In this unscripted video, concussion survivor and long‑term PCS advocate David Brimacombe shares how the physical and social environment can dramatically influence post‑concussion recovery. Drawing on over 20 years and seven concussions, he explains that recovery is not solely dictated by medical care but also by the people we surround ourselves with and the sensory cues we receive. He warns that many online forums and support groups can unintentionally reinforce negative rumination, which feeds a stress‑laden sympathetic state. Brimacombe introduces the reticular activating system (RAS) as the brain’s filter that determines which stimuli reach conscious awareness, and he offers practical ways to consciously re‑program this filter: spending time outdoors, grounding oneself in nature, gazing at the horizon, and seeking positive visual cues. He emphasizes the physiological benefits of nature exposure—enhanced vagal tone, reduced sympathetic arousal, and a shift toward safety. He also stresses the importance of surrounding oneself with peers who have successfully navigated concussion recovery, using their stories as templates that restore belief in the possibility of healing. Throughout, he reinforces the central message that individuals are change agents in their own recovery, encouraging viewers to adopt an active, agency‑focused mindset and to subscribe for ongoing guidance.
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Welcome to the PCS Resilience Collective. I am David Brimacombe. My goal with this channel is to help you understand that you are a change agent in your recovery. Over 20 years and 7 concussions taught me a lot about concussion recovery. First and foremost is that I was not just a result of the physicians and specialists that I saw. That was part of my recovery, but my biggest turns came when I started to look at myself and my situation and how I could change. Today I want to talk about how your environment shapes your recovery. Thank you for those who are returning, and those new to the channel, please subscribe so you can get all my videos. I'm trying to post 2 or 3 a week, and these are all unscripted. These are all me talking from the heart based on my situation, so I appreciate your support. Let's get into the video. First thing I want to talk about are the physiological changes that come when you change your environment. I think we all understand that you are the byproduct of the average of the 5 people you are around the most. You are also a byproduct of the environment that you're constantly situated within. At the beginning of my recovery, didn't have anyone to talk to. This was early 2000s, concussions weren't as talked about as they are now. But I did not have a single soul that I knew had been concussed, or in, in my case, multiple times, that I could go have a conversation with. Now, online forums are a great place for you to go ahead and meet new people, discuss recovery protocols, and learn about what is working for people. Now, here is the problem with these places. For one, every situation is different. So to say that some recovery protocol worked for one individual does not imply that it's going to work for you. Second, and probably most importantly, I want to talk about the environment of some of these forums or even in-person recovery groups. Now, many of them spin a positive tone. They're looking at what has worked and how we can try to become that person we want to be. But a lot of these groups What is happening is people are just reminiscing on, on their past self. They're talking and ruminating over all the bad things that have happened. They're having to relive their story all the time. What does that do? That is now filtering into your subconscious. So that is what you're constantly thinking about. You're constantly rehearsing and reminding yourself of all those negatives. All that baggage that you're trying to avoid is now recycling in your mind. So again, online groups in those environments aren't always terrible, but when you are stewing in the negativity and reminiscing on what happened in the past, a lot of times that's just recycling all those negative thoughts. Now, if you can find a group that changes your, your thinking to a more positive light, to a more uplifting light, then that is amazing. So think about it this way: if the majority of the posts in the group are about what has worked and where people want to get to, that is probably a group you want to join. Conversely, if it is one that is talking about constantly reliving your traumatic event that caused your TBI, or moaning and bitching about any and everything that doesn't work— now, we understand that this field is littered with misinformation and protocols that don't seem to work for you. But we focus solely on that, that is where our mind fixates. And when we fixate on the negatives, that is all we think about. The second thing I want to talk to ties into this. I want to talk about what's called the reticular activating system. Now, if you've never heard of the reticular activating system, or the RAS, think of it as your brain's filter. We are bombarded with millions of forms of stimulus every second we're alive. So whether it's through our eyes, our ears, our nose, all those senses are, are picking up cues from our environment. Now, if we did not have our filter, we would not be able to comprehend because of the sheer volume of information coming to our brain. So what this filter does is it provides a layer of protection. It lets in what we want and stops what we don't want. Now, a lot of this you can consciously change, and that's what we're going to talk about today— how to change that filter so that we're bringing in those positive, uplifting concepts that are going to