Emotion and dissociative seizures: A phenomenological analysis of patients' perspectives

•This qualitative study examined emotions in patients with dissociative seizures.•Patients showed remarkable insight into their emotional difficulties and strengths.•Over- and underregulation of affect was described ('shutting down', 'explosions').•Emotions were perceived as inconsistently related to seizure occurrence.•Traumatic experiences and stress precipitated seizure onset in many cases.

Quantitative research has indicated that patients with dissociative seizures (DS) show altered responses to emotional stimuli, in addition to considerable emotional distress and dysregulation. The present study sought to further explore emotional processes in this population, to extend previous findings, and to provide a phenomenological insight into patients' perspectives on these issues. Semistructured interviews were carried out with 15 patients with DS, and the principles of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) were adopted in data analysis. Key themes elicited included: i) general emotional functioning; ii) adverse (stressful/traumatic) life experiences; iii) the role of emotions in DS; iv) relating to others; and v) resilience, protective factors, and coping mechanisms. The clinical and theoretical implications of the findings are discussed.