In 2019, after practicing as an Occupational Therapist for more than 20 years, I lost my career, home, and financial security due to a severe neurological health crisis involving temporal lobe epilepsy. I was experiencing frequent temporal lobe focal seizures, memory gaps, visual distortions, olfactory hallucinations, waves of unexplained fear, and periods of disorientation where I did not know who or where I was. At times I looked like a dementia patient on a memory impairment ward. I felt completely alone after multiple unsuccessful attempts to get meaningful help from the Michigan Epilepsy Foundation. I had no medical care or assistance. Five years later, under identical testing conditions, my EEG showed no epileptic activity.
This session shares my personal recovery story, comparative sleep deprived EEG reports, and the simple, daily “Four Pillars of Neurostability” that made the difference: Metabolic Health, Sleep as Electrical Reset, Gentle Movement, and Stress Reduction. Rather than relying on high motivation or super-human willpower, I turned these pillars into small, sustainable habits while continuing to work full-time as a blue collar worker.
Participants will hear the honest human experience behind neurological recovery — including what actually helped me climb out of deep hopelessness — and leave with practical, client-centered strategies they can immediately use in occupational therapy practice with individuals living with seizures, stroke, brain injury, and other neurological conditions. I am no hero.
Learning ObjectivesBy the end of this session, participants will be able to:- Identify common barriers clients face when trying to access support for seizures and neurological conditions.
- Describe the Four Pillars of Neurostability and how each pillar supports brain health and seizure threshold.
- Apply practical, habit-based strategies from each pillar to occupational therapy interventions for clients with neurological challenges.
- Recognize the value of validating the client’s lived experience when addressing “invisible” symptoms such as focal aware seizures.
