Letter to Doctor

I’m sharing this letter to recommend one of the most impactful books I’ve read, The Body Keeps the Score, and to offer myself as a resource for anyone seeking hope in their healing journey.

I wrote this letter to a doctor I worked with for nine months for my TBI recovery. While I made progress at the clinic, a crucial aspect of healing was missing from their treatment plan—something I later identified and addressed on my own, thanks to my mother, who suggested I read The Body Keeps the Score. This book helped me understand the connection between trauma, the nervous system, and physical recovery—hence the title, the body keeps the score. It provided me with tools that traditional approaches often overlooked, like EMDR, which, though expensive upfront, addressed underlying trauma, making me more responsive to functional treatments, accelerating my progress, and offering long-term cost savings. This profoundly changed my life and healing journey, and I hope that sharing this can offer a new path for healing to you and those you know.

One of the challenges with invisible injuries, like concussions, is that they are difficult to explain and easy to misunderstand. This book provides a clear framework for understanding why healing is not a one-size-fits-all process and why it’s crucial to remain curious and supportive, rather than judgmental. I can attest to this, as over the past five years, I’ve learned that healing requires a personalized approach.

For healthcare providers, parents, and friends, I strongly recommend reading this book. Understanding the deeper layers of physical, emotional, and spiritual healing can make a real difference in someone’s life.

If you take away anything from this, let it be this: Addressing underlying trauma made me more responsive to functional treatments, accelerating my progress…

Dear Dr.,

I’m writing to you to reflect on my journey since being a patient at your clinic, and to offer you a book that I believe is deeply relevant to your work and the people you serve.

During my time at your clinic, there were moments of progress. I saw improvement in my eye tracking and appreciated the professionalism of your staff. I also saw how much effort has gone into building a multi-disciplinary practice, one that brings together nutrition, chiropractic care, physical therapy, and innovative technology. It was that integrated approach that led me to your clinic in the first place—I believed I had found a place that would understand the complexity of post-concussion syndrome and would offer a truly holistic healing experience.

But after six months, I realized something was missing.

Despite some functional gains, I still found myself stuck—triggered daily, unable to regulate my nervous system, and trapped in a cycle of fear, exhaustion, and isolation. When I expressed these struggles, I was encouraged to “distract” myself—flirt with girls, go fishing, play video games. And while those can be healthy hobbies, I wasn’t looking for distraction. I was looking for healing. The idea that I could distract myself out of the way I was feeling—or simply convince myself not to react to triggers—just didn’t work. What I needed wasn’t more willpower. I needed someone to recognize that what I was experiencing wasn’t just physical—it was neurological, emotional, and deeply somatic. I needed someone to acknowledge the trauma that my body was holding onto.

That’s why I’m sending you a copy of The Body Keeps the Score by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk.

This book helped me understand why, even after my vision improved, I still couldn’t tolerate noise, movement, or even the feeling of laying my head on a pillow. It helped me name what I couldn’t explain: my body remembered what my mind couldn’t process. The repeated concussions, the fear of being hurt again, the years of unresolved emotional trauma—all of it lived in my nervous system. And that’s what was keeping me stuck.

It wasn’t until I began EMDR therapy and started working with a specialist in connective tissue disorders (likely EDS) that things began to shift. For the first time in years, I experienced real healing—not just symptom management. I could use the phone again, ride in a car without bracing, comb my hair, rest my head, and actually feel safe in my body. These were massive wins. And they came from addressing the trauma—physically, emotionally, neurologically.

I’m sharing this not out of anger, but because I believe you care. It’s clear that your mission is to help people. I’m offering The Body Keeps the Score not as a criticism, but as an invitation—an invitation to consider trauma’s role in lingering symptoms, especially in post-concussion and chronic illness patients. The second page of reviews says it best:

“There are very few practitioners who could not learn from this book and become more effective, as well as inspired, by reading and studying it.”

I believe your clinic has the potential to lead the way in redefining what true recovery looks like for TBI patients—but it requires integrating the emotional and somatic layers of healing too. For patients like me, who are holding deep trauma in their bodies, this isn’t optional—it’s essential.

I hope this book adds value to your already growing knowledge and care model. It changed the trajectory of my healing, and I believe it could enhance the incredible work you’re already doing.

Sincerely,
Ethan

P.S. I met Chris, a 60-year-old patient, in your waiting room last spring. We bonded over our shared isolation—two people from different generations instantly connected by the invisible weight of symptoms no one else seemed to understand. In just a few minutes of honest conversation, he lit up. That moment reminded me: patients don’t just need treatment—they need connection.

I’m proposing to be a resource for you and your patients—a point of contact for those who feel lost, alone, or stuck in the dark. I don’t have a medical degree, but I have a “life degree” earned through years of brutal trial and error. I want to be a lighthouse for people like Chris—sharing my story, whether through blogs, speaking, or eventually a book—about resilience, pain as a teacher, and what healing really looks like. If I need to sign papers or go through any process to serve in this way, I’ll do it. I am fully committed to giving others hope.

Please read The Body Keeps the Score and consider having your staff read it too. It changed my recovery journey, and I believe it can deepen how you serve patients like me.

I’ve been frustrated by the accumulated high costs of both your clinic and EMDR treatments. However, I believe that addressing the trauma tied to TBI early on, such as through EMDR, could improve healing and enhance the effectiveness of the functional work you do—potentially reducing long-term costs and treatment needs for patients. Below is my trusted care team, if you ever want to connect with them for context or collaboration:

Dr. Kathy Dooley, MSc, DC (she’s had 9 concussions herself)
Chiropractor | Functional Neurology | Movement Specialist
ID Lab New York | Formerly Catalyst S.P.O.R.T., NYC
Email: drkathydooley@gmail.com
Academic Roles:
– Adjunct Instructor, Einstein College of Medicine
– Adjunct Instructor, NYU College of Dentistry
– Teaching Consultant, Weill Cornell Medical College
Seminar Leadership:
– Lead Instructor, NeuroKinetic Therapy™
– Founder, Immaculate Dissection™ (insta: immaculatedissection)

Kaitryn Pitcairn (Physical Therapist Assistant - breathing & movement specialist)
BetterFit Wellness Studio (insta: betterfitwellnessstudio)
2535 Huntingdon Pike, Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006 (Valley Court Yard)
267-991-3257

Phoebe Kessler, LCSW (EMDR)
601 N. Congress Ave., Suite 426, Delray Beach, FL 33445
(516) 946-1222

Marcia C. Perretto, PT, DPT, COMT, INHC, CLT, YTT-200 (EDS)
Orthopedic Specialist | Expertise in EDS, POTS, MCAS
Actify Physiotherapy & Wellness
7000 W Palmetto Park Rd, Suite 220, Boca Raton, FL 33433
Work: (561) 366-2435 | Email: info@actifypt.com
Website: www.actifypt.com

The Ethan C. Lewin Podcast

I'm launching a podcast in mid-May 2025, where my guests and I will discuss "forbidden" topics like sex, death, God, money, and power.

More details coming soon — stay tuned!

With gratitude,
Wishing you hope, love, and peace.
Grateful for your presence.

Cheers,

Ethan Chase Lewin