On May 27 of last year a man was riding a candy apple red motor scooter west on First Avenue North in St. Petersburg. He was crawling along at about ten miles an hour, having slowed to merge into the left lane because of road construction. In his lane he followed about thirty feet behind a car. Suddenly the scooter rocketed forward, racing at the car ahead. He applied the brakes hard. The scooter flipped on its side. His shoulder took the initial shock and his helmet whiplashed against the pavement with a resounding, explosive “whack!”

When he was able to sit up, he heard people saying, “She hit you! That woman hit you from behind.” He wondered what woman it was who had been so rude. Mainly he wondered if he could stand unassisted. In response to questions about how he was, he said, “Okay.” Cars slowly wove around him and his fallen steed. Someone righted the scooter, and he was able to push it up onto the sidewalk himself. Pain was not yet available to indicate the state of his body.

Attempts to start the engine failed. He pushed it one city block to an auto air conditioning business, where he asked to use the phone. Was allowed to. Called a secretary at his office, for this was the day he did psychotherapy. She came in her huge old Cadillac and drove him to his lair in a shotgun house on Central Avenue. Tried to call his wife. No luck. His first client arrived, and he began his work day with rapidly intensifying pain in his right shoulder. Told the client he was in an accident on the way to work. At the end of the session he went into the washroom. In the mirror he saw that his right shoulder had a grapefruit growing out of it. Called his wife and asked her to pick him up in one hour. She did so. At the emergency room the diagnosis was multiple fractures of the collarbone. Many deep abrasions and bruises became evident over the following weeks.

What does this have to do with preventative health? The answer – everything! This incident happened to me. I was told by my family physician that my physical conditioning was the reason my injuries from this accident were not life- threatening.

Now, I’m not one of those remarkably built old guys they write about in the paper, but I swim four or five miles a week, do moderate gym exercises and Tai Chi almost daily. Maintaining muscle tone and weight had helped my bones withstand the trauma; muscles hold everything together, after all. Being an appropriate weight provided less for gravity to pull to the ground as the vehicle and I slammed down. Toned shoulder muscles helped prevent further shattering of my shoulder and held the fragile clavicle together tightly. Strengthened muscles helped avoid a broken neck, which was likely in that type of violent whiplash. The helmet protected me from severe head injury, absorbing energy as it struck the pavement. The “road rash,” (abrasions) did not become infected, in part, because of an immune system functioning very well due to diet and supplements.

Another aspect of preventative health was demonstrated during the recovery period. A great danger, especially for those of us who are older, is that joints will “freeze up” while recovering from a severe trauma. I resumed swimming, with my right arm secured to my body, within two weeks of the incident. It takes a long time to side stroke a half mile with one arm tied to your chest. When the orthopedic surgeon examined the injury, he was amazed at the range of motion and healing taking place because of the exercising I did. Preventative health can take place after a trauma, and will reduce both the amount of impairment and its duration.

Of course, the body is not the only part of our being that can benefit from preventative health practices. In the mental health field, as in others, many suffer from psychological distress.

During the first week the pain was constant and pain medications were used, as needed, to control it. This, in turn, reduced the depression which can occur with severe pain – for that matter, for less than severe pain. Support is a factor in the healing process, and my wife was invaluable in assisting me through this time of impaired mental and physical ability. Although there was an initial period of pain-filled, semi-sedated living, it was not long before I began to read again, helping my mind to function normally.

Another factor which held me in good stead through the ordeal was the lack of bitterness I had toward my “assailant.” To this day, when folks hear about the accident, they ask if I’ve got a big lawsuit against her – and seem amazed that there is none and that bitterness is not present. I don’t even know who she is. But she did not run over me after I went down. I’m grateful for that. Frequently, people who are wronged by their bodies – struck down by an unexpected illness, or accidentally injured by others – are embittered. They turn on their spiritual beliefs, lose trust in their healers, and seek vengeance through the courts or otherwise. For many clients with whom I’ve worked, this has seemed to be a detriment to their well being – neither a healing nor a preventative mental health practice.

Being in shape provides extra protection from physical illnesses and accidents; should you become ill or suffer from an accident, that very conditioning will help you heal more rapidly, as will listening to what your body tells you to do. Psychologically, taking responsibility for your rehabilitation is essential; having a support system, (it matters not whom or what), is of great assistance; and avoiding the pitfall of bitterness over having been struck down avails you of more energy to heal, be less depressed and more hopeful, and hence in a state of psychological and physical healing.

Charles Larsen, L.C.S.W. has been practicing psychotherapy and hypnosis for over thirty years. St. Petersburg. (727) 894-3088.