Lainie’s story: A journey of mindful acceptance with epilepsy

This story is sponsored by Epilepsy Wellness Advocates and The Charles L. Shor Epilepsy Opportunity Fund

Lainie’s Story

The practice of mindful acceptance, also known as mindfulness, enables us to observe our thoughts rather than be completely pulled into their story line. I was pulled into my own negative story line of having Epilepsy every single day and feeling that there was no control that I had over the situation. Initially, I thought that my fate was to be living a life of constant medication, side effects, grand mal seizures and anxiety, all of which we all know, is a big part of having Epilepsy. When I woke from the haze of my impending fate I realized that I wasn’t going to go down without a fight!

It is my belief now that it is possible to be diagnosed with a condition like Epilepsy and not completely hand the reins of your management plan over to a doctor. I spent 8 years on massive amounts of medicine within the doctor’s office. Then I spent the next 12 years tweaking my epilepsy management plan outside of the doctor’s office.

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Mindful acceptance

Over the years I have tried Reiki, Acupuncture, Bowen Therapy, Medicinal Plants, Naturopathy, Western Medicine, Hypnotherapy, Integrative Medicinal therapy which tested minerals, vitamins and nutritional deficiencies in my blood, Meditation, Hormonal balancers and the list goes on. The thing is…..they all worked on some level even though I still had seizures once a month, sometimes twice.

Read the latest science on Chinese Medicine and Epilepsy

Integrative Medicine vs Functional Medicine

According to balancedwellbeinghealthcare.com, “Two of the most rapidly growing forms of medical attention include functional and integrative medicine, which aim to address your physical, emotional and mental needs. Functional medicine focuses on creating individualized therapies tailored to treat underlying causes of illness, while integrative medicine seeks to understand the individual as a whole and applies many forms of therapy to improve wellness. Though both functional and integrative medicine are similar in nature, they have unique differences that can help you on your journey towards healthier living.”

The struggle for mindful acceptance

What didn’t work was my inner struggle. I wanted so badly to cure myself of Epilepsy that I never accepted that I even had seizures. Even writing the word Epilepsy for this article had me wanting to use another word in its place. It was only when I realized, through practicing mindfulness meditation and connecting with my body that finding a cure will not cure me anyway.

A little self-love and gratitude goes a long way

Self love and self acceptance of what’s happening right now can be the only cure and this is not something that a doctor can write a prescription for, or that can be infused in a tea strainer or sold via a supplement jar. It’s so good to be walking the journey of Epilepsy empowerment with you all.

Thank you to Lainie for sharing her epilepsy journey.

Jessica K. Smith Founder and CEO; Executive Director

Jessica Keenan Smith is a patient advocate and epilepsy community leader with more than 15 years of experience. As Founder and CEO of Living Well With Epilepsy and Executive Director of ASENT she bridges the gap between the scientific and patient communities, with a particular focus on the needs of the epilepsies. Jessica Keenan Smith is Founder and CEO of Living Well With Epilepsy, an award winning online resource for people affected by epilepsy to share stories and access in-depth information on the disease. Since 2009, Living Well With Epilepsy (https://livingwellwithepilepsy.com) has been featured in Forbes, Wired, NBC, NPR and the cover story of Epilepsy Advocate Magazine and has partnered with companies such as UCB, Lundbeck, Sunovion, Eisai, and more. Ms. Smith is also the Executive Director of the American Society for Experimental Neurotherapeutics (ASENT) (https://asent.org), an organization that brings together leaders from industry, academia, government and advocacy who are engaged in bringing drugs and devices to market across all neurologic disease states. In this role she is responsible for leading a successful scientific journal and annual scientific conference with speakers from all over the world.

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