Tips for preparing talk therapy. Bottom up approach.

This is not all the list. But for those who are getting better or using talk therapy feel free to add yours in.

Unfortunately, I have not done a lot of personal research on Children, so if there is a parent who is using talk therapy focused on children and you find it is helpful, it would be awesome to share your insights.

The only book I have read for children is this

Emotional Release for Children

Repairing the Past, Preparing the Future

By: Patricia Nolan, Mark Pearson

This is just focused on people considering therapy or want to try.

The focus really is to help release emotions, especially having FND is very distressing.

This is called the bottom up approach.

Top down approach is CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy).

The middle part is medication.

It is going to be long, take breaks.

This is just personal research. Medical professionals are still a go to. I am just providing different strategies that are still medical. I am a big believer in evidence based practice in the medical field.

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Before the session:

1) Research the background of the psychologist.

a) Look at their background information:

Would be even awesome if they have the following or interests: Trauma informed therapy and trauma focused therapy, somatic therapy, EMDR, psychodrama, trauma and traumatic stress.

Rationale: how they approach things are different. They are quite focused on the body systems more than the story at times (this is for trauma informed). They are very careful in preventing retraumatizing clients whether by word or action.

They have to help you come out the freeze response then fight/flight response.

b) Call them if you can. Ask them what do they do, have they work with people who have FND. How do they approach clients who are emotionally shut down or has a hard time expressing emotions? How much they charge per session. You can make your own questions.

Rationale: gives you a feel about them. At times, their personality or voice can be a trigger for you which developing trust makes it even slower or harder. Helps to decide if they are a right fit for you.

(What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma by Stephanie Foo, this book was quite good on describing how she selects her therapists and how she approaches them and why it works or does not work for her.)

c) Cost: weigh up your pros and cons and even use the helplines or beyond blue. They are free services who can link you to free or low cost psychology sessions.

Rationale: this is one way to network and find affordable or free services.

During:

2) write down on paper and give it to them:

-your social history: family support or any supports,

-medications

-non pharmacological strategies: exercising. Eating healthy, yoga, meditation.

-Your goals for the therapy session with them.

-Your Story and your fears, concerns and anxieties.

-Let them know you have FND and your symptoms. It helps them to know when to go even slower.

Rationale: it saves you time rehashing. It also reduces the amount of FND symptoms.

Trying to tell a stranger can be overwhelming and more difficult for you, might cause you to have increased FND symptoms during or after the session. Safety is very important for trauma informed therapists.

If you have limited sessions, it saves you time and money.

It also helps them analyze if you have the basic good support system, taking care of your body and other medical help.

3) You can always bring your journal with you and what you want to talk about each session. And ask them to read it.

Rationale: helps them to know the pacing. You become the driver of the session.

Take charge of your session. if you don't know, let them know too, they can guide you.

If you focus writing on

event/triggers, feeling, thoughts, behavioral response or strategies to the event, your bodily response/fnd

It helps them to see patterns and show your self awareness. It is also good for retraining on listening to your body. It is also helpful at times that integration of memories to unresolved memories might happen.

4) always be honest with them and if it is hard to tell them, write it down. Try their strategy first, but tell them if it worked or didn't work and why.

Rationale: they might recognise that you need more strategies or less or they might feel they are not a good fit for you and refer you to somebody else.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

For people who is still waiting for talk therapy

if you have youtube: use them. Books are also helpful. Journal articles.

a) research: how to release trapped emotions in your body.

For example:

Yoga: chair yoga/ yoga focused on tension release/ relaxing yoga for beginners/ trauma informed yoga

Meditation: guided/breathwork/trauma informed meditation

Tai chi

Therapy in a nutshell has very useful playlist to explain some of them and some tips as well.

Rationale: having FND is distressing enough. At least, that is one good way to release built up stress. If you start to shake, just let it be and protect your head.

This guy explains it about the release through yoga m.youtube.com/watch?v=Wr2XF...(Not working as expected?)

And another guy using it as well

m.youtube.com/watch?v=2Qvjb...(Not working as expected?)

There are other videos that are called trauma release exercises.

b) Understand the polyvagal theory and exercises

c) Learn about journaling, letters and prompts.

You can use electronic, paper based, phones.

Canva is a free electronic way to journal. You can get really creative with it.

Rationale: The Healing Power of Writing | Kerstin Pilz | TEDxTownsville youtube.com/watch?v=btxVXcR...(Not working as expected?)

