"What is ShockProof? Who is ShockProof?" and "Why does it Matter?", you ask?

ShockProof is a community of stroke (brain-attack) survivors and others interested in stroke in Second Life.

In January, 2005, The Sojourner polled fellow stroke-survivors at the BrainTalk Communities Forums (http://www.braintalk.org) about their interest in developing a second life via SL. On January 29, 2005, two members from the forums jumped in startling Soj and creating a need to get the group started. John Prototype provided a temporary landing site and then Coos Yellowknife donated considerable land on Lane to give ShockProof its first home.

Soj feels that SL is a wonderful forum for providing growth in so many areas that are damaged when a stroke occurs. When a person has a stroke, even a mild one, often their first life is destroyed... emotionally, socially, physically, cognitively. She has not met a single person who was not scarred by the stroke even if they recover most of their ability at a later time.

The person with a stroke often loses their role in life, friends (often because their friends dont know how to speak with them or else they themselves have difficulty speaking or conveying ideas), and their ability to follow what they, themselves, wish to do. They are at the mercy of their stroke residue.

Second Life offers the opportunity to leave their body at home so to speak. No one need know your physical condition unless you tell them. So, the true self is free to re-develop again. SL provides the tools for exploring areas of yourself that may be lost in Real Life (RL) and to regain a sense of self, belonging, and a role. In addition, the activities in SL can help with communication; memory; executive function activities like planning, following several steps to execute an action, and analyzing the results; and if nothing else, opening up a route to making friends not focussed on the stroke.

Soj believes that for a group such as this, SL needs to offer support in 3 areas: a place to "be" such as a residence or a "safe" place to work, a group of people to draw upon who are already conversant in SL, and a place to display the fruits of their efforts. Therefore, ShockProof, the stroke community, has a sister group in Dreams and the Dream Travelers.

Dreams supplies the activity base for the group in its tutorials, sandbox, and events center where people outside of the ShockProof group can congregate and show what other activities are possible. It provides the seeds for the dreams the stroke survivor can develop. It also provides a safe place to experiment and display the fruits of their labor.

With the recent donation of an island by BrainTalk Communities, ShockProof at last has a home, after repeatedly moving due to lack of space for all the essential components. There is enough room to build, live, laugh, make friends, and develop ourselves to our fullest virtual capacity. And, if that overflows into RL.... more power to us!!

Currently, ShockProof meetings are held on Mondays at 5 pm PST at ShockProof at Dreams.

Contact The Sojourner (Soj) for additional information, admittance to the group.