title: Recovery from brain injury: finding the missing bits of the puzzle.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  One basic problem found during rehabilitation is that people with brain injuries lack awareness of their difficulties. Research into this phenomenon has often disregarded the voices of those affected by the trauma and do not give an insider's perspective on the process through which a person with a brain injury develops awareness of their difficulties.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To explore how people construct their experiences of brain injury and the challenges they face afterwards.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two day care centres.
  
  
  METHODS
  In-depth interviews were conducted with 24 individuals with brain injuries. Data were analysed using the interpretative phenomenological approach (IPA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three themes were found to be relevant for understanding how participants construct their experiences of brain injury: finding the bits of the puzzle, filling the holes of memory and redefining the self. The evidence suggests that they construct knowledge of their difficulties in a manner resembling the sorting of a puzzle.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Qualitative enquiries into awareness of difficulties provide clinical and rehabilitation settings with new insights and alternative strategies for interventions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, UK. dora.brown@surrey.ac.uk
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lyons
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rose
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001519:Behavior; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D012649:Self Concept