Recently I picked up a couple of Diane Ackerman's books.  First  was: One Hundred Words for Love which is about her encounter with the potential and real devastation of strokes. In this case, it was her husband who had the stroke and what struck me was the obvious psychological trauma; hers and her husbands.  Trauma causing medical events is not a new subject for this site but I couldn't resist  reviewing the book here because it is so touching, real and grounded in solid understanding both psychologically (her own) and of the literal brain. Ackerman had a deep understanding about  brain function from researching and writing an earlier book: An Alchemy of Mind.  Being a brain function freak, I began my reading with An Alchemy of Mind -- a lyrical treatment of often dry research, her book is rich and rife with metaphor.  For me, as both a poet and a traumatologist, it was a much needed break into the poetic world. I recommend going along with Diane Ackerman on her exploration.