Treating Nonepileptic Seizures: Therapist Guide

Abstract

Treating Nonepileptic Seizures: Therapist Guide offers therapists, physicians, and other healthcare professionals a comprehensive approach to improving seizure control and enhancing the quality of lives of their patients diagnosed with epileptic and nonepileptic seizures (NES). The book is intended to be used by therapists, in conjunction with Taking Control of Your Seizures: Workbook. The Therapist Guide provides guidance to the healthcare professional and seizure counselor for helping patients who, using the Workbook, seek to take an active role in their treatment. The Therapist Guide provides the therapist with step-by-step instructions about how to help their patients identify physical, interpersonal, and emotional factors that can trigger seizures, and how to help them take proactive action before or when negative emotions lead to seizures. Each chapter provides the therapist with information on seizures, including epilepsy, drug therapy, relaxation, pre-seizure aura and how to help their patients to stay safe and potentially stop seizures from progressing. Gleaned from direct supervision notes, the Therapist Guide provides insight into helping therapists guide their patients to identify negative emotions, external stressors, and inner issues and conflicts that affect seizure control and well-being. The Therapist Guide details ways to help patients reduce tension and manage life stresses, and examines “other symptoms” of seizures, ranging from déjà vu and scattered thinking to odd sensations. Therapists who used the Therapist Guide noted the benefits as their patients progressed through treatment. Therapists who used the principles in the Guide saw a decrease in seizure frequency and improvement in associated symptoms in their patients.