Normal from Afar, a Doctor Reveals His Own Traumatic Brain Injury

Dr. Daniel Herlihy finally had the ideal life: a growing medical practice, a beautiful wife, and a house on a golf course. But a devastating car accident leaves him unable to recognize his wife and family. He loses his ability to speak, read, or write. Broken in body and mind, he is barely more than a human vegetable. A neurologist confirms Daniel's severe brain bleed has resulted in complete amnesia. The prognosis? Long-term dementia and death within 5 years. His perfect life vanishes. His wife leaves him. His family abandons him. He loses his medical practice and his house on the golf course. He entertains suicidal thoughts. He joins the ranks of the homeless on the streets of Dallas, Texas. Two things miraculously turn his downward spiral around: Doctors prescribe a service dog to ward off suicide and daily journaling to bring back his ability to speak, write and read. Today, Daniel no longer lives on the streets and is the author of three books on overcoming traumatic brain injuries, the benefits of service dogs, and his return to a new normal. Normal from Afar is a story of survival, recovery, and revelation.

Dr. Daniel Herlihy has a bachelor's degree in liberal arts, a master's in microbiology (the human gut bacteria), graduated from medical school, survived residency in family practice, and is homeless. After a serious 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 was coauthored with a service dog who saved him from suicide: Chewy: A Doctor's Tail. 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 competent, caring family doctor to disoriented homeless person, and back again, to a place of hope and a new version of normal. A Dozen Homeless Voices, to be released in early 2023, contains the stories of the most interesting, unheard friends Dr. Dan grew to love while on the streets himself. A fourth book, to be released at the end of 2023, describes twenty modalities that best helped the doctor's broken brain and body, including: Neurofeedback, oxygen therapy, microcurrent, Pulsed electromagnetic therapy, vagal nerve stimulation, medications, and supplements. Dr. Dan understands that a catastrophe can take anyone to a place of complete defeat. Losing his mind, being in chronic pain and 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 absolute best story tellers. They are a caring community of outsiders who understood and supported him when others turned their backs. While living on the streets as he recovered from his brain injury, Dr. Dan found unique ways to help his unsheltered community. He taught some to read, guided others to get needed medical attention, and helped several earn money. 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 really exciting parts of his journey included. Here's a few places where the fun begins: A nerve-racking car accident, a gruesome mugging, a romantic relationship of complete horror, a bad trip with LSD. Two more things, a recovered memory is a fun fact. In the eighties, Dr. Dan worked 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 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.

Dr. Daniel Herlihy has a bachelor's degree in liberal arts, and a master's in microbiology (the human gut bacteria). He graduated from medical school, survived residency in family practice, and is homeless. 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. A fourth book, to be published at the end of 2023, describes twenty modalities that best helped the doctor's broken brain and body, including: neurofeedback, oxygen therapy, microcurrent, pulsed electromagnetic therapy, vagal nerve stimulation, medications, and supplements. 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. Living on the streets as he recovered from his brain injury, Dr. Dan found unique ways to help his unsheltered community. He taught nine to read, guided many others to get needed medical attention, and helped several earn money. 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