Reuven Feuerstein is one of a handful of educational thinkers and practitioners who has made a significant, lasting contribution to our understanding of human learning – Howard Gardiner, Professor of Cognition at Harvard and recipient of the MacArthur Prize.
I had not heard of Professor Feuerstein, his methods, or even the concept of brain plasticity. But one thing I was clear about – I was not interested in another lengthy cognitive rehab programs. Nevertheless, that is exactly what I did with the Feuerstein Method, probably because my teacher and I quickly formed a bond. From the start I trusted her.
A couple of years after I began the Feuerstein Method, I read that Professor Feuerstein had said, If you are not prepared to look at your pupil’s strengths, don’t touch their weaknesses. I was astonished. It echoed precisely what the Dalai Lama said: Be helpful to others, and if you can’t help, at least don’t harm them. He called it the fundamental message of Buddhism.
I doubt that Professor Feuerstein and Dalai Lama knew each other, but I am certain they would recognise a common thread through most of the psychology behind the Feuerstein Method and Buddhism: they share a belief that intelligence is not fixed, that is, it is cognitively modifiable; both approach hardships with similar moral principles, especially underlined by compassion; with the same goal to end suffering. Professor Feuerstein said, The Talmud tells us that when we become aware of a person in crisis, it becomes our responsibility…We cannot afford to lose even one child; Buddha preached in his first sermon, I teach one thing and one thing only: suffering and the end of suffering.
And both methods reject theoretically logical solutions – do not teach students what to think, but rather how to think. Professor Feuerstein said, about treating traumatised children who had survived the Holocaust, Those children went through daily and repeated trauma. There was no need for logical thinking. What can logic play in such a situation where everything is abnormal? There is no analogy with Holocaust child survivors, but I can say that logic has no place in the aftermath of a traumatic brain injury.
I recall the first time I saw footage, taken by a traveller, of the Boxing Day Tsunami in 2004. He was filming on the beach right before the Tsunami, as the Indian Ocean receded – the very beach opposite a village that I stayed in for a while in Sri Lanka. The tsunami destroyed that village. That traveller said, It was like being in a giant washing machine full of nails on a spin cycle. That is how I felt at the time when I began the Feuerstein Method, a low point after my stroke.
I was not once judged on my feelings or dreams, realistic or not, whilst learning the Feuerstein Method. I was having significant symptoms of PTDS and anxiety attacks, yet I was treated with compassion and respect for my erratic emotions. And unlike some of my other traditional cognitive therapies, I was not punished for my unrealistic dreams. Quite the opposite. I was encouraged to nurture my dreams for my post-stroke life.
At a conference of Western scientists with the Dalai Lama, when the concept of low self-esteem was raised, he asked, “Who feels low self-esteem in this room?” “We all do,” one scientist replied. The Dalai Lama was shocked. In Tibetan culture, there is no such concept as low self-esteem. He said, “I thought I had a very good acquaintance with the mind, but now I feel quite ignorant. I find this very, very strange.” I too thought I was familiar with the way my brain worked. Since my stroke, I know I am basically ignorant.
I can see my cognitive functions have improved through the Feuerstein Method – that is, higher-order mental abilities such as learning, memorising, decision-making, creative thinking, speaking, and problem-solving. Nevertheless, I have not recovered my lost connections to my former daily life. My brain injury daily challenges me to let go of my most cherished narratives about who I am. So don’t expect the Feuerstein Method to give you back your old life.
Thankfully, the Feuerstein Method created a foothold for reality when, as the Dalai Lama said, we find ourselves in a very, very strange and illogical place. Again, as Professor Feuerstein said, What can logic play in such a situation where everything is abnormal? For me, it is stranger that my former cognitive rehabs seemed to want me to return to normality, as though it was achievable. The genius of the Feuerstein Method is that it assumes all the un’s – the unpredictability, the uncertainty and the unbelonging of a cognitive disability as a given – and focuses on how to learn.
I cannot talk much about the concept of brain plasticity, but from my experience, I can recommend the Feuerstein Method for anyone recovering from a traumatic brain injury.
If you want to learn more about the Feuerstein Method, check out www.brainactive.com.au