The primary aim of Taking Control of Your Seizures: Workbook is to improve the lives of patients with seizures. Both epileptic seizures and nonepileptic seizures (NES) are prevalent and potentially disabling. The Workbook is designed to be used by a patient with seizures in conjunction with his or her counselor. The Workbook contains step-by-step guidelines that enable patients to take control of their seizures and their lives. The companion Treating Nonepileptic Seizures: Therapist Guide enhances effectiveness by providing session-by-session instructions for counselors who use the Workbook with patients with NES. The authors developed this treatment approach based on extensive clinical experience and research with epilepsy and NES. Many patients who have completed the Taking Control process experience fewer seizures, reduced symptoms, and a greater sense of well-being.

The primary aim of Treating Nonepileptic Seizures: Therapist Guide is to equip physicians, psychologists, therapists, nurses, and other practitioners with a validated, step-by-step treatment for psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (NES) that can improve the lives of patients with this disabling disorder. Patients with NES frequently present in neurology, psychiatry, psychology, and emergency departments. The disorder has been documented in the medical literature for centuries, and much is known about the phenomenology, seizure characteristics, psychiatric comorbidities, neuropsychological testing, and psychosocial aspects in NES. However, until recently, much less was known about the effective treatments of patients with psychogenic NES. This intervention provides guidance for clinicians in treating patients with NES and is designed to be used in conjunction with the patient workbook, Taking Control of Your Seizures. Session by session, the Workbook facilitates communication between treatment providers and individual patients with seizures. The authors' clinical experience with epilepsy and NES and research in developing the treatment approach for seizures directly informed the treatment model described. Many patients treated with the intervention have demonstrated improvements in seizures, symptoms, and quality of life.

The primary aim of this workbook is to improve the lives of patients with seizures. Both epileptic seizures and nonepileptic seizures (NES) are prevalent and potentially disabling. The workbook is designed to be used by a patient with seizures in conjunction with his or her counselor and contains step-by-step guidelines that enable patients to take control of their seizures and their lives.

Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) are attacks that mimic epileptic seizures, but are not caused by abnormal electrical discharges in the brain. Instead, PNES are typically considered involuntary expressions of distress, making diagnosis and treatment a challenge. Historically, patients are referred to neurologists who, after completing a diagnostic work up, refer patients to mental health professionals, including psychiatrists, for treatment. For a number of reasons, this transition of care between specialists is often not successful, and this impacts patient treatment and outcomes. Psychogenic Nonepileptic Seizures: Toward the Integration of Care offers new insights into the practical diagnostic and treatment challenges faced by clinicians who manage this condition. This book covers the different stages of care, from the initial evaluation to long-term outcomes, and highlights the need to work collaboratively to provide patients with comprehensive care and improved outcomes. It provides up-to-date evidence and shares clinical expertise for the management of this challenging diagnosis that requires the expertise of a multi-disciplinary team. The authors provide a new framework on how to conceptualize and manage this disorder to more effectively address the needs of patients.

At two-and-a-half, Christina was autistic. She didnt speak and had the cognitive ability of an infant. With one-hundred seizures a day, her life was being ripped away by a relentless villainepilepsy. When doctors gave up, we hung on to hope and became her advocates, researching, praying and believing for a miracle. A special diet, with roots in scripture, became the first miracle. Christina proved nothing is impossible when she repeated words to a song, Good Morning Beautiful. Extremely delayed, it was a huge milestone. Her story caught the attention of the national recording artist who recorded the song and prior to brain surgery, people around the world began praying for her. Now seizure and autism free, therapists cite services are no longer needed as Christinas file doesnt match the patient. She made honor roll and still sings Good Morning, Beautiful.

This book is designed to fill the information gap and provide essential knowledge about PNES and the tools necessary to take charge of it.

Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures (PNES) can cause blackouts, collapses, involuntary movements, loss of memory and have major impact on quality of life. Whereas epilepsy is caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain, PNES are psychological-based responses to triggers inside or outside the body that are perceived as threatening by the person affected. PNES are poorly understood by the medical community. It is common for doctors to struggle to explain this diagnosis, which can leave their patients frustrated and confused. Often people are told that their PNES are caused by "stress" and sent away with no further support or advice. It is no wonder that those affected feel isolated, abandoned and hopeless about living with the condition. In Our Words: Personal Accounts of Living with Non-Epileptic Seizures shows those diagnosed with PNES that they are not alone, and how others have courageously managed to come to terms with their seizures. These heartfelt personal accounts will also allow family, friends, healthcare providers and researchers to gain more understanding of the condition and work to provide a better quality of life to those living with PNES.

This easy-to-read book provides guidance, information and inspiration to anyone with epilepsy, their family and friends. Alternative and complementary methods for controlling seizures are described.

The compelling story of an acclaimed journalist and New York Times bestselling author’s ongoing struggle with epilepsy—how, through personal resilience and the support of loved ones, he overcame medical incompetence and institutional discrimination to achieve once unthinkable success. With a new afterword • “REMARKABLE . . . inspirational in the true sense of the word.”—The New York Times Book Review This is the story of one man’s battle to pursue his dreams despite an often incapacitating brain disorder. From his early experiences of fear and denial to his exasperating search for treatment, Kurt Eichenwald provides a deeply candid account of his years facing this misunderstood and often stigmatized condition. He details his encounters with the doctors whose negligence could have killed him, but for the heroic actions of a brilliant neurologist and the family and friends who fought for him. Ultimately, A Mind Unraveled is an inspirational story, one that chronicles how Eichenwald, faced often with his own mortality, transformed trauma into a guide for reaching the future he desired. Praise for A Mind Unraveled “An intimate journey . . . bravely illuminating the trials of living inside a body always poised to betray itself.”—O: The Oprah Magazine “Poignant and infuriating . . . merges elements of medical drama, anti-discrimination fable, and coming-of-age memoir.”—The New Yorker “One of the best thrillers I’ve read in years, yet there are no detectives, no corpses, no guns or knives.”—Minneapolis Star-Tribune “Terrific . . . Eichenwald’s narrative is a suspenseful medical thriller about a condition that makes everyday life a mine field, a fierce indictment of a callous medical establishment, and an against-the-odds recovery saga.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Riveting . . . Eichenwald has created a universal tale of resilience wrapped in a primal scream against the far-too-savage world."—Booklist (starred review) “An extraordinary book.”—Harriet Lerner, Ph.D., New York Times bestselling author of The Dance of Anger