Carlie Ostrom

12 drunk girls wearing braids and one dude with a bottle of alcohol yelling. Afterski in Swedene

A man at a fish market scowling. Tourists.

A girl laughing over her bowl of ramen noodles.

A woman sitting under a tree; her face partially shadowed

Talk to me about these, please! +

Greetings! My name is Carlie. +

An elderly couple reading newspapers in their recliners

How I got here +‍

Growing up in Wisconsin, my home was chaotic so I oriented myself around achievements. I won cattle shows and dance competitions. I went to Wharton to study finance while working in Wall Street and software startups.

My ego was then destroyed when I sustained a severe traumatic brain injury in 2019, hit by a car as a pedestrian. Maybe 10-15% of my brain died. After just four months of rehab, I was discharged for "plateauing" and told to accept how my life would be different now (now that I was disabled, for good). I was at the functional level of a kindergartener and that was considered good enough. I had no idea who I was or what to do. The resulting standard of care was symptom-whacking medications that I would be on likely for the rest of my life. Absolute despair and hopelessness.

Gratefully, I found my way to therapies that enhanced my brain's neuroplasticity for my functional deficits, symptoms, and trauma. These included somatic exercises, psychedelics, and neuromodulation technologies. I found them in alternative and international clinics, mostly. And I no longer live with chronic symptoms of photosensitivity, vertigo, migraine, fatigue, or insomnia. I humbly admit that my mental health is an ongoing and evolving project, and I'm grateful for my tools. I'm also graetful to say I take no medications! The brain and can indeed heal. The lost soul can be uncovered.

I couldn't forget that many of my allopathic clinicians along the way claimed ignorance to the idea of healing - it was either an unknown void, impossible, or worst of all: passive.
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Bewildered that hopelessness and symptom-whacking was the state of Medicine, I went back to school for pre-medicine coursework at the University of Wisconsin. I was preparing to become a neurologist who could redefine what was possible after brain trauma. With the Vemuganti Lab of Neurosurgery, we researched mouse models of brain injury and neurodegeneration. With Parkython, Concussion & CTE Foundation, & LoveYourBrain Foundation, I began advocacy and peer mentoring.

Instead of medical school, I'm building in the neurology neuroplasticity revolution. My organization is called Possibilities, and it is a nature and community based neuroplasticity center for people with brain injuries. I'm seeking to learn from and collaborate with neurologists, neuropsychiatrists, neuroscientists, clinic operators, psychelelic-assisted and EMDR-trained therapists, and other natural practitioners who are on the same endeavor.

A blurry picture of Julia in Antonio's East Village apartment at nighttime.

We can all be excited about this research on emerging therapies +

Evidence on ibogaine

~traumatic brain injury~
Magnesium–ibogaine therapy in veterans with traumatic brain injuries
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‍Magnesium–ibogaine therapy effects on cortical oscillations and neural complexity in veterans with traumatic brain injury

‍Increased cortical thickness and decreased brain age among special operations veterans with blast TBI after a magnesium-ibogaine protocol

Accelerated recovery using magnesium ibogaine: characterizing the subjective experience of its rapid healing from neuropsychiatric disorders

‍0665 Ibogaine treatment in combat Veterans significantly improves sleep, beyond alleviating Posttraumatic Stress Disorder symptoms
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Mystical experiences during magnesium-Ibogaine are associated with improvements in PTSD symptoms in veterans

Clinical improvement following an integrative iboga microdosing protocol in post-concussive and hypoxic brain injury syndromes: a case series
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Open-label study of consecutive ibogaine and 5-MeO-DMT assisted-therapy for trauma-exposed male Special Operations Forces Veterans: prospective data from a clinical program in Mexico

Exploring the potential of psychedelics in brain injury recovery: a thematic analysis of participant narratives

NOTE: If you have a brain injury and are interested in ibogaine, I urge you to reach out. It's important to find a clinic that has safe medical practices and a brain injury-accessible enivronment and programming. The risk of attending an ibogaine clinic that's not disability-conscious is medical traumatization which...we'd like to avoid right?

