Services por Psychogenic Non Epileptic Seizures
Individual psychotherapy for patients diagnosed with psychogenic psychological non epileptic seizures
During individual treatment, you meet alone with the clinical psychologist. The therapy sessions usually last about 50 minutes and are what is known as "talk therapy." If post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is diagnosed along with PNES, sessions may be longer (up to 90 minutes). Psychotherapy of PNES is first and foremost geared at helping you understand the condition because knowledge is the first step towards strength and health. You are invited to learn, ask questions, and try to make sense of PNES (also known as NEAD) as it relates to your life. The therapy aims to be supportive, helping you strengthen healthy coping mechanisms, as well to provide a safe environment where you can process past, present, and future.
In treating PNES three major areas are targeted by the psychologist: 1) symptoms of anxiety,
2) depression, and 3) anger/assertiveness. Clearly because each person is different, the therapy is tailored to the extent that these symptoms are present and troubling. Anxiety is treated through anxiety reduction techniques (i.e. breathing and muscle relaxation exercises) and increased awareness of triggers. Depressed outlooks are treated through a number of exercises, most of which aim to shift depressive worldviews and challenge negative self images. Problems with anger management (too much anger or not enough assertiveness) are treated with a series of anger management techniques. In order to keep the effects of therapy going, homework is assigned every week for you to do at home. The psychological treatment also focuses on wellness with the aim of improving sleep hygiene, diet, exercise, and other aspects of the patient's self-care.
If the patient suffers from PTSD as well as PNES, a specific treatment modality for PTSD is administered too in order to target the very particular symptoms associated to this disorder. This treatment modality is called Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PET). Decades of research has shown that this is a highly effective way to treat PTSD.
The main positive in individual therapy is that you get one-on-one attention and the treatment is clearly just about you. But sometimes it can be really helpful to be with others who are going through similar difficulties even if it means sharing some of your time. This is where group therapy comes in.
