Living with embodied vibrations: Sensory experiences following a traumatic brain injury.
Social science & medicine (1982) September 1, 2021 Nicole Gombay, Gavin J Andrews
Drawing on the author's own experience of traumatic brain injury, this article uses a (neuro)phenomenological approach to examine how sensory experiences—especially pain, vision, hearing, and bodily sensations during sleep—are intertwined with other TBI symptoms. The analysis enriches clinical concepts of sensitivity to light and noise, and sleep disturbance, by grounding them in lived experience. The article argues that these sensory phenomena can be understood through embodied dynamics of vibration, oscillation, and stochastic resonance. It suggests that a phenomenologically informed, sensory analysis of TBI experiences may offer new directions for research and clinical practice.