(Aeon) – The misunderstood story of Phineas Gage shows that we need a new way of understanding the experiences of brain injury survivors

We mostly used the term ‘disinhibition’ as a mitigation: an invitation to think creatively about how to help our clients stay out of trouble. But sometimes the usage was closer to a condemnation. More than once, I led the process of excluding someone who was being threatening or intimidating – someone ‘too disinhibited’ to safely be included in the community. And even where it was generous, I now see how broad and presumptive my use of the term became. Both in speech and thinking, I had internalised the casual use of an idea from journal articles, medical referral documents and the conversation of clinical professionals. (Read More)