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~multiple sclerosis~
Case report: Significant lesion reduction and neural structural changes following ibogaine treatments for multiple sclerosis

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‍Evidence on psilocybin
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~traumatic brain injury~
‍The Potential Role of Psilocybin in Traumatic Brain Injury Recovery: A Narrative Review

Psilocybin as a Treatment for Repetitive Mild Head Injury: Evidence from Neuroradiology and Molecular Biology

‍Improved mental health outcomes and normalised spontaneous EEG activity in veterans reporting a history of traumatic brain injuries following participation in a psilocybin retreat

Psychedelics as anti-inflammatory agents

Psychedelic and nutraceutical interventions as therapeutic strategies for military-related mild traumatic brain injuries

Psilocybin restores behavior and 5-HT2A signaling while reducing microglial density after chronic traumatic brain injury in rats

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~stroke~
There is an ongoing study on psilocybin for stroke rehabilitation at Johns Hopkins.
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-cluster headache~
Psilocybin pulse regimen reduces cluster headache attack frequency in the blinded extension phase of a randomized controlled trial

Response of cluster headache to psilocybin and LSD

~any~
Real-world use, safety, and mental health efficacy of regulated psilocybin services in Oregon and Colorado (preprint)

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Evidence on the Portable Neuromodulation Stimulator (PoNS) device

The manufacturer of the PoNS Device is Bioness Medical, based in California. To hear testimonials with patients of the PoNS (TBI and PD) and storytime about the origins of the PoNS with founding electrical engineer Kurt Kaczmarkek, PhD, view this Parkython event.
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~traumatic brain injury~
A Prospective, Multicenter Study to Assess the Safety and Efficacy of Translingual Neurostimulation Plus Physical Therapy for the Treatment of a Chronic Balance Deficit Due to Mild-to-Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury

‍Translingual neural stimulation affects resting-state functional connectivity in mild-moderate traumatic brain injury

‍Translingual Neural Stimulation with the Portable Neuromodulation Stimulator Induces Structural Changes Leading to Functional Recovery in Patients with Mild-to-Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury

‍Portable neuromodulation induces neuroplasticity to re-activate motor function recovery from brain injury: a high-density MEG case study
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Since 2018, the PoNS has been approved by Health Canada for balance and gait deficit in mild/moderate TBI.

Since 2021, the PoNS has been approved by Australia's Therapeutic Goods Ass'n for balance and gait improvement with exercise, and some folks with TBI qualify.

There is not yet an FDA trial planned about the PoNS for TBI. ‍‍
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~stroke~
There's no stroke-specific research that's been published about the PoNS but...
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Since 2023, PoNS has been approved by Health Canada for balance and gait deficit from stroke. The approval referenced a real world evidence database from the use of the PoNS in clinical settings and the existing research about the PoNS for TBI and MS.

Since 2021, the PoNS has been approved by Australia's Therapeutic Goods Ass'n for balance and gait improvement with exercise, and some folks with chronic stroke impairment qualify.

Since 2026, the PoNS was FDA approved for dynamic gait deficits from chronic stroke.

~multiple sclerosis (MS)~
Noninvasive tongue stimulation combined with intensive cognitive and physical rehabilitation induces neuroplastic changes in patients with multiple sclerosis: A multimodal neuroimaging study
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Translingual neurostimulation combined with physical therapy to improve walking and balance in multiple sclerosis (NeuroMSTraLS): Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Feasibility and Adherence to a 14-week Portable Neuromodulation Stimulator (PoNS) Training Program People with Multiple Sclerosis in a Real-World Setting

Since 2020, PoNS has been approved by Health Canada for gait deficit from MS.

Since 2021, the PoNS has been approved by Australia's Therapeutic Goods Ass'n for balance and gait improvement with exercise, and some folks with MS impairment qualify.

Since 2021, PoNS has been approved by the FDA for gait deficit from MS.
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EVIDENCE ON Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS)

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for improving aphasia in adults with aphasia after stroke (No effect was observed.)

Effect of transcranial direct current stimulation combined with speech and language therapy in post ischemic stroke aphasia: A systematic review

This section is a work in progress. I need a nap!

A 22 year old woman with a huge smile and closed eys

CArlie

Ostrom

A shopping cart in front of a gas station beer cooler in a Wisconsin gas station.

I've become highly skeptical of ego-clinging. However, I realize that you probably came to this website to learn something about me. Below are some identities I've possessed throughout my life. +

A smile girl looking back amongst a group of other women as they walk towards a ski mountain in Sweden.

An elderly woman coated heavily carrying bags alongside a river sidewalk in Budapest.

Role models +‍

You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.

Maya Angelou

An oveweight woman scowling while holding her tiny dog, a sunburnt man with ripped shorts holding another small dog

you may be wondering which of the preceding images was of me, Ca**** os****.