Invited poet-Brittney “The Mourning Light”

Several times a year, this blog invites writers who live with PNES to share their writings.  This month, we have a moving poem submitted by Brittney. My name is Brittney, I’m 30, a member of the PNES support group, and I cannot work due to multiple conditions. I wrote the poem below in July when I was in patient at a mental health hospital where I had 3 spells in 10 days. It was my first stay at such a place...

Psychogenic non epileptic seizures and anger: target for treatment

Research shows that a very high number of persons with PNES have suffered abuse in the past (see past blog posts). And experiences of abuse go along with distress and fear. So, PNES is commonly seen as fueled by anxiety and fear by clinicians. However, I am sure you have heard of the “fight or flight” response that gets activated when we encounter danger. This response ensures that our body and brain get ready...

The connection between Psychological (Psychogenic) non epileptic seizures and a history of trauma

How many people with PNES have a history of trauma? An interesting article was published in the Journal Epilepsy and Behavior ( 2004) by Fiszman et.  al. It reviewed 17 PNES studies and found that traumatic events and PTSD in persons with PNES were very common.  Depending on the study: 44-100% of PNES patients had suffered some form of general trauma and 23-77% had a history of physical or sexual abuse.  What is...