the familiar halls of teaching but towards becoming a Clinical Mental Health Counselor. His determination to aid others in recovering from similar injuries propelled him back into the classroom, this time as a student.

Amidst the pages of academia and the reality of personal healing, Davie weaves together both heart-wrenching and humorous anecdotes, demonstrating resilience in the face of adversity. Davie's narrative isn’t just a tale of personal change; it's a reflection of shared human experiences.

THE SECOND ACT is a testament to the transformative power of empathy and resilience. Andrew Davie invites readers to find humor in the face of despair and courage in the wake of challenges, offering a warm and witty companion for anyone navigating their own second act.

Leseprobe

THE SECOND ACT

MY RECOVERY OF A RUPTURED BRAIN ANEURYSM

ANDREW DAVIE

Copyright (C) 2023 Andrew Davie

Layout design and Copyright (C) 2023 by Next Chapter

Published 2023 by Next Chapter

Edited by Tyler Colins

Cover art by Jaylord Bonnit

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the author’s permission.

For Susan Fago

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thank you Tyler for the copyedits. Emma, Lydia, Dan, Jess, Dr. Kim, Dr. V, Dr. H, Dr. Pressley, Prof. Hida, at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Stephanie, Michelle, Zach, James, and the staff at Brain Injury Services. Tess, John, and The Lynn Oswald Brain Aneurysm Support Group. Jan, Bryant, and Alesia. Jay Garfield. Uncle Bruckles. Johnny K. Heather. Thelma. “Aunt” Coarole. Adam, Laura, Owen, Simon, Mom and Dad.

CONTENTS

The Fantastic Note When the Rabbit Bites its own Head Off

A Recap of 2020-2021

Relevant Movie Quotations

Back to School

Excerpts of a Cultural Identity Analysis Paper

Reflection Paper on Existential Therapy

Post-Modern Approach: Social Constructionist Theory and Narrative Therapy

Examining the Effects of Music, Psychological Warfare, and Trauma Through Narrative Inquiry

More Relevant Movie Quotations

Improved Morris

Val Kilmer’s Elbow: The Dialectics Part II

There are 106 miles to Chicago

About the Author

THE FANTASTIC NOTE WHEN THE RABBIT BITES ITS OWN HEAD OFF

The above title is a quotation from Dr. Gonzo in the book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas written by Hunter S. Thompson. Gonzo says the line while he is in a bathtub submerged up to his eyes in opaque green water; the result of putting in too many Japanese bath salts. The good doctor has also taken enough acid to satisfy all of Haight/Ashbury and is hallucinating.

He requests Thompson throw a portable radio into the bathtub and electrocute Gonzo while the song “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane plays at that specific part of the song mentioned in the title. Although Gonzo might very well achieve enlightenment, or have some other epiphany of higher understanding, he would also be killed. Instead, Thompson throws a grapefruit into the tub.

Later, when accosted by an angry Dr. Gonzo, who is displeased at his wish not being granted, Thompson threatens to mace Gonzo until he calms down. Though you might have difficulty seeing any corollaries here to ruptured brain aneurysm recovery, I’m going to do my darndest to establish one.

Early on in my healing from a ruptured brain aneurysm, sometime during the first year, my abstract thinking was virtually non-existent. It suddenly returned one evening while I was completing a worksheet in which the goal was to infer information about dogs, types of dog collars, and their respective owners. It was as if someone had cast a spell on me. Naively, I expected the rest of the recovery to be similar. Like Dr. Gonzo in the bathtub, I had assumed the bulk of my healing would happen just as quickly and suddenly, like being struck by lightning, or in his case, riding the lightning.

In no time, I would begin to feel like my old self again. The same goals I’d had before the aneurysm: starting a family and becoming a successful author would mean as much as they had before and would essentially provide me with a drive and motivation to get out of bed each day.

Of course, this did not happen. I no longer had the same desire to start a family, and publishing a book did not alter the landscape as I had assumed. It took a while, about three years, for me to adjust to feeling more comfortable.

