logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2021
29m 34s

S1 Ep37: Waking Up to Miraculous Talents

Strange and Unexplained with Daisy Eagan
About this episode
Traumatic brain injuries can be life-altering. Imagine surviving one and coming out the other side completely different. Furthermore, imagine suddenly being able to do things you’ve never done, like master a musical instrument, instantly calculate huge sums in your head or recall the events of your life to a new depth of detail. On this episode, we take a look at acquired savant syndrome and how life-threatening accidents can lead to unexplained abilities.

Up next
Yesterday
*From The Vault* Trials and Tribulations: The Dr. Sam Sheppard Story pt. 1
Dr. Sam Sheppard awoke to find his pregnant wife murdered in her bed and would soon learn it was just the beginning of a waking nightmare.Strange and Unexplained is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab & Three Goose Entertainment and is a journey into the uncomfortable and the unknowab ... Show More
34m 21s
Jul 2
S6 Ep1: The World's Most Best Step-Brother! The Tragic Story of Nicole Van Den Hurk.
15-year-old Nicole Van Den Hurk was assaulted and murdered in 1995. 16 years later, with the case gone cold, her stepbrother, Adam, took an incredibly risky chance to get justice for Nicole.Strange and Unexplained" is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab & Three Goose Entertainment and ... Show More
43m 12s
Jun 25
Introducing Dear Daisy: Some Thoughts Need To Stay Inside
A podcast about secrets hosted by Daisy Eagan.This episode was originally published for subscribers over at www.grabbagcollab.com New episodes of Dear Daisy are published every other Friday.In this episode, a woman writes about questioning who she is right now, feeling invisible, ... Show More
1h 11m
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2025
S2E4: Savants: When Brilliance Drops In
<p>Last week we wondered if ideas can be downloaded. This week, we ask if talent can be, too. We meet congenital, acquired, and sudden savants whose gifts in music, math, art, and memory appear without training. A psychiatrist’s lifelong work reframes savant syndrome as brillianc ... Show More
1 h
Jul 2015
Ep. 77 Rhett & Link “Head Injuries that Unlocked Geniuses” - Ear Biscuits
In this special Rhett & Link-only episode, Rhett & Link discuss some of the rare cases of “Acquired Savant Syndrome,” a diagnosis given to someone who sustains a terrible injury to their brain that miraculously unlocks a hidden genius, like the orthopedic surgeon who was struck i ... Show More
1h 7m
Mar 2022
What is Acquired Savant Syndrome?
<p>For most people, learning any skill is a long, at-times challenging journey. Humans struggle to acquire expertise and, after attaining it, they must regularly use this knowledge or risk losing it. But what if you woke up one day, after an injury, to find you suddenly understoo ... Show More
57m 55s
Feb 2021
177: What if you woke up two months later?
tail spinning
39m 18s
Dec 2021
In the Blink of an Eye
After a terrible accident, a woman wakes up in the hospital with a traumatic brain injury. She records her experiences with doctors and friends, as she grapples in real time with the way her brain has changed. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks to her about he ... Show More
32m 36s
Jan 2021
Synesthetes and Seekers
Synesthesia is a connection between senses. It could be the key to understanding brilliance. Most people are born with it, but in a few rare cases people have acquired it after a traumatic brain injury. We'll also cover the neurodiversity of autism with Dr Simon Baron-Cohen. For ... Show More
27m 36s
Oct 2016
Episode 46: Blessings in Disguise?
<p>We have lots of ways to describe the good that can come from bad: a blessing in disguise, a silver lining — but what if the bad thing was truly awful? This week on Hidden Brain, framing and re-framing a tragedy.</p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href ... Show More
20m 32s
Aug 2025
The Trauma Script
<p>When tragedy strikes, it’s natural to be devastated. But psychologist <a href="https://www.tc.columbia.edu/faculty/gab38/">George Bonanno</a> finds that many of us recover from life’s blows more quickly than we might expect. This week, we talk with Bonanno about his research a ... Show More
50m 13s
Oct 2018
Real Life Super Powers Part II
<p>Does someone have real-life superspeed? Can people telepathically control machines? When the guys originally began investigating real-life superpowers, they had no idea how many extraordinary abilities they would end up discovering. Tune in for the superpower sequel, with all ... Show More
1h 10m