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Overcoming Functional Neurological Symptoms: A Five Areas Approach
Overcoming Functional Neurological Symptoms uses the proven and trusted five areas model of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) to help people experiencing a range of medically unexplained symptoms, including chronic headaches, fatigue, dizziness, loss of sensation, weakness and numbness.Easy to use and practical, this CBT the insights of award-winning authors who are experts in the fieldContains therapeutic advice proven to work through years of research and practiceEnsures patients success through specific plans leading to positive resultsProvides advice for friends and family of patientsThis book is designed for CBT practitioners, psychiatrists, psychologists, neurologists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and healthcare workers to share with their patients.A linked and completely free online support course is located at www.livinglifetothefull.com with additional resources at www.fiveareas.com
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 26, 2011
About the author
Christopher Williams
42 books11 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Professor Chris Williams is Professor of Psychosocial Psychiatry and Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK. His main clinical and research interest is in the area of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and in particular in looking at ways of disseminating this approach more widely.
Professor Chris Williams is Professor of Psychosocial Psychiatry and Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK. His main clinical and research interest is in the area of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and in particular in looking at ways of disseminating this approach more widely.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 15, 2023
Excellent collection of CBT workbooks in one place. Although it is directly created for people with Functional Neurological Symptoms, it would be helpful to anyone with a chronic health condition. Note: The authors are British, so some terminology is a little different and they assume a high-vocabulary audience.
September 20, 2026
As someone with FND that had to get this book for suggested reading for CBT therapy…. I was not impressed. I am thankful that people are trying to help and providing resources for FNDers. I feel like there were some good points and several places spoke directly to me. The checklists were helpful at recognizing if you struggle with particular thought patterns/problems.
The majority of the book is focused on “five areas of assessment,” which I struggle to grasp even with the counselor helping. It’s basically trying to get you to figure out the “key thought” that is triggering an episode, then recognizing your thinking, behavior, symptoms, feelings. So I did a lot of work thinking and writing out every time I had an episode when I was awake, but got no closer to helping the episodes stop or preventing them in the first place. So it’s been quite disappointing. A point I made to my counselor is that half of my episodes happen while I’m sleeping. For example, I’m asleep, then I wake up paralyzed. I can’t recognize any thoughts, I’m not waking up from nightmares, so how am I having episodes if it’s only related to key thoughts, etc? And since I am, how am I supposed to use this assessment?
The goals area is confusing because it says to set goals then don’t push yourself to reach the goals because you don’t want to over exert yourself and make yourself worse for the next few days, or make yourself depressed when you don’t reach your goals which makes your body worse. So set goals that you can reach, so don’t push yourself?? which never helps you to get better….???
There’s a chapter on accomplishments and recognizing how that affects your mood/how you feel about yourself. I suppose if people don’t already know what gives them a sense of accomplishment, this would be a helpful chapter for them.
I don’t know what else should be mentioned.
I’ve done three books on fnd and I’m no better than I was before, I seem to be having a worse time in fact.
The fnd support group I’m in have no positive things to say about this book either… it seems like just the counselors like it. Perhaps when I get some more time in with CBT, the books exercises will come to fruition.
For now, I think it’s just added to the stress of living with fnd because it makes me feel like I’m failing at trying to get better because the book hasn’t worked a miracle when I worked so hard on all the exercises.
The majority of the book is focused on “five areas of assessment,” which I struggle to grasp even with the counselor helping. It’s basically trying to get you to figure out the “key thought” that is triggering an episode, then recognizing your thinking, behavior, symptoms, feelings. So I did a lot of work thinking and writing out every time I had an episode when I was awake, but got no closer to helping the episodes stop or preventing them in the first place. So it’s been quite disappointing. A point I made to my counselor is that half of my episodes happen while I’m sleeping. For example, I’m asleep, then I wake up paralyzed. I can’t recognize any thoughts, I’m not waking up from nightmares, so how am I having episodes if it’s only related to key thoughts, etc? And since I am, how am I supposed to use this assessment?
The goals area is confusing because it says to set goals then don’t push yourself to reach the goals because you don’t want to over exert yourself and make yourself worse for the next few days, or make yourself depressed when you don’t reach your goals which makes your body worse. So set goals that you can reach, so don’t push yourself?? which never helps you to get better….???
There’s a chapter on accomplishments and recognizing how that affects your mood/how you feel about yourself. I suppose if people don’t already know what gives them a sense of accomplishment, this would be a helpful chapter for them.
I don’t know what else should be mentioned.
I’ve done three books on fnd and I’m no better than I was before, I seem to be having a worse time in fact.
The fnd support group I’m in have no positive things to say about this book either… it seems like just the counselors like it. Perhaps when I get some more time in with CBT, the books exercises will come to fruition.
For now, I think it’s just added to the stress of living with fnd because it makes me feel like I’m failing at trying to get better because the book hasn’t worked a miracle when I worked so hard on all the exercises.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews