Let's Talk FND

06/10/2026

"What's happening to me?"

If a client with FND asked you that tomorrow, how would you answer?

It's a question we hear clinicians wrestle with a lot. Finding words that are clear and validating, working out where to start, untangling FND from pain, fatigue and anxiety... it's a lot.

If that sounds like you, you're definitely not alone. It's the number one thing clinicians tell us, and yes, we've been there too! Confidence with FND takes time, and that's okay 💙

That's why we're so happy to be teaming up with The Hummingbird Centre, who are hosting our live webinar:

✨ From Uncertainty to Understanding: Building Confidence in Working with FND ✨

We'll be chatting about all things FND including assessment & formulation, how to explain FND with care, comorbidities and their impact, where psychological and physical interventions can begin and overlap, and how to work well with the rest of the treating team. Combining mind and body so you'll get both perspectives side by side.

Whether you're brand new to FND or just want to feel more sure of your footing, we'd love to see you there.

📅 Thursday 15 October 2026
🕘 9:00–11:00am AEDT, live online
🎥 Can't make it live? You'll have 90 days to watch the recording

Find out more and register here: https://www.hummingbirdcentre.com.au/event/from-uncertainty-to-understanding-building-confidence-in-working-with-functional-neurological-disorder-fnd/

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Daniella and Elizabeth
Let's Talk FND

Hummingbird Centre

Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) is increasingly recognised across neurological, psychological and allied health settings. Despite this growing awareness, many clinicians report uncertainty about how to understand, explain and support people […]

30/08/2026

Knowing what FND is does not necessarily mean knowing how to treat it

One of the most frustrating things about living with FND can be hearing:

“We understand what FND is, but what can we actually do about it?”

We have made a lot of progress in understanding FND.

We know that FND symptoms are real, involuntary and related to changes in how the nervous system is functioning.

But understanding why symptoms happen is only the beginning.

The next question is:

What might be keeping these symptoms going?

For some people, this might involve:

→ Fear of symptoms
→ Avoiding activities because they feel unsafe
→ Constantly monitoring the body
→ Feeling constantly on alert for symptoms
→ Reduced activity or deconditioning
→ Pain or fatigue
→ Or a combination of several different factors

And importantly, these factors are not the same for everyone.

This is why treatment for FND shouldn't be one-size-fits-all.

Two people can have the same FND diagnosis but need very different things from treatment.

A good formulation helps you and your treating team understand:

What is happening for you?
What might be keeping your symptoms going?
And what can we work on together to support your recovery?

This is also why FND care often works best when different professionals work together. Psychology, physiotherapy, neurology and other members of your treating team can each contribute a different piece of the puzzle.

There isn't one psychological treatment that will be right for everyone with FND.

Your FND is real. Your experience is individual. And your treatment should be individual too.

We still have a lot to learn about how best to treat FND, particularly for people living with complex or longstanding symptoms.

But the conversation needs to move beyond simply:

“What is FND?”

and towards the much more important question:

“What will help you move towards recovery?” 💙

27/08/2026

Does chronic FND mean poorer treatment outcomes?

One question that often comes up when working with people who have lived with FND for a long time is:

“Does having FND for longer make recovery less likely?”

A recent 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis by Thomas et al. looked at treatment outcomes across different FND presentations and specifically examined the role of symptom chronicity.

The findings are really interesting:

Longer symptom duration was associated with somewhat smaller improvements in motor symptoms and physical quality of life.

But importantly, people with longer-standing FND still experienced meaningful improvements across a range of outcomes.

This is an important message for both clinicians and people living with FND.

When symptoms have been present for a long time, there may be more established patterns of avoidance, reduced activity, fear of symptoms, deconditioning or increased symptom monitoring. These factors can make treatment more complex.

But complex does not mean impossible.

It reinforces the importance of looking beyond simply how long someone has had FND and asking:

What is maintaining the symptoms now, and what can we change?

Early recognition and appropriate intervention are important. But we also need to be careful not to assume that someone with longstanding FND has somehow “missed their window” for recovery.

People with longstanding FND still deserve access to treatment, rehabilitation and the opportunity for meaningful change.

We still have much to learn about how best to support people with chronic and complex FND, but the message from the research is encouraging:

Chronic does not mean untreatable. 💙

https://neurologyopen.bmj.com/content/7/2/e001150

24/08/2026

What the research gap is telling us

We don't yet have a single, agreed set of tools that every FND service in Australia uses to measure how people are doing.

What does that mean for people living with FND?

It means that two people receiving care in different parts of Australia might have their progress measured in very different ways, or sometimes not measured at all.

And this matters.

Because measuring outcomes isn't just paperwork.

It helps us understand whether treatment is helping, what is helping, and where more support is needed.

It also helps build the evidence we need to advocate for better FND services, more funding and greater access to care, particularly for people living in regional and rural areas who may already have to travel significant distances to access specialist services.

Good FND care deserves good evidence.

And behind every outcome we measure is a person, a family and a recovery journey.

People living with FND deserve to have their progress seen, measured and counted. 💙



https://lnkd.in/gT23KcRp

19/08/2026

The daily life nobody sees

What does a Thursday look like for you?

