>After a severe car accident, his neurologist prescribed daily journaling to regain his ability to talk, write, read, and remember his life before the accident. After twelve years, his first book, Chewy: A Doctor's Tail, was coauthored with the service dog who saved him from suicide. Dr. Herlihy continues to heal by sharing his difficulties so those with a compromised brain will have a path back to neurotypical. In this book, Normal from Afar, he shares the harrowing journey from a competent, caring family doctor to a disoriented homeless person, and back again, to a place of hope and an updated version of normal. A Dozen Homeless Voices, to be released in early 2023, contains stories of the most interesting, unheard friends Dr. Herlihy grew to love while on the streets himself. >Dr. Herlihy understands that a catastrophe can take anyone to a place of complete defeat. Losing his mind, being in chronic pain, and being unable to do the activities of daily living (dressing, eating, and bathing) he slowly fell into despair, disability, and a private purgatory. From there, it was a short hop into homelessness. Yet, in the darkest places, there is hope. Dr. Herlihy found the unsheltered to be resilient, unique, thoughtful, and the best storytellers. They are a caring community of outsiders who understood and supported him when others turned their backs. >One more thing, the author bores easily, so Normal is not just a read for social workers, psychologists, and medical professionals. This book is a medical thriller with the exciting parts of his journey included. Here are four places where the fun begins: a nerve-racking car accident, a gruesome mugging, a romantic relationship of complete horror, and a bad trip with LSD. Two more things, a recovered memory is a fun fact. In the eighties, Dr. Herlihy served as a medical missionary in Iturbide, Mexico, a small village of indigenous people high in the Sangre' de Cristo mountains. Working closely with a curandera (shaman), he learned to use herbs and psychedelics to aid patients. He can still do the trance dance (not a disco style) to a good and healthy effect. Now that Dr. Herlihy can write, he would love to hear from his readers, and anyone interested in brain health and recovery. www.thebestpossiblebrain.com Bestpossiblebrain@gmail.com Dr. John Capobianco managed the rehabilitation of Dr. Daniel Herlihy from day one following his traumatic brain injury (TBI). > Dr. Capobianco used his combined specialties of general practice and neurologic-musculoskeletal medicine to apply the art and science of hands-on physical medicine and treatment to Dr. Herlihy's bodily injuries. Including using the principles of the cranial mechanism (adjusting the bones, fluids, and membranes of the head) to help alleviate the crushing strain on Dr. Herlihy's central nervous system. This type of trauma is seen in the concussion of a high school football player or, as in the case of our main character, a victim of a high-impact motor vehicle accident that led to his 92% disability rating, including dementia. However, in the shadow of an impending date of suicide, Dr. John demanded that Dr. Herlihy employ the company of his service dog, Chewy. Chewy would become Savior and Sherpa to Dr. Dan over the years. Chewy's company was not only a welcomed "man's best friend" but the oxytocin (aka: "love hormone") that would bathe the broken brain and body of Dr. Herlihy and soothe the fires of trauma. This service animal would become Dr. Herlihy's personal "physician extender" in a universe of vapid health care, especially for this destitute man who once carried a bustling family practice, lived in a big house, drove a nice car, and was husband to a successful and beautiful woman and doted over his new daughter. Immediately following intensive physical rehabilitation, Dr. Capobianco saw a path to healing Dr. Dan's damaged brain by steady and progressive "headache-inducing" bibliotherapy, which helps repair brain circuitry by forming new neural connections through hours of daily writing or "memoiring." In short, Dr. Herlihy's injured brain and mind had been steadily "re-story-ed." Bibliotherapy serves as a "physical and occupational therapist" for the central nervous system--in this situation, a fractured skull with an indented brain from the impact of a metal roof of his car that flew off the road. This was our main character's "Ground Zero" event for a lifetime of lost intellectual function. And more importantly, a loss of not only personality but a TBI left him with not even the ability to remember those other than his immediate family. Dr. John stayed connected with Dr. Herlihy as an "emotional support humanoid" throughout his many "lost twelve years" of homelessness, which makes for a "hero's journey." Dr. Soni Rao was instrumental in her written contributions and valuable evaluations of the drawings that marked Dr. Herlihy's ability foe fine motor movement. Dr. Rao psychological insights led the author to a better understanding of his brain injury. Dr. Arndt with his background in psychology and theology offered great support and comfort to the author especially in his suicidal ideation period. Further, his commentary on the sketches were insightful and revealing. His comments perfectly sum up the difficulty of the condition of a brain injury.
