SEIZURE PROTOCOL CASE REPORT
by Alexia Monroe, USA
Intake Notes
Elliott was born July 2009 by an emergency caesarian delivery. His birth weight and muscle tone were low, possibly from the interference of an intra-uterine growth.
His seizures began at 11 months. He was put on medications at 12 months and has been on them continuously. His parents asked the neurologist if there was any alternative to the drugs. He said no, that Elliott would be on them all his life.
Elliott used to have a few seizures a week, and especially when he had a fever. They would last 30 minutes on average, but could last up to 90 minutes. A new drug had reduced the number, but he had breakthrough seizures as he outgrew his dosages.
Currently, he has about two bad seizures a year. He rarely comes out of them on his own; heavier drugs are necessary all but a handful of times. Parents: “We are in and out of the hospital a lot.”
Throughout infancy, his neck would torque to one side. Parents assumed it was due to weakness. He is strongly averse to anyone touching his neck; he squirms mightily to get away from any approaching hands or a washcloth.
Now age 4 1/2, he speaks in simple sentences, such as "I want juice”. He is not potty-trained. However, parents say he is fixated with the potty, wanting to flush every toilet he sees, repeatedly. Mom: “It’s a constant struggle.”
Observations: Elliott walks on his toes with stiff legs and jerky steps, arms splayed to sides. His head cocks to one side or another, and he looks out the sides of his eyes. He has a serious demeanor, no smile. Parents prompt him to say, "Hello Alexia", but he frowns and says nothing. I say, "Oh that’s ok, I’m just happy you’re here."
Session 1 — 06 Dec 2013
I direct Elliott’s attention to the teddy bears I keep for children, with my usual tale: "The bears are so happy whenever kids come in because then they get to receive Bowen. Could you choose one to receive it with you?” He does, and I say, “Well, that’s Mr. Bear, he’s delighted! In fact, he would really like to have his moves first. Is that okay with you?"
I do Low Back moves 1-4 on Mr. Bear, then say “Ok, your turn” and without hesitating, gently do them on him. He moves freely around the room while processing, and comes back in a few minutes without prompting. He stays still for each set of moves, like he’s listening to them, then runs around in between. After processing Upper Back 9-16, he comes back with a scowl and says to his parents, "Go home now".
Dad knows I had planned to address the neck, so he says to him, "How about just a bit more, Elliott?", but I say right away, "No, Elliott’s right; he knows this is enough." Elliott’s scowl eases and he studies me. He repeats softly, "Home now". I give him a smile as I hug his parents.
Session 2 — 20 Dec 2013
Parents report that on the way home from the session, Elliott was uncharacteristically quiet, staring out the window. He had a good sleep. In the second week there was a dramatic change: he potty-trained himself, switching to pull-ups from diapers! No seizures. He was happy to learn they were coming to see me.
I am sitting on a low couch finishing the intake notes when Elliott walks up, solemn, and stands a foot from my face. I say, "Hi Fella. Look, this is all we’ll do today", and I do super-soft Neck moves 5&6 on Mr. Bear (to serve as a continuation of basic balancing). Elliott looks at me silently a few moments, maintaining eye contact. Then, slowly, he leans his head forward to about 8" from my face, offering me his neck! His parents are incredulous and stare wide-eyed. I do Neck 5 & 6 as light skin moves.
He straightens up, then turns and begins moving in an exaggerated jerky fashion, kicking his legs straight out, going all around the room for maybe 3 minutes. He then gives me a tiny smile. On leaving, he tries to say, "Bye Alexia", but can’t quite pronounce it. He leans in sideways and briefly hugs my legs.
Session 3 — 14 Jan 2014 (time gap due to holiday)
No seizures, which is especially remarkable because he’s been sick and had a fever, “which always brings them on, except this time!”, says Mom. Elliott greets me by saying “Alexia” with perfect clarity, while looking somberly in my direction. Dad reports, “Another milestone has occurred. One day he said, ‘I wonder where Mama is’ (parents share custody). He’s never said a sentence like that in his life!”
Elliott voluntarily comes to stand next to me. I say to him, "Ready for one little move?" He simply stays still, and I do Neck move 6. As they leave, he says numerous times, "Bye Alexia", and gives my legs a hug.
Session 4 — 05 Feb 2014
No seizures. Elliott is excited when they arrive, runs around the house, and really wants to flush the toilet. Dad lets him flush it once, then Elliott intones nonstop, "Potty, potty, potty" with a downturned mouth, rocking on one foot forward, one foot back. I distract him by Mr. Bear, and after I do Neck 5 on Bear, he lets me do the move on him. He continues to run around in a hyper way, but says, "Bye Alexia" as they leave and hugs my legs.
Session 5 — 19 Feb 2014
No seizures. Parents report that developmental changes continue to accelerate. He is showing more coordination and more complex speech. As he stands next to Mr. Bear, I do the lateral move on his right neck. He seems nonchalant.
Session 6 — 05 March 2014
No seizures. He stands next to me, calmly, as I sit. I reach toward his neck, questioning silently with my expression. He lets me do the lateral move on his left while he continues to look forward. No plop, but it is a light, complete move. He lets me take a photo of him.
Missed appointment -- 19 March 2014
Elliott had a bad flu, with a temperature of 102º F. He had a small seizure that night, but Dad says, "It was much milder than the usual seizures he gets when so sick, and this one did not last long.”
