ABSTRACT
The author feels she is back on sturdy ground. Writing increases to two-hour sprints. She ventures out to take collegiate writing courses, including writing grief in poetry courses. She gains a feeling of mounting control over more than writing a sentence. She has control over the shape, texture and energy of a sentence. She realizes she is again a writer and a poet. Several poignant poems are shown. Developing friendships with three female TBI survivors happens. Ways of relating, sense of self and changing philosophy of life are ever-increasing, leading onto a steady path and to identity transformation. Using the self-report statements from the PTGI inventory, she displays her areas of positive growth. She is blossoming into disability culture that emphasizes a way of living and positive identification with being disabled. She depicts her new outlook through this empowering concept. She writes, “I am proud of what I have overcome, proud of my disability culture. Being a part of this culture has given me a sense of community, comfort and support that motivates me. I am not alone. I lost a lot of who I was, but now at this stage of my recovery, I am my new normal.”
