FND patients are uniquely incentivised to challenge our existing understanding of neuroscience, and the commonly held beliefs of our current medical paradigm. This is due to the necessity for answers: an ability to explain our ‘unexplainable’ condition. It begins with rejecting the idea that we are ‘a complete anomaly’ and ‘unexplainable by science.’ When FND patients can no longer rely on the knowledge of specialists and existing conventional education, they have two choices: settle for suffering, or seek higher education. 

I, like many, wa a patient that refused to believe there ‘were no answers,’ but more likely, we had not yet asked the right questions. Challenging conventional neuroscience has many hurdles, but ultimately, it is the incentive to attain a life worth living that fuels an unconventional desire to expand the boundaries of currently held belief. The journey to an eventual FND diagnosis, for most, is rooted in the quest to explain the unexplainable, and to achieve ‘the impossible.’ Beyond the progress in the study of neuroscience we may contribute, I believe by changing the minds of practitioners and their deeply ingrained belief system FND patients prove that it is possible to redefine reality and what we previously believed was ‘impossible.’ This inspiration to challenge limiting beliefs, coupled with the lessons learned about the necessity for compassionate care, ultimately sets a new precedent in the medical paradigm demanding respect between patient and practitioner to ensure treatment safety and efficacy.

FND patients can teach us about our innate human potential to summon resilience in the face of adversity. No matter what your diagnosis, ALL human brains have an intimate mind-body connection, and the mindfulness tools & techniques used to treat FND will benefit any brain/body system for optimal homeostasis. FND evolves our understanding of the mind-body connection, and illuminates the importance of honoring individual subjective experience, as well as a need for personalized, holistic treatment protocols. 

FND patients are required to continuously summon a beginner’s mind, and remain malleable in our definition of both reality and possibility. Like how Covid-19 has demanded resilience, it is when we are challenged to adapt that we realize our true potential as we encourage creative connections in search of solutions. Evolution requires challenge as well as the willingness to adapt. No matter the root of your adversity, I hope to inspire a shift in perception: redefining your adversity as your opportunity for transformation. Your circumstance does not define you, and likewise, no one defines you EXCEPT YOU. If you believe in unlimited possibility, there is room for your reality to be transformed. Each present moment is an opportunity we can choose to consciously plant seeds of intention and thus define our reality!