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Epilepsy and Creativity: Finding My Voice
Tue, 06/02/2015 - 20:29I was diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy when I was 12. I'm now 33.
Anticonvulsant medications keep my seizures under control. I'm well aware that many are not so fortunate.
I know I'm in the company of millions of epilepsy patients, though, who daily contend with the side effects of these medications. I’m frequently apologizing to family, friends, and students for forgetting words and trains of thought. This “brain fog,” as I’ve come to call it over the years, is an obvious biological response to chemicals meant to slow neural activity.
One particular aspect of my life that the brain fog has affected has been my creativity. Along with many people with epilepsy who are drawn to the arts, I’ve always wanted to be a creative writer. Some neurologists have said that those with temporal lobe epilepsy in particular have a “disorder” called a hypergraphia, a nearly uncontrollable compulsion to write. Whether I have a disorder or not, I know only that I feel a need, a calling, to write and that the side effects of my medications have inhibited my ability to find the right words.
But then, about six months ago, I came across an unconventional creative writing medium called blackout poetry. You take a page of a newspaper or a book and search for your own message within the words on the page. What a relief! I could now literally find the right words and not have to embark upon a frustrating search for them.
If you’re interested in finding out more about blackout poetry, check out my website, wordsofothers.com. I got the idea from the following websites: austinkleon.com, newspaperblackout.com, and makeblackoutpoetry.com.
Some interesting articles about correlations between epilepsy and creativity can be found here: http://www.epilepsyaustralia.net/Publications/Archives/chambliss.pdf and http://www.theguardian.com/science/brain-flapping/2014/sep/18/brainstorm-epilepsy-creativity-neuroscience-comedy.
I’ve found my voice within the words of others, and I hope you find yours too.