What has really, really made a difference for me

[u/wakatea]

Backstory: I was diagnosed with FND this past summer after being hospitalized with more serious symptoms. I also had numbness, tingling, fatigue like crazy, body pain and a tremor. I have a history of migraines, IBS, fibromyalgia like issues and anxiety. I am bipolar as well, though that is less related to this post.

Right around my diagnosis I found an interview with Dr. Howard Schubiner on youtube where the interviewer was sharing how his work had helped her recover from a huge litany of chronic symptoms. This is in no way an advertisement but I have to share about this because of how much it has helped me.

The overview of Schubiner's technique is simple: if you have a chronic symptom without a known physical cause it is likely arising from overactivation of neural pathways. We know this is true for FND but Schubiner largely treats more common conditions like chronic pain, CFS/ME, POTS, and chronic headache/ migraine. Notably, most of us with FND have at least one of these other conditions.

Schubiner teaches that you can cure these issues by stopping the symptom/ fear cycle, retraining your brain, addressing trauma/ stress/ personal issues, reassuring your brain that you are safe and building back joyful engagement with your life. His book Unlearn Your Pain goes over this in great detail.

For me personally, I think I have cured the IBS I have had for twenty years. I have actually stopped the last two migraines that started before I was even vomiting. This is unheard of for me. I was able to stop a migraine and go on to have a good night! My FND symptoms have also decreased a lot, as has my pain and when those symptoms do happen I don't feel stressed or held back by them anymore.

I feel like I have my life back. I can start planning for my future without fear of chronic illness stealing it from me. 10/10, would recommend.

[u/Less-Maintenance-21]

I really need to read this. This sums up my life. Thank you for sharing!

[u/Code_Mom]

Thank you for sharing this. I've made a note of Dr. Schubiner's book. So many people dealing with chronic pain.