Imagine being knocked out or passing out and waking up in a strange house you’ve never seen before. It may be across town or in another state for all you know. You know who you are and you recognize your ‘significant other,’ but that’s about it.
You couldn’t tell anyone what street you’re on or how to get there. You don’t remember that you just moved into your home two months before, but your ‘significant other’ keeps insisting that you did. Nothing is looking familiar.
That is exactly what happened to me at about 6:00 PM on May 29, 2010. (click here for the extended version)At first my ‘significant other,’ Melanie, thought I was being funny or silly ‘pretending’ not to recognize our own home. I have been known to have a bit of a sense of humor at times.
But she began to worry and ultimately took me to the Vanderbilt Hospital ER when I kept ‘looping,’ meaning my mental “RAM” was only one minute 44 seconds (she timed it). I could only remember what happened during the last (ongoing) 1:44.
Talk about the ultimate in being UN-productive! This was hilarious and terrifying at the same time. It was more terrifying for Melanie. For me it was a bit frustrating, but I kept my sense of humor. I was a happy idiot!
I have no memory (now) of anything that happened during the 9 1/2 hours. The only reason I know what was going on is from eyewitness accounts and the fact that they audio recorded about 30 minutes of my ‘looping,’ for which I’m extremely grateful.
I was experiencing an extremely rare condition called Transient Global Amnesia (TGA). This was one of the most bizarre things I’ve ever experienced in my life. It was equally bizarre to those around me.
According to the Mayo Clinic’s web site, TGA is “…rare, seemingly harmless and unlikely to happen again. Episodes are usually short-lived, and afterward your memory is fine.”
Being of the opinion that we all create our own reality, I began to self-analyze. “Why did this happen to me? What was the root cause of this? What did I do to help create this? What am I suppose to learn from this experience?”
I see it as a gift: a non-destructive (thank God!) wake-up call to take better care of my health. My diet and exercise program has already improved as a result. I’m using EFT and other techniques to help eliminate any residual ‘stuck’ negative emotions that may have contributed to this.
Don’t wait until it’s too late to take care of your health. Physical and mental health comes before — and contributes to — productivity. Think about it. Plan for it. Schedule it.
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