Common Terms
Words matter—especially when you’re navigating something as complex as Functional Neurological Disorder. This glossary turns medical jargon into plain-language definitions you can trust, so you can focus on feeling understood, asking informed questions, and taking confident next steps.
Last Updated: May 30 2025
A
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) — A therapy that helps you notice difficult thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them, then choose actions that align with your values.
Accessibility — Designing resources so everyone, regardless of symptoms or abilities, can easily understand and use them.
Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) — The part of your nervous system that automatically controls things like heart rate and breathing, and plays a big role in stress and calm states.
B
Body‑Based Approach — Any technique that works through movement, breath, or touch to calm the nervous system (e.g., gentle physiotherapy, yoga, tai chi).
Bodily Distress Disorder (BDD) — An ICD‑11 diagnosis where ongoing body symptoms cause distress and daily disruption, even after major disease is ruled out.
Boom-Bust Cycle — The pattern of pushing hard on good days (“boom”) and then needing long recovery time (“bust”).
C
Care Team — The group of professionals and support partners who work together on your wellness plan.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) — A structured talk therapy that teaches practical ways to change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors.
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) — A chronic pain condition that sometimes occurs alongside FND.
Conversion Disorder — An outdated medical term once used for FND. We use “Functional Neurological Disorder” instead.
D
Daily Living Strategy — A Fit + Function resource that offers real‑world tips for managing everyday activities with FND.
Dissociative Seizure — Another name for Psychogenic Non‑Epileptic Seizure (see PNES).
E
EEG (Electroencephalogram) — A test that records brain-wave patterns; in FND, results look normal even during a functional seizure.
Eight Dimensions of Wellness — A whole‑person framework we use to organize content: Physical, Emotional, Social, Intellectual, Occupational, Financial, Environmental, and Spiritual wellness.
Emotional Wellness — Understanding, accepting, and managing your feelings.
Environmental Wellness — Creating safe, calming spaces that support your health.
Evidence‑Based — Backed by high‑quality research rather than anecdote or opinion.
Expert Interview — A Fit + Function content type featuring insights from clinicians and researchers.
F
Financial Wellness — Managing money matters in a way that reduces stress and supports health goals.
Flare — A short spell when your usual FND symptoms suddenly get worse.
Functional Movement Disorder (FMD) — A movement‑focused form of FND that may cause tremors, jerks, or gait changes.
Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) — A brain‑body communication problem that leads to real symptoms—such as seizures, weakness, or movement changes—despite normal scans.
Functional Overlay — When FND symptoms sit on top of another neurological condition (e.g., epilepsy), making the picture more complex.
Functional Seizure — Seizure‑like episodes in FND. They look like epilepsy on the outside, but brain‑wave tests are different. Also called PNES or dissociative seizures.
Functional Somatic Syndromes (FSS) — A family of conditions—like fibromyalgia and irritable‑bowel syndrome—where body symptoms happen without clear tissue damage.
Functional Weakness — Real muscle weakness that changes from moment to moment because of mis‑signals between brain and body, not because the muscle is damaged.
G
Graded Exposure / Graded Activity — A step-by-step plan to rebuild confidence and ability by gently increasing a challenging activity.
Graded Exercise Therapy (GET) — A structured program that slowly increases physical activity; once common, now used cautiously because results are mixed.
Grounding — Simple techniques (like feeling your feet on the floor) that bring attention to the present moment and calm the nervous system.
H
Healthcare Provider — Any licensed professional involved in diagnosis, treatment, or support (e.g., neurologist, physiotherapist, psychologist).
I
Interoception — Your brain’s ability to sense internal body signals like heartbeat or hunger; often targeted in FND therapies.
Intellectual Wellness — Engaging in mentally stimulating activities that expand knowledge and skills.
J
K
L
Lived Experience Story — A Fit + Function article where someone shares their personal journey with FND to offer hope and practical tips.
M
Mindfulness — Paying attention, on purpose and without judgment, to the present moment.
MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) — A scan that shows the brain’s structure; in FND, it usually looks normal because the problem is in function, not damage.
Multidisciplinary Care — Treatment that brings together experts from different fields to address FND from many angles.
Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) — A group of specialists—like neurologists, psychologists, and physiotherapists—who work together on complex cases.
N
Neurologist — A doctor who specializes in the brain and nervous system and often leads FND diagnosis.
Neurobehavioral Therapy (NBT) — A rehabilitation program that retrains movement and thinking patterns to reduce FND symptoms.
Neuroplasticity — The brain’s ability to change and create new connections—a hopeful engine for recovery.
Neuroplastic Exercise — A practice (movement, breath, or mind-body task) designed to help the brain build healthier pathways.
Non-Epileptic Attack Disorder (NEAD) — Another name for Functional Seizure (also called PNES). It describes real seizure-like episodes that look like epilepsy on the outside, but brain-wave tests are different. See Functional Seizure / PNES for details.
O
Occupational Wellness — Finding purpose and balance in work, volunteering, or daily roles.
P
Pacing — Balancing activity and rest to avoid the “boom-bust” cycle of overdoing it one day and crashing the next.
Physical Wellness — Caring for your body through movement, sleep, and nutrition.
Polyvagal Theory — A science model explaining how the vagus nerve influences feelings of safety or threat in the body.
Psychogenic Disorder — A broad historical label that implies symptoms come only from the mind. Considered stigmatising and imprecise.
Psychogenic Non‑Epileptic Seizure (PNES) — FND seizures that look like epilepsy but have different brain signal patterns.
Q
Quality of Life (QoL) — A broad measure of how satisfied you feel with your daily functioning and wellbeing.
R
Recovery & Management — A Fit + Function content category focusing on strategies to reduce symptoms and boost everyday functioning.
Research Translation — A plain‑language Fit + Function summary that turns new scientific findings into practical guidance.
Resource Summary — A concise overview of books, podcasts, or videos with takeaways for living well with FND.
S
Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) — A listening therapy using filtered music to help the nervous system feel safer and more regulated.
Self‑Regulation — Skills that help you notice and shift your physical or emotional state toward calm.
Sensorimotor Retraining — Therapy that retrains how the brain plans and senses movement to reduce FND symptoms.
Sensory Grounding — Using senses—like noticing three things you see or hear—to bring attention back to the present moment.
Social Wellness — Building healthy, supportive relationships.
Somatic Exercise — Movement or posture practice that focuses on sensing and releasing body tension.
Somatic Symptom Disorder (SSD) — A condition where ongoing body symptoms cause a lot of worry and life disruption, even after doctors rule out major disease.
Somatic Tracking — Paying gentle, curious attention to a symptom in the body to help the brain “recalibrate” its alarm signals.
Support Partner — A friend, family member, or caregiver who actively helps someone living with FND.
Symptom Diary — A daily log of symptoms, triggers, and improvements that guides personalized care.
T
Trauma‑Informed Care — An approach that assumes past trauma may influence current health and prioritizes safety, choice, and empowerment.
Trigger — Anything—like stress, noise, or lack of sleep—that can set off or worsen FND symptoms.
U
V
Vagus Nerve — The longest cranial nerve, central to Polyvagal Theory, that influences calm, digestion, and heart rate.
W
Whole‑Person Approach — Looking at physical, emotional, and social factors together, rather than treating symptoms in isolation.
Window of Tolerance — The nervous-system zone where you feel calm enough to think clearly and move well; outside it, symptoms often flare.
X
Y
Z
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Language evolves quickly. If you come across a term that isn’t here—or a definition that doesn’t feel right—please email info@fit‑function.com so we can review and update.