At the end of the previous addendum, “Playing With House Money”, I mentioned a quotation by Albert Camus which suggested that even though I knew the recovery would still be difficult, I was motivated and driven. That remains the same. Although, I want to re-enforce the idea that the journey won’t suddenly have become easier by Years 4 and 5, but I certainly feel more capable and confident these days.

In March 2020, almost two years after the aneurysm, I had gotten a job at a tutoring center near where I lived. I figured since I had been a teacher, why not return to the profession—especially since I could still work. I had also just begun dating again. I was on track to resume my life after a few speed bumps. Of course, by April the following month, the job was canceled due to the onset of a worldwide pandemic in the form of COVID-19.

As a result, I would move back in with my parents for a little over a year. My mother drove to my house, picked me up, and brought me back with her. Initially, I assumed I would stay with them for a few weeks. Once I realized I had nothing to return to, a few weeks became indefinite. While not desirable by any stretch, this chain of events turned out to have a silver lining. Rather than try to build something that resembled my old life, but wasn’t going to provide solace, I would be able to focus exclusively on adjusting and a future that would be fulfilling. I began to ask myself if my former goals weren’t going to motivate me on a bad day, what could I do?

This is also where Simone De Beauvoir’s Ethics of Ambiguity comes into play. I had been listening to a philosophy podcast titled Philosophize This! And an episode about Simone De Beauvoir resonated with me. She posits that we are both subjects and objects in the world. The tension we feel ultimately comes from the tug-of-war between those two states. We do not like being unable to define ourselves by one description, but the reality is we are both. According to De Beauvoir, we need to “will our own freedom” but since everything is interrelated, we also need to “will the freedom of others.”

Rather than focus exclusively on something that would only make me feel fulfilled, I realized I also needed to incorporate the wellbeing of others. When I thought back to the few times I’d felt at ease over the last few years, it always had to do with the reassurance from another survivor, usually in a support group or responding on a message board, that what I had been experiencing during my recovery was not unique.

Instead of returning to the teaching profession, I decided I would change careers. Technically, this would be the fifth different career after recruiter, office manager, sell-side broker/options trader, and teacher. Although I have made some money from writing, I wouldn’t count it as a career. I realized if I became a therapist, I could provide support for other people who needed guidance, which would also make me feel fulfilled as well. I did some research, found that clinical mental health counseling would be suitable, and applied to schools. I was accepted to The Chicago School of Professional Psychology’s Washington D.C. Campus, and I began taking classes in January 2022.

A RECAP OF 2020-2021

The year I lived with my parents during the height of COVID, it was deciding to change careers, receiving Somatic Experience Therapy, and time, that ultimately helped me adjust. That’s not to say I wouldn’t have difficult days in the future, but those three changes were what allowed me to move forward with more confidence.

Previously, I was overwhelmed with no direction, and I had trouble imagining what sort of value my life would have since none of my previous goals seemed to matter. I had focused almost all my attention on writing with the hope that getting published would somehow provide meaning.

Rick Rubin’s podcast interview with Andre Benjamin does a phenomenal job articulating how finally achieving an artistic goal like publishing a book, making a film, or recording an album, does not magically “fill the hole, most creative types are plagued by.” My first book, Pavement, was released in 2019, so it was after the aneurysm and it felt like a double whammy. Not only would I have to adjust to life post-aneurysm, but the very thing that had been providing drive for me (publishing a book) didn’t solve my dilemma when it finally happened.

Teaching, while enjoyable, had always felt like a means to an end. Plus, my experience substitute teaching at my previous school the year after my aneurysm, hadn’t been fulfilling. Eventually, I was able to teach an online creative writing class as an afterschool elective, but I discovered my desire wasn’t there anymore.

Lastly, I had always assumed I would get married and start a family. After some reflection, I realized most of that desire had been conditioned by societal expectations. Although I did enjoy being in a relationship with someone, much of the trajectory of how I had wanted things to play out were due to the fact I assumed that having a family was what a good life included.

In the film Thief