help our recovery and trying to block all the negativity. Now, one of the things that I found where I was stuck for the longest time was I was stuck in that stress state, which a lot of people find fairly common with your post-concussion syndrome. So I felt like everything was a burden, everything was going to try to attack me. Any and every— anytime there was a small incident that occurred, I made it into a big issue. Now part of that was just the fact that I was stuck in that stress sympathetic state. Another one was that I was constantly ruminating over all the negatives of life. I could not glimpse through all the dark clouds and find the sunlight peering through. So what I needed to do, and this is my first step I'm going to get you to do to try to kind of break through this negativity that you find sometimes in your recovery space. Tip number 1, get outside. When you're outside, you are far more present. Okay, your phone is away, you do not have any earphones in, you are simply living in nature. What that does is it forces your mind to go from a state of rumination to a state of being present. Now, all the better if you can touch the earth, whether it's your feet touching the ground. I'm not talking through the soles of your rubber soles of your shoes. Talking your feet physically touching the ground, your hand touching a tree, being part of nature. Those negative ions will then transfer through your body and help recalibrate your system. Okay, the other thing that comes from this is you're able to gaze into the horizon. Now, if I'm staring at a phone all day, I'm simply looking at what is directly in front of me. So by gazing out into the horizon, you're looking at the world as a big entity, an entity that can help heal you. The other way that nature helps heal is that it can help change that RAS that I was talking about. So one of the things I'd like to do when I'm out in nature— again, no headphones, no phone, just me and nature— a lot of times I'll be walking my dogs. I'm going to look for positive signs. So here's a perfect easy thing to do. Look for things that are heart-shaped. Look for a leaf that looks like it's a shape of a heart, a cloud, bark on a tree, anything that is going to create that positive tone, therefore create increased safety Which would therefore decrease stress. And again, a lot of the symptoms that are manifesting in your body are a result of a highly sympathetic stressed state. How do we draw that down? By simply being in nature, okay? By feeling that cool air on our face, listening to the birds, being present. Now, this is— I'm not talking about sitting at a bus stop on a major highway. I'm talking about if you can be within the trees, among the birds, sitting in the grass or on a chair right next to it. That is perfectly fine. The closer you can get to nature, the greater impact it's going to have. If you are not able to actually get out in nature, I live in Canada, it's starting to get cold. Now, there are days where I just, I get out regardless, but sometimes it gets super cold or super busy. Now, this does not have the same effect, but if you can look out a window or listen to nature sounds, it's actually been proven that it does have a positive impact on your vagal tone, which helps lower your stress, increasing your safety. A lot of the stuff that we're going to talk about today and in future episodes is all about how can you make your body feel safe. Looking outside, being outside, being around an environment that you feel comfortable increases the level of safety, which lowers your sympathetic, your stress state, which allows your body to heal. The second way you're going to actually improve this environment: surround yourself with people who have gone and walked the path that you want to walk. Now, a famous Chinese proverb states that if you want to know the road ahead, ask someone coming back. That is the goal of this channel for me. I want to be that guide. I've walked this path. It's been 20 years since my first concussion. I've walked this path. I want to help you. Take your first steps. Or maybe it's your— maybe you're halfway down the road. Whatever the case may be, I'll meet you halfway and help guide you to a place where you can get back to where you want to go, get to that future self that you envision. Okay? And again, surrounding yourself with people who have walked that path provides you with a template. I think more importantly though, it provides you with belief that it's possible. For the longest time, I did not believe that there was a way For me to actually recover. I thought that I was stuck in this body, this emaciated, miserable, curmudgeon body. I thought that that was who I was going to be until I started to see other people who had gone through the same process, who had been concussed, who had TBIs, and were living a normal or semi-normal life. That is what I aspired to, but I needed to see, I needed to talk to them, I needed to be part of their protocols. to actually believe it was possible. So there are places like this channel that have those positive influences. Make sure you surround yourself with people who are— have gone to the place that you want to get to. Okay, and lastly, okay, I want to make sure that you understand that you have control. You have some say in your recovery. Have a belief that that you can be a change agent in your recovery. That is why I started this channel, and that is why I am so excited that you're joining with me today. And I hope you subscribe and continue watching because I will continue putting out videos about what helped me retrain my brain, rewire my mind, and rebuild my confidence so that I could live my best life, which I'm living right now. You can do it too. I'll see you next time.
