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Psychogenic Non-epileptic Seizures: A Guide Paperback – January 25, 2014

by Lorna Myers Ph.D. (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 397 ratings
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You’ve just been told that those seizures you’ve been having for months or years and that have been making a mess of your life aren’t actually due to epilepsy and that instead they are caused by psychological stress. Maybe you’re discharged from the hospital by your neurologist with a name and a number of a mental health professional who can start treating you, but too often you leave the hospital with nothing other than the name of your disorder: psychogenic non-epileptic seizures. When you search for information and professional help, it’s terribly hard to find.This book is directed at patients, loved ones and mental health professionals and is an invaluable resource that explains the elements that make up PNES, provides the necessary tools to begin achieving real changes in behavior, thoughts and emotions, and guidelines to live a life that is healthy, safe and good in quality. Psychogenic non-Epileptic Seizures: A Guide will equip you with essential knowledge about this condition and provide you with tools that will help you take charge of your PNES.
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  1. Print length
    194 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    January 25, 2014
  4. Dimensions
    6 x 0.44 x 9 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1492881414
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1492881414
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Lorna Myers, Ph.D. has extensive knowledge of the diagnosis and treatment of Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures (PNES) as a clinical psychologist and neuropsychologist practicing for over ten years. She is the Director the PNES Treatment Program and the Clinical Neuropsychology Program at the Northeast Regional Epilepsy Group. She has published articles about PNES in peer-reviewed journals and in many psychology bulletins. She gives lectures to patients and to healthcare providers nationally and internationally on this disorder.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (January 25, 2014)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 194 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1492881414
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1492881414
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.44 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 397 ratings

About the author

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Lorna Myers Ph.D.

Lorna Myers Ph.D.

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Lorna Myers, Ph.D. has been working with patients diagnosed with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures for 15+ years. She was born in Oklahoma to a father from Texas and a mother from Argentina. Before the age of 14 she had already lived in 6 countries because of her father’s career. She went on to complete her college education in Buenos Aires, Argentina (Universidad de Belgrano) and then came to New York to obtain her Ph.D. in clinical psychology.

While working at a large epilepsy center, she encountered her first patient with psychogenic none-epileptic seizures (PNES) and was immediately intrigued. Over the years, she has seen hundreds of patients who carry this diagnosis.

Psychogenic seizures are similar in appearance to epileptic seizures but are triggered by emotional distress (often unconscious) and preceded by risk factors such as, a history of psychological trauma, depression and anxiety. Patients can go up to 7 or more years misdiagnosed with epilepsy, treated with anti-epileptic medications, and with frequent contacts with emergency medical personnel.

The decision to write her first book (Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures: A guide) came about when she realized that those living with this diagnosis needed a book that explained the condition and provided guidance regarding treatment, safety, and ways to improve quality of life. Since then, this book has been translated into Spanish and she co-wrote another book to give patients a chance to explain their diagnosis in their own words (In our own words: Stories of those living with, learning from and overcoming the challenges of psychogenic non-epileptic seizures).

Dr. Myers now lives with her family in New York City and continues to work as a clinical consultant and researcher dedicated to working with those living with PNES.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
397 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Linda
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2024
Verified Purchase
My granddaughter suffers from PNES ( Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures) this book explained in layman's
language so you could understand. Excellent and really helped our family to understand and help her.
Thank You Lorna Myers Ph.D for writing this book.
2 people found this helpful
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MOM
5.0 out of 5 stars Very useful
Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2023
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I loved it! The book was very educational about PNES. It has a lot of good suggestions ( i,e. Tracking Seizures, therapy management). I would highly recommend to medical professionals as well as patients.
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Gert Bo Thorgersen
5.0 out of 5 stars The book which convince us that not all persons hit by seizures have to be epileptics.
Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2016
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As soon as I discovered the existence of this book I immediately ordered a copy, because now during 13 ears living here in Chiang Mai, I have tried to explain to the doctors that I don’t believe that my seizures are caused by epileptic but instead by tress/depression. But in wain, as for doctor’s: seizures = epileptic.