Not the symptoms. Not the diagnosis. The actual Thursday.

Can you make breakfast? Get dressed without needing to rest? Get through a school run, a workday, an afternoon with your kids?

FND takes so much more than movement or sensation. It takes the shape of your day. Your independence. The things you used to do without thinking.

Occupational therapy is built around exactly this, helping people reclaim the daily life that illness has disrupted.

Pacing strategies. Sensory tools. Graded activity. Getting back to work, to hobbies, to the small things that make life feel like yours again.

You deserve support that sees all of that. Not just the diagnosis, but the life it's disrupted.

That is what good FND care looks like. 💙



https://jnnp.bmj.com/content/91/10/1037.long

16/08/2026

Recovery is possible — and it starts with safety

Recovery from FND is real.

Not easy. Not linear. Not guaranteed. But real and possible for many people who access the right support.

What does that support look like? The research is actually quite clear.

It looks like a team who understands FND -
A neurologist who explains it properly.
A physio who knows how to retrain movement without reinforcing fear.
A psychologist who understands the nervous system, not just the mind.
An OT who helps you rebuild the daily life that FND has disrupted.

But running through all of it is safety.

Physical safety. Relational safety. The safety of being believed.

Your nervous system knows the difference. And so does the science. 💙



Recovery is real. And it starts with safety.

FND prognosis and treatment outcomes —
https://neurologyopen.bmj.com/content/bmjno/7/2/e001150.full.pdf
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12625163/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10272915/

24/06/2026

Stress does not just live in your thoughts.

It lives in the body too.

In the breath.
In the muscles.
In the heart rate.
In the gut.
In fatigue.
In the way the body prepares for threat before the mind has found the words.

For people with FND, the relationship between stress and symptoms is not simple.

Not everyone with FND has trauma.
Not every flare is caused by stress.
Not every symptom has an obvious trigger.

But the nervous system does respond to load.

Physical load.
Emotional load.
Sensory load.
Social load.
Medical uncertainty.
Years of not being understood.

That load is real.

And it deserves care that understands the whole person.

If you are newly diagnosed or still trying to understand FND, our free First-Steps Guide may help you prepare for clearer conversations with your treating team.

https://www.letstalkfnd.com.au/fnd-first-steps-guide

22/06/2026

When your nervous system is running too fast, shutting down, or swinging between both, everything can feel harder.

Thinking.
Moving.
Resting.
Sleeping.
Coping.
Explaining what is happening.

This is why nervous system regulation matters in FND-informed care.

Regulation is not about being calm all the time.

It is about helping the body feel safe enough to respond, learn and participate.

For some people, this may include pacing, grounding, breath awareness, sensory strategies, movement retraining, psychological support or occupational therapy.

The right approach depends on the person.

But the principle is important:

An overwhelmed system often needs support before it can take on more.

If this helps you understand your nervous system differently, the Building Your FND Recovery Roadmap education series goes deeper into Why Me, Why Now and What Works.

https://www.letstalkfnd.com.au/Building_Your_FND_Recovery_Roadmap

General education only. Please seek individual advice from your own health professionals.

12/06/2026

The mind-body connection.
It is a phrase many people with FND have heard before.

And sometimes, it has been used in ways that feel dismissive — as if symptoms are “just stress” or “all in your head.”

That is not what it means.

The mind-body connection is not a way of doubting your symptoms.

It is a way of explaining how deeply connected the brain, body, nervous system, emotions, movement, sensation and threat responses actually are.

Your symptoms are real.

Your body is not pretending.

Your nervous system is part of a living, biological system that is constantly interpreting signals from inside and outside the body.

In FND, that system can become disrupted. Signals can be misread. Movement can feel unfamiliar. Sensations can become amplified. The body can feel unpredictable.

This does not make your experience less real.

It gives us a clearer way to understand it.

If you are trying to make sense of FND, our 3-part patient education series explores:

Why Me?
Why Now?
What Works?

Explore Building Your FND Recovery Roadmap here:

https://www.letstalkfnd.com.au/Building_Your_FND_Recovery_Roadmap?cid=f7e71c55-53d7-47c2-bd40-218b8cb28ecf

General education only. Please speak with your own treating health professionals about your individual care.

07/06/2026

For many people with FND, the hardest part is not only the symptoms. It is trying to explain symptoms that other people cannot easily see or understand.

Weakness.
Tremor.
Fatigue.
Speech changes.
Sensory changes.
Walking difficulties.
Seizure-like episodes.

When scans are normal, people can be left feeling even more alone.

But a normal scan does not mean nothing is happening.

FND is about function — how the nervous system is working — not simply structure.

This is why good education matters so much.

When the explanation makes sense, people often feel less confused and better prepared to talk with their clinicians about next steps.

If someone in your life is trying to understand FND, you are welcome to share this post with them.

You can also download our free First-Steps Guide here:
https://www.letstalkfnd.com.au/fnd-first-steps-guide

(Please note: this is general education only. This resource does not replace medical assessment, diagnosis or individual treatment advice.)