I somehow landed back on this forum and remembered I posted on it for a short time. Happy to be back with a success story.

I did several EMDR "intensive" sessions (3 hours each) since last time I posted and the startle response, along with the OCD around getting another concussion, is basically nonexistent for me at this point. Once in a while I'll get it but I bounce back quicker and it's a fraction of what it used to be.

EMDR also calmed down my nervous system and helped with dysautonomia to the point where I can exercise again and do a lot of things without significant setbacks.

In addition, I saw a neuroendocrinologist, Dr. Mark Gordon, who treats TBI patients with hormones. I had high cortisol (no surprise), low pregnenolone, low testosterone, and low DHEA.

I'm now on testosterone replacement therapy, supplementing pregnenolone and DHEA and am doing tremendous. I would say I'm 90% back to being who I was prior to my concussions after suffering for so many years with PCS.

One of my doctors early on described concussions as an "injury of energy" and gave an analogy of your gas tank being depleted and because the brain is so energy intensive that it's difficult for that gas tank to fill back up. Even when I felt "good" the past few years, I still didn't really, it still felt like my gas tank was never full. Now for the first time in almost 3 years I can say my gas tank is finally full again.

For the longest time, I talked about my concussions like I was still experiencing them, in the present tense, because in a way I kind of was. I noticed somewhere in the past few months I now talk about them in the past.

I can't say enough good things about EMDR and the hormone protocol I'm on, they gave me my life back. Hopefully this can help someone out there reading this.