It started way back in July 2003, when then for the first time I went to a psychological/epilepsy doctor, in the hospital most used by foreigners, and told him that I felt stressed/depressed and afraid that this might turn into seizures. Stressed as result of my Thai wife - whom I 2 years before had met in Denmark – now when we were living in Thailand, fighting against that also out here I rode motorcycles, which I actually had done since way back in 1964. The doctor wouldn’t accept the possibility in my warning, and explain this to my wife, as I wanted him to do. Only once in my life, way back in 1975 I had been hit by a black out, but then ¾ of a year after visiting the doctor, when driving a motorcycle, I was hit by a seizure. And now the doctor then declared that I was suffering from epilepsy, even though EEG measures didn’t prove this, and I was put on the epileptic drug Depakene. And then seizures started to come, and continued until after an accident in 2008 by which I was injured so much that no longer, among other, I can drive cars or motorcycles. Then I stopped taking the Depakene, and then immediately the seizures stopped! So was it epilepsy or stress, and/or drugs which caused the seizures? The doctors (3) still say that it is epilepsy.

Then when in October 2011 I bought the new book from Suzy Cohen, RPh: “Drug Muggers”, inside on the sides 33 – 34, I discovered that the Depakene can worsen the seizure problem for persons eating Rise, Bananas, and other constipating foods! But Rise and Bananas are just what I daily am getting. So in the hospital I to the doctor delivered an envelope with a letter and copies from the book, for being delivered to him; but of course I never heard from him.

In the book “Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures: A Guide”, most interesting it was to me to read the first 3 chapters about respectively: what are PNES, treatment of PNES, and the role of psychological trauma in PNES, as the rest of what’s written in the book is parallel to what’s written in the 10 epileptic books which I have purchased since 2004. And in the first chapter we have the subchapter “Signs that PNES Is the Problem”, and under this “seizures seem to follow periods of stress” where we read that “stress can be a trigger of epileptic seizures, this is not consistently the case, while in PNES it is almost always the case (although the patient may not be fully aware of being anxious)”. Just what I during 13 years have tried to explain to 3 doctors, but they won’t accept! And then furthermore we read “lack of response to anti-epileptic medicines” – “this may also manifest as the opposite response to anti-epileptic medicines (an increased number of seizures after taking medication)”, again as spoken out of my mouth to the doctors, but again, totally in wain.

Then 11th of May here in 2016 I again had a seizure, the second since they stopped after the accident in 2008, and as I concluded it, now again caused by stress, but this time as the result that since 2008 my wife taking care of the money. Always talking about not having enough money, even though each month getting more money than for the top of the middle class, and actually 14 times more than her brother, who as a worker, works for the commune. From my study time I owe 300 economic books. And besides, during the 2 weeks before this seizure I talked about that I was missing the daily vitamin E, and the minerals Magnesium, and Zinc. Then after this seizure, with pain in my right arm, we went to a hospital for having it checked, but not broken, but the doctor gave us 2 drugs, against pain in the arm; as he told my wife. But then 4 days later I again had a seizure, and again the next day. And then I went to Google to read about these 2 drugs, and both turned out to be epileptic drugs! Then I throw them away, but had one more seizure a few days later, but then no more. Besides I also in the morning now again was getting vitamin E, minerals Magnesium, and Zink, and the daily “complete” vitamin pill, and by lunch a few more.

In chapter 7, “Supplement and Alternative Treatments”, and chapter 8 “A Healthy Mind Needs a Healthy Body”, we get important information and some advises about vitamins, minerals, and Herbs, more than in nearly all of my epileptic books, but still too little. And actually the doctors here in Chiang Mai never have mentioned a single word about vitamins or minerals, neither when 11 years ago I had a surgery on a small part of the right arm bone, after an X-ray, on my demand, when feeling that something was wrong, which showed that there it was too hollow. But in many of my non epilepsy books I have caught up much information about how missing of vitamins and minerals can have to do with seizures, and sometimes even being the only reason. For example, at one research, by with all of the persons with seizure problems, after daily getting 450 mg Magnesium (Epson salt), and Zinc, their seizures had reduced from 90% to 100%!

In the book especially the vitamin D, and Bs (B5, B6, B9, B12), and the minerals Calcium and Magnesium are mentioned, but the amounts to take are only mentioned for vitamin D and Calcium, while for the other we are told that we are getting them by eating the right food. But personally, no matter what I eat, I daily take the same amount of vitamin and mineral pills, because when we prepare the foot much can disappear, and besides, how much of minerals are there in the ground from where the vegetables are taken? Concerning the Herbs, it’s an enormous number of more good Herbs which exist besides those mentioned in the book, it’s a big detective work to find the actual personally best.

