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INTRODUCTION
Complex-partial epilepsy is a complicated disorder that is often resistant to the present standardized approaches to treatment. It has been suggested that as many as 60% of people with epilepsy still experience seizures despite therapeutic levels of concomitant drug therapy1. The drug approach to control seizures generally results in diminished cognitive skills and loss of contact with one's own personality2. From this perspective the patients find it difficult, if not impossible, to interact effectively with their environment. This often leads to a failure to achieve normal maturational goals in school and in social and occupational endeavors, which tends to restrict and diminish the quality of life for these individuals. In some cases, drug treatment alters the type and severity of the disorder, creating behavioral problems that never existed before: this is especially true of children with this disorder3.
These negative outcomes required that a new approach be found to help people with this form of epilepsy; one that does not just rid a patient of the seizures, but more importantly endeavors to understand what precipitates these sporadic events and what beneficial purpose they might be providing for the individual4-6. Medical approaches tend to ignore the emotional life of the patient and encourage the patient to do likewise. In so doing important information is overlooked which could have promoted seizure control. Problems, which might easily have been solved early in treatment, become elusive and paradoxical. These unresolved issues tend to overload the coping mechanism and often lead to the seizure state.' |
