My clients have taught me, educated me, invited me to deeply understand the complexity of FND. Without their help I would have not come to a place of such intimate understanding of an experience that might have one name, though shows up in such unique ways. FND is never the same, it is deeply personal.
Functional Neurological Symptoms are an expression of your body.
At the level of body, you may experience uncontrollable shaking, difficulty breathing, clenching, paralysis, inability to speak, or stiffening of the body.
Pat Ogden (2006) describes the importance of directly working with the body in the healing process “Without the balance of non-linguistic world of images, feelings, and sensations, the seduction of words and ideas can keep us from direct experience in our daily lives and professional work…In a psychotherapeutic setting, focusing primarily on word-based thinking and narratives can keep therapy at a surface level and trauma [or FND] may remain unresolved. (p. xiv)
As part of The FNDcourage course you will discover how to listen more deeply to your body, identify and stay present with physical sensations, and respond to these signals in order to interrupt the cycle of your episodes. You will learn how your nervous system works and how to down-regulate (relax) or up-regulate (if in a state of hypo-activation) your nervous system using specific skills such as resourcing, breath, and movement practices.
Functional Neurological Symptoms are an expression of your mind.
At the level of mind, you may experience racing thoughts, negative beliefs about yourself, repetitive worries, intrusive memories, constant fears about the future. The mind may tell you to avoid certain aspects of your life because of the possibility of having an episode.
Within the Foundation of Mind you will discover that you do not always have to believe your thoughts. You will become more aware of how your thoughts affect the way your body reacts and how, in turn, your interpretation of these physical sensations affects the way you feel.
By being a “witness” to your internal narrative, your body can relax into the present moment rather than re-live the past or anticipating the future.
Functional Neurological Symptoms are an expression of your emotions.
At the level of emotion, you may experience helplessness, fear, confusion, hopelessness, isolation, shame, anger, overwhelm, anxiety, or loss of control. These are very common feelings for people who have been diagnosed with FND.
Within the Foundation of Emotion you will discover that these feelings are normal and healthy reactions to an overwhelming and often misunderstood life situation. You will become more aware of the human tendency to struggle against painful emotions and chase pleasant emotions.
In learning neither to push away nor hold onto emotions, you build the capacity to experience the full spectrum of feelings and tap into their natural wisdom. This “emotional freedom” allows you to slow down and change the neuropathways of the FND spiral.
Functional Neurological Symptoms are real. They are explainable. They are not just something you have to deal with, but neuro-physiological expressions of a dysregulated nervous system, and often an expression of great suffering. You are not making it up, it is not just in your head, and you can’t just get over it. And yet, you are not a victim, you can learn about your body, your nervous system, emotions, thoughts, and become free not only of FND, but your limiting beliefs, overwhelming emotions, and unhelpful habits.
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