In chapter 7 we also read about Melatonin, which I actually now during 3 month have been taking, starting when my wife didn’t take those bought for her sleeping. The first night I took one I unexpected discovered that it actually stopped a nearly nightly “burning” in the right thigh. A problem which I first in January, after years of speculations, then in a book found to be caused by an injury in the spine, and where I have no pain in the spine.

But here in the book, as in most of the books about Melatonin, we are not advised how many, or few, mg actually to take. But in the book written by Suzy Chohen, RPh., “Headache Free”, from 2013, we read: “I would normally recommend 0.3 – 1.0 mg for a headache-free person while for cluster headaches 3 – 10 mg Melatonin”, and at another side we read that if more than 1.0 mg (for a headache-free person) the result can go the opposite way! Here in Thailand the pill only exists as 3 mg, and when my wife took such one it disturbed her, but after 2 months ago then reading Suzy’s advice, the pills is now cut in halves. As a side remark, Melatonin actually decreases the chance in getting cancer, which among other was discovered by blind women getting less breast cancer, because Melatonin is produced in the brain in darkness, and as blind persons daily are living in “darkness”, they thereby have more hours in darkness, and more Melatonin produced!

Finally, in the chapter 8, we also read about Acupuncture, Massage, and Yoga; where personally I many times have got 2 hours Massage. And concerning Acupuncture, if I each week was hit by a couple of seizures, or more, and thereby could see if it worked, then I would try with Acupuncture. In many books it’s written that it only works for around 50% of persons, but beside also different for how long it works. I think as the result of the producer. I would try because actually, 20 years ago, while living in Denmark, then one morning I woke up and nearly could not stand on my left foot because of pain in the left knee, without doubt caused by an ice skating accident on the left knee, weeks in hospital, 32 years earlier. But I then went to my doctor, one of the few persons in Denmark who had been educated in Acupuncture (in Paris), and half an hour later nearly all of the pains had left, but I visited 1 time more, and pain has not yet showed up again.

In the same chapter Music is also mentioned. But also here I feel that we ought to have a “dimension/quality”, telling which music? Because we have seen from many research results that which music to choose is very important. For example, in one case the best exam results came in the group of students who during homework as background music had Beethoven, opposite to the group just having pop music. So there is different quality of fuel for the brain.

Under “Do’s” we on the side 151 read “Good sources of Magnesium include wheat germ, whole wheat flour,….”. But after having read books as especially Kharrazian, Datis, DHSc, DC, MS.: “Why Isn’t My Brain Working?”, 2013, Perlmutter, MD.: “Grain Brain”, 2013, and “Brain Maker”, 2015, I put my doubt to whether this is a good advice. As we in these books find that most persons are having problems with germ especially in the connection to wheat germ, and for many without knowing about a failure in the heir body’s working, before being discovered by measure. In Kharrazian’s book, on the side 142, we read that the immune reactive Lectins, which bind sugars and carbohydrates together, in wheat are called wheat germ agglutinin (WGA). And in books I have read about seizures caused by Gluten/wheat, and thereby stopped when no longer eating wheat and parallels.

Another thing we are missing here, and in epilepsy books, is that actually nearly everybody doesn’t get so much Oxygen as the brain really wants, the optimal amount of fuel for the brains best working, and for somebody this resulting in seizures. So therefore “reading”/feeling for a seizure to come, then sit down and take deep breaths. I use to do this for example before going out and work on the house. In some books it’s written that after many deep breaths then the brain is fresh for half an hour.