References

4 Things NOT to Say to Your Therapist youtube.com/watch?v=H714wnQ...(Not working as expected?)

6 Ways to Process your Feelings in Writing: How to Journal for Anxiety and Depression

youtube.com/watch?v=7CcZ7gy...(Not working as expected?)

Emotional Release for Children

Repairing the Past, Preparing the Future

By: Patricia Nolan, Mark Pearson

HEALING SHAME IN COMPLEX PTSD (C-PTSD): JOURNALING SERIES youtube.com/watch?v=6kWxonI...(Not working as expected?)

How to release emotions trapped in your body

m.youtube.com/watch?v=GZw8f...(Not working as expected?)

Journaling

m.youtube.com/watch?v=7CcZ7...(Not working as expected?)

Self-Care for Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents: Honor Your Emotions, Nurture Your Self, and Live with Confidence- Lindsay Gibson

Trauma informed therapy

m.youtube.com/watch?v=ANRlW...(Not working as expected?)

What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma by Stephanie Foo

[Hidden]

Examples of trauma informed specialists/ or licensed therapists with interests in body systems

This is how they normally approach things to show that at times that talking about trauma/feelings/emotions can be hard, and they encourage people to slowly talk about it when they are ready. They do use CBT, but they do recommend different types of somatic techniques because talking about it is not enough.

Patrick Teahan

youtube.com/@patrickteahanl...

Therapy in a nutshell (focused on the body systems and other mental health illnesses)

youtube.com/@TherapyinaNuts...

Dr Kim Sage

youtube.com/@DrKimSage/about

[tinygianthuman in reply to Hidden]

Thanks so much for sharing… lots for me to research / explore 🙏

[Hidden in reply to tinygianthuman]

Yes, there are lots, you can also research Catz128's reply. The once she posted are the ones I have researched previously.

I am just trying to put bite size information, to help people get started on researching first to see if these level of treatment are what they need.

I like using free stuff first and low cost, that is why, I provided suggestions that people can tests for themselves and pay if they think it is working for them.

bottomline is, to save you time in researching.

this is just from observation and reading a lot of books, journal articles, texts, listening to YouTube/podcasts, speaking to people with FND, looking at different mental health forums who have similar symptoms of FND, but no diagnosis and attending different webinars.

The big risk factor is emotional neglect. It is the difficulty in expressing and being able to express emotions especially the scary ones in a healthy and safe way and celebrating good emotions too. Hence, often medical professionals will suggest seeking psychological therapies to learn those.

So if emotions are not well processed it can become a medical condition due to dysregulation of nervous system. Hence, one of them is FND or known as conversion disorder. (Unfortunately, I have to do my own personal research to do my own connection, so please don't use this as a reason why you developed FND, due to the lack of depth of research focusing on FND, I cannot provide accurate evidence).

The ones Catz128 shared and the ones I mostly shared are strong link to childhood trauma.

Most of the ones she shared and mine are C-PTSD (it is prolonged traumatic events from as a child to adult hood). it is also known as relational trauma.

Trauma is just a word for feeling unsafe and not having a good support system (people, community or environment) to feel safe. So emotional neglect is quite a big factor.

If parent or family member does not talk or address emotions in a healthy way, it can become a problem for the person growing up. This is just from what I discovered from personal research.

It does not mean parents are bad especially if they do not intentionally hurt their loved ones. It is very difficult to attune to a child's emotions if they never had that opportunity in the first place.

When emotions are not addressed, internalising happens.

And when you internalise you can develop maladaptive coping behaviours that one day become a chronic condition. And becomes stored in the body.

So again, this is just from analysing multiple resources.

So I suggest reading the Body keeps score as a starter then work your way around analysing other information. As it will be overwhelming. You can build your way up to finding the right answer for you.

[tinygianthuman in reply to Hidden]

wow… thank you so much for this insight. I find it incredibly helpful. I am autistic and was sent to boarding school as a child so have a feeling that these two factors tie into what you’re describing above.

So I think emotional processing struggles and available adults to help me regulate were definitely lacking. Fascinating really isn’t it, and quite sad.

[Catz128]

Hi there, I'm so thankful that you have compiled this kind of help/tools for FND. My list is as follows:

YouTube:

* Patrick Teahan - Healing childhood trauma

Link: youtube.com/@patrickteahanl...

