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Ecstatic Seizures

Thu, 08/27/2009 - 07:32

 Hi

Has anyone experienced "ecstatic" seizures?  I've had a series of them recently, and they are amazing: totally outside the range of normal experience and by far the best experiences of my life!  I'm not religious or "spiritual" but recognise that they could be construed by others as deep and meaningful life changing events...evidence of the "divine" as opposed to neurological events. 

I've been told by my neurologist they are very rare and I've not been able to find out much about them/share experiences. 

Victoria

Hello all,  I'm adding this comment just over a month after the original post having realised that the thread is now incredibly confusing and there are some misunderstandings following what seem to be random postings.   You may want to follow the date order of the posts before making comments or coming to conclusions.   

Regards,

Victoria

Comments

Re: Ecstatic Seizures

Submitted by victoria.w on Wed, 2009-09-23 - 18:39

Hi Johnny - I can so identify with your "emotional breakdown".  Something similar happened to me about 3 months ago when I met with my neurologist and his two colleagues.  I normally keep my emotions under tight control but I was more honest than usual and I revealed stuff I hadn't talked about before.  Then I started crying and I was so embarrassed, mortified, and angry with myself for losing it!  I'm waiting for an appointment with a neuropsychiatrist who specialises in the psychiatric side-effects of anti-convulsants (following the suicidal thoughts) and I am really nervous about this: I've never seen one before.  Perhaps they'll think I'm crazy!  I went to my GP last week and told him I thought I was crazy, but he assured me I wasn't, and we ended up laughing - I cracked the jokes!  I felt a whole lot better.

Anti-convulsants, anti-depressants, drugs for anxiety, drugs for panic, drugs for pain, drugs that stop you feeling anything at all....you name it they can treat it, but I get the impression the more medication you take, the worse life gets (particularly the drugs that act on the brain)!  I've been lucky and managed to have a one drug rule (if you don't count painkillers)  but my seizures are not that bad so I can get away with it.  Not everyone is so lucky.  Take what you think helps, but renegotiate if they're not working for you.  You do need quality of life as well as seizure control.

Your family....why don't you have a word with your psychiatrist before the meeting and share your concerns/set some guidelines?   He or she should be able to manage the situation on your behalf and if it gets too much, use the "exit" strategy.  Why hang around if they're pissing you off - take a walk for 5-10 mins to compose yourself and then make a decison whether to return?  You have enough to contend with, without taking on their emotional baggage.  Sometimes family and epilepsy don't make for a healthy mix and it's not your fault.   Your neighbours sound like good people.  I recommend comedy DVDs or similar for Friday evening.  Thinking of you.  

Victoria. 

Hi Johnny - I can so identify with your "emotional breakdown".  Something similar happened to me about 3 months ago when I met with my neurologist and his two colleagues.  I normally keep my emotions under tight control but I was more honest than usual and I revealed stuff I hadn't talked about before.  Then I started crying and I was so embarrassed, mortified, and angry with myself for losing it!  I'm waiting for an appointment with a neuropsychiatrist who specialises in the psychiatric side-effects of anti-convulsants (following the suicidal thoughts) and I am really nervous about this: I've never seen one before.  Perhaps they'll think I'm crazy!  I went to my GP last week and told him I thought I was crazy, but he assured me I wasn't, and we ended up laughing - I cracked the jokes!  I felt a whole lot better.

Anti-convulsants, anti-depressants, drugs for anxiety, drugs for panic, drugs for pain, drugs that stop you feeling anything at all....you name it they can treat it, but I get the impression the more medication you take, the worse life gets (particularly the drugs that act on the brain)!  I've been lucky and managed to have a one drug rule (if you don't count painkillers)  but my seizures are not that bad so I can get away with it.  Not everyone is so lucky.  Take what you think helps, but renegotiate if they're not working for you.  You do need quality of life as well as seizure control.

Your family....why don't you have a word with your psychiatrist before the meeting and share your concerns/set some guidelines?   He or she should be able to manage the situation on your behalf and if it gets too much, use the "exit" strategy.  Why hang around if they're pissing you off - take a walk for 5-10 mins to compose yourself and then make a decison whether to return?  You have enough to contend with, without taking on their emotional baggage.  Sometimes family and epilepsy don't make for a healthy mix and it's not your fault.   Your neighbours sound like good people.  I recommend comedy DVDs or similar for Friday evening.  Thinking of you.  

Victoria. 

Re: Ecstatic Seizures

Submitted by victoria.w on Fri, 2009-09-25 - 19:36
Hi Tadzio - I did mean you and I'm slightly confused by your latest randomly positioned post but I'm glad you've rejoined us.  Victoria.

Re: Ecstatic Seizures

Submitted by 3Hours2Live on Sat, 2009-09-26 - 01:35
Hi Victoria, My web-browser jumps around alot here, then, this website's protocol is more branched than others. I read your reply yesterday, but didn't make my response before I lost net connection. Why the edit? Controversy often flares with censorship here, and I have even been told that I should stick to an 8th grade level, but my wordiness provides some insulation from (or to??) people who might be easily shocked or wish to remain willingly unknowning and are easily discouraged by a different tide of ideas. It's somewhat like referring to the novel about Humbert Humbert by using Vladimir Nabokov as the insulation. LOL. Sometimes this is still too much, like Dostoevsky calling one of his most epileptic characters' novel a title translated abruptly to "The Idiot." Myshkin's epileptic divinity of an iurodivyi, countered with his long lasting TLE's frequent, but often minor, Asperger's-like social ineptitude too often voicing the truth, repeatedly muddles society's members in Dostoevsky's notebooks in regard to the work. The abuse/exploitation of epileptics during seizures often seems to be politically-incorrect for discussion, except for occassional instances involving professional response abuse. (The pre-ictal, post-ictal, and interictal periods add to this). I think simple theft has only been mentioned a few times, maybe only once. While, one of my divine minor seizures occurred while regaining consciousness bathed with morning's early sunshine, buck naked amongst the other discards in a garbage dumpster, after apparently being pillaged by some opportunist(s). Then, maybe it was an act of simple fright or spite. But for me, it was an ecstatic resonance with divine iurodivyi. Tadzio

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