But all together an excellent book, which especially many doctors ought to read, and thereby understand that not all seizures are connected to epilepsy.
24 people found this helpful
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4.0 out of 5 stars ... suffer with anxiety disorders and chronic depression and their loved ones. Even though we were well read on ...
Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2015
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This book would prove to be so helpful for the many who suffer with anxiety disorders and chronic depression and their loved ones. Even though we were well read on the disorders of depression, it wasn't until we experienced first hand the unique symptoms of psychogenic non-epileptic seizures did we understand how difficult it is to identify and treat this disorder. Thankfully, we have found treatment and have gained so much insight from this book. Mental health diseases need to be talked about so people who suffer are not stigmatized and hopeless. They are diseases after all and as deserving of help as any other disease. Read this book if you are doctor, nurse, or sufferer of depression and anxiety.
7 people found this helpful
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Angela Taylor
5.0 out of 5 stars I have to admit that this book made me cry ...
Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2014
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I have to admit that this book made me cry. After years of many not understanding this, a book is written not only confirming it but explaining it. I have Complex-Partial seizures as well as PNES. I went for years with nobody believing or understanding PNES. Due to my Complex-Partial seizures, the physical side of my condition was harder to deny. Still, due to the lack of knowledge in the medical field my PNES made the physical side harder for many to realize.After brain surgery for epilepsy, PNES became my main type of seizures. The brain surgery did not work all the way because I cannot get off my medication without having Complex-Partial seizures.When I am having a non-epileptic seizure believe it or not, meditation calms me down even fast then medication. The medications tried on me were every medication on the market before 2003 and that's alot. Right now, I'm on a medication that decreases bone mass. I would give anything not to have to take it but if I don't, I end up on the floor with bruises all over me. That's the difference, medication can keep me from having seizures my Complex-Partial seizures but meditation can help me to control my PNES.
At 35yrs old, I have many conditions other then epilepsy now but many due to being on extreme medications for years and others due to brain surgery. I am an artist and used to dream about being well known. Now, I only wish I were healthy,I can’t turn back time but I can stand for whats right by sharing my story with the world. What sets me free is being able to share my story through art.What sets me free is knowing that others have a chance and I can help them. I ask parents, etc. to take this topic very very seriously. Do not let what happened to me, happen to your children. Please try any and everything natural before medications. I push on, to give hope to the world and hopfully inspire those in need. There are just no words to express my gratitude in having an actual dr. write a book about this.
Yes I can hide due to the public not being 100% open to this but my friends anything goes now with me because the only thing I have to fear is fear itself.
*HUGS*
39 people found this helpful
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Dalton
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read!
Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2021
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My daughter has been having seizures (epileptic & non-epileptic) that started out of the blue when she was just before 18. She’s been struggling ever since. No meds have helped & Lord knows she’s been just about on every combination ... ambulatory EEGs & inpatient EEGs have shown nothing; yet she has multiple “episodes” every single day. I ordered this book yesterday, it arrived today & she hasn’t put it down yet ... pausing long enough to share some insight with me. Great read she says ... I can’t wait to read & see what had her so pulled in.
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Top reviews from other countries

Ty Ragan
5.0 out of 5 stars Trauma affects the WHOLE YOU!
Reviewed in Canada on March 25, 2019
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It is sad how many mental health professionals I was in contact with that stated seizures could not be caused by trauma, only to end up diagnosed with PNES. This book is for the lay person, and lays out some good core things to explore with a psychologist attached to neurology (if you are in Canada) where 25% of all suspected epilepsy cases come to be revealed as PNES.
2 people found this helpful
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blackwiz
5.0 out of 5 stars My bible of information
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 13, 2020
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Informative book, would highly recommend to any suffers, the language used is really simple to understand.
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blackwiz
5.0 out of 5 stars My bible of information
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 13, 2020
Informative book, would highly recommend to any suffers, the language used is really simple to understand.
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Jessica Armstrong
5.0 out of 5 stars Took some of the fear out of my diagnosis
Reviewed in Canada on April 3, 2019
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I was diagnosed in Feb with PNES. While its frustrating and scary,this book broke down ALOT of whats going on. Also therapies. What to avoid ect as well.
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Rowan
5.0 out of 5 stars invaluable resource for NEAD
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 1, 2014
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The NHS should make this available to every GP and hospital. Professional, compassionate and essential reading. Hopeful that it will have the same advocacy effect that education had on improving diagnosis/treatment of Alzheimer's, MS, Parkinson's and Coeliac disease, to help prevent the neglect of sufferers. Our culture must adapt to stress (and the stressed) in a healthier way. Brilliant resource for how to live a more fulfilling life.
7 people found this helpful
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Schneekloth
4.0 out of 5 stars A very good start
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 26, 2024
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This is a very helpful book for parents to start with on your child's or your own PNES/NEAD/FND journey. It gives a good overview.

When you are looking for more resources make sure to include the acronym FND in your search terms. I wansn't aware of that, otherwise I would have found relevant information much sooner. I would highly recommend this book (free Kindle version on Amazon):

Treatment of Functional Seizures in Children and Adolescents: A Mind-Body Manual for Health Professionals by Blanche Savage, Catherine Chudleigh, Clare Hawkes

It is the most comprehensive guide I have come across with lots of ideas on how to treat PNES, NEAD, functional seizures, psychogenic seizures, FND or whatever the term you, your child or partner have been diagnosed with. You don't need to be a professional to read it. It is easy to understand.
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