Wired’s Body Hack blog has been running a fascinating series of posts called “Hacking My Child’s Brain.” Mark Woodman (the author) has a son with “Sensory Processing Disorder,” which causes his brain to plotz if he tries to interpret the signals from all five senses at once, like a “network that drops packets when there is a lot of traffic.” In the latest column, Woodman seems to have made some real progress.

Mary Bolles, the creator of the [light therapy] program, warned me that children often have strong emotional reactions when exposed to the violet light, particularly those of sadness. By this time in the treatment, a patient’s physical and emotional awareness start to link in ways they never have before.

…

When I finally pulled away from Caleb and left the hotel, he cried for another half-hour, wailing at the realization that he wouldn’t see me for “two whole days.” He was inconsolable for the rest of the night.

This may not sound like much, but it is keenly significant. Everybody was smiling and hugging hello’s or goodbye’s — a cheerful scene on the face of it. For the first time in his life, Caleb looked past the overt, read the subtext of a social situation, and connected his own emotions to it. My little boy finally saw the invisible — but real — truth that partings are such sweet sorrow. It is a sign that his brain is reorganizing, and I have no idea what will come next.

I’m reminded of Scott Adams curing his speech loss due to “Spasmodic Dysphonia” simply by singing. The brain is mysterious slop.

Hacking My Child’s Brain Series [Blog.Wired.com]