* Dr Peter Levine - Trauma Healing with focus on PTSD, EMDR, TRE

Link:

youtube.com/@PeterLevinePhD...

* Dr Bessel van der Kolk - Trauma and the body, PTSD & C-PTSD

Note: I couldn't find a channel for him but there's many different videos out.

* Dr Dan Siegel - Understanding of the brain in childhood and adolescent years, which helps a great deal to see how your needs as a child was not met.

Link:

youtube.com/@mindsightinsti...

* Dr Gabor Mate - Trauma and the body, How trauma manifests as illness, ADHD in adults, Addictions, Parenting, in collaboration with his son Daniel.

Note: No specific channel but many different videos available.

EMDR:

So I, personally have had EMDR as my main therapy for the last 7 years. It has helped me tremendously w.r.t. childhood trauma and my C-PTSD and anxiety as a result of this. Once those symptoms were addressed, my FND symptoms would also minimize, and then decrease over time.

* EMDRIA - They are based in the States

Link:

youtu.be/Pkfln-ZtWeY?si=hd0...(Not working as expected?)

* EMDRSA - They are based in South Africa

Link:

emdrsouthafrica.co.za/m.ind...

Brainspotting:

This is a follow on from EMDR, developed by Dr. David Grand. It's based on the principle of where you look, has an effect on how you feel.

I started with this therapy last year, and it has been a tremendous help as well.

* Dr David Grand

Link:

youtube.com/channel/UCRUaZj...

* Harley Therapy

Link:

youtu.be/znx9m9vtffA?si=yjo...(Not working as expected?)

Clinician-based YouTube Channels:

* NICABM

Link:

youtube.com/@nicabm?si=XZSl...

* C-TAD Clinic

Link:

youtube.com/@thectadclinic?...

Podcasts:

* The GP Show - Dr Sam Manger

Link:

thegpshow.com/

* The Neurotransmitters - Dr. Michael Kentris

Link:

theneurotransmitters.buzzsp...

* Relationship Alive - very helpful for understanding relationships in a broader sense, but also within family systems.

Link:

youtube.com/@NeilSattin?si=...

I hope this is of much help.

[Hidden]

Thanks for taking the time on compiling these useful resources. (They are actually very helpful). Most of them I have watched, read and listened to in the past.

Yes, I feel that it is important to provide at least an explanation to why it is vital to seek psychological help. A patient/client will only be compliant if they: understand the why and how the medical treatments will be useful for their recovery.

I feel that providing a step by step approach will help them review/analyse/test the information to draw a conclusion if they should try this avenue.

I feel that knowledge is a powerful tool to evaluate their progress of recovery and know which treatments they need, when to have it or how much to have it.

[Lady4]

Hi, thanks for sharing. As a parent, I am always looking at ways to help, understand and guide but I sometimes I can't help but think "did I miss something". I have mentioned journalling on several occasions but probably out of frustration and at the wrong time, as I quite often can't remember everything exactly and he gets annoyed at having to repeat things which is upsetting.

[Greenisthegot in reply to Lady4]

Well you are just trying to be the best parent for him.

And I think that you saying "did I miss something" really shows that you are willing to do a self evaluation on yourself and say is my approach working or not? what are the evidences, how can I make it better? Who can I ask for help to help him? What am I doing that makes him upset?

It reminds me of Albert Einstein's quote "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results"

If we just do the same approach over and over again, we won't be able to reach the results we desire.

[Lady4]

True, thanks.I am wondering whether to get a hearing test for both of us when the "falling feeling", dizziness etc subside. Gets so angry when having to repeat himself. I am trying to be present in the same room and not be walking off etc, where the sound gets muffled.

[Catz128]

I would like to add that finding meaning through film, is another way to make sense of your symptoms. Personally, "Star Trek" "Voyager" and "The Next Generation (TNG)" helped me to: 1) recognize that my symptoms are valid2) understand why and how they came about

3) what to do about it

4) find the language to explain my experiences to my family.

I could do this with the help of the characters "Data" and "Seven of Nine" in particular.

So, Star Trek may not be your thing.. I would say, find what resonates with you. And no, when using film in this way, it doesn't mean you're stuck/living in a fantasy world. You're finding means to propel you forward, and that's making you feel less alone.

[Lady4]

Thanks I don't think he really understands why and what triggers him, its definately subconscious anxiety but thats about it so far. As far as he portrays, when he is fine, he is fine and when he isn't he just manages.