Session 7 — 05 April 2014
Dad reports that Elliott “has grown up a lot the last couple of weeks”, talking more and moving with more coordination. However, he was written up at pre-school for hitting and pushing, which he does often when frustrated. He really wants to flush the toilet, but accepts distraction. He holds very still as I do Neck 5, which gave a nice soft "plop".
Session 8 — 28 June 2014
Parents could not coordinate schedules to bring Elliott, so eleven weeks have passed instead of four. Elliott had a seizure two weeks ago in the pool. It lasted less than four minutes, considered by parents to be very short. Dad: “There was no fever, but he was maybe dehydrated. In every way, though, he’s doing great, talking more, showing more balance and flexibility. He will be five years old in a week. So many of his OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) behaviors have reduced. He is interacting better with other kids and even talking to strangers in stores.” Elliott casually stands by me and lets me do Neck 6.
Session 9 — 01 Aug 2014
No seizures. As he starts kindergarten soon, he has seen a psychologist to identify his special needs. He received a diagnosis of autism. He remains on all his meds.
Dad: “Elliott has evolved so much, in so many areas: physically, in speech, in listening, in modeling behavior. He sings when I play guitar. He’s using terms like please and thank you at the store without prodding. He is way less explosive; he used to explode about anything. Three weeks ago was his birthday, and we gave him a bike with training wheels. Last week, I was watching him through the window as he played in the yard. He got his bike stuck in the mud. Before, he would just scream until I came. But I watched him make an obvious effort to control his frustration, and he kept working at it until he got it unstuck by himself!”
Mom: “Another milestone is that one evening while he was with me, Elliott said, ‘I want to see Papa’. I said, ‘We will see him tomorrow.’ In the morning, he said, ‘I will see Papa today.’ That was completely new for him, to connect that ‘tomorrow’ is now today!”
He mentions the potty three times, but then lets it go. I do Neck 5 & 6.
Session 10 — 07 Sept 2014
Elliott says "Hi Alexia!" with a big smile. He grabs Mr. Bear and starts marching around the room with him. Dad: “He has been doing beautifully riding his bike, not falling. His movements are more coordinated, and he can run without tripping over his feet. He started kindergarten two weeks ago. No seizures.”
Elliott never mentions the potty nor makes any movement toward it. After I tell him how much Bear is looking forward to getting his Bowen, I get the moves in right away on Bear and then on Elliott, a light Neck 5 & 6.
At this point, he puts Bear on his head and parades around laughing, being goofy. I take a photo of him sprawled on the floor. Then he rises and stands a foot in front of my face, his head straight up instead of to the side. He looks deep into my eyes, and says softly, "Hi Alexia". I respond softly, "Hi Elliott", and we just keep looking at each other, not moving for maybe half a minute, with faint smiles. Dad asks, "How are you feeling, Elliott?" He whispers, "Good.” I whisper, "I feel good, too." He doesn't want to leave.
Phone call from Mom — 03 Apr 2015 (6 months later)
Mom: “I'm sorry I let so much time pass. Life has been crazy. BUT, just to let you know, in the whole of 2014, Elliott only had one seizure, and that was when we tried reducing his meds. But he is doing well in every way. He is strong and interactive and happy. I'm so grateful.”
Visit with Mom “Just to say hi” — 12 Dec 2017 (2 years, 8 months later)
I see Elliott for the first time in three years, as the family had moved away. He’s 8 years old now, and so tall! He smiles and greets me with a straight head and open, calm eyes, “Hi Alexia.”
Mom: “He has been doing incredibly well. He has not had a seizure since that one in 2014. We have been able to gradually reduce his meds, even though the doctors had said we’d never be able to. He was on 5 mg twice a day, and now is at 2 mg twice a day. Soon he will be at 1 mg.
“He is very strong and coordinated, other than in fine motor skills. His development has improved so much that he is in an ‘in between’ classroom, between special needs and regular. He is still weird about his neck or shoulders being touched, and he still has some OCD behaviors like opening and closing doors over and over, and fixates on other little things, but he is easy to redirect. And no toilet flushing, yay!”
I bring out Mr. Bear to say hi. He smiles and holds him by the nose. He asks me, “Do you like Gangnam Style?” I say, “I don’t know!” He asks for my phone, and brings up his favorite rap video by Psy. We listen together and kind of dance in our chairs. I say, “Shall we do some moves for old-time’s sake?” He gives a little smile and nods. I do Neck 5 & 6. We chat some more. We take some photos. We hug and say goodbye.
Email from Mom — 02 Nov 2020 (2 years, 2 months later)
Mom: “Elliott is doing great! He continues to be seizure free!”
Surprise encounter with Elliott and Dad — 08 Feb 2023 (2 years, 3 months later)
I am in a restaurant with a friend, when Elliott and his dad suddenly appear at my table to greet me. I am blown away! Elliott is now 14 years old, tall and composed, with his head straight on his shoulders. As he and his dad interact, I see traces of autism, but he seems relaxed. He looks around my face in general, without eye contact.
Dad: “Do you remember Alexia, Elliott? She’s the one who got rid of your seizures when you were little!”
Elliott looks at his dad with a puzzled expression and asks: “I had seizures?”
Then he looks into my eyes, and I see a faint expression of recognition. I tell him how wonderful it is to see him, and that I have never forgotten the time we spent together. I ask if we might take a photo together. He is quite comfortable to sit down next to me for the photo.
I am still sitting while we say our goodbyes. Elliott walks around me to leave. Suddenly, I feel Elliott’s arms softly hug my shoulders from behind. With no further words, he walks away.
