Lesson 1513: Crisis and Acute Exacerbation Management Procedures
Duration:75 minutes
Topic Introduction:
This lesson focuses on the most dangerous and out-of-control moments of conversion disorder/functional neurological disorder (FND): the management process for crises and acute exacerbations. Many people have similar experiences: just a few days ago they were managing to cope, but in a certain moment they suddenly can't walk, can't stand, tremble all over, can't speak, can't see clearly, have rapid breathing, or even experience near fainting and confusion; bystanders panic and are at a loss, some are taken to the emergency room repeatedly, while others are accused of "it's happening again" or "acting," while you yourself oscillate between fear, shame, and helplessness. This course will not replace any emergency, neurological, or psychiatric evaluations, nor will it teach you how to assess emergency medical situations at home. Instead, it helps you establish a simple process to follow during crises and acute exacerbations, working in collaboration with a professional team: which situations require immediate medical attention, which are previously evaluated functional episodes; how to discuss a "safety plan" with your doctor beforehand to avoid completely improvising each time; how to divide responsibilities during a crisis: who is responsible for monitoring the body, who is responsible for communication, and who is responsible for managing emotions; and how to handle the "aftermath" after the event: recording and adjusting, rather than just blaming yourself. The goal is not to make you "never have an episode again," but to provide more clarity and protection even in the most chaotic moments, knowing what to do next.
▲ AI Interaction: Write your own "Crisis Management Draft v1.0"“
Please don't aim for a final draft right away. Instead, work with the AI to write a "Crisis Management Draft v1.0," which can be revised later with doctors and therapists. Please follow these steps:
① Review 1–3 of the most severe acute exacerbations or similar “attacks” that have frightened you or your family members in the past year, and briefly describe: what you were doing before the attack, where you were, who was present, and what the most noticeable symptoms were (e.g., falling, limb weakness, tremors, syncope-like symptoms, not speaking, vigorous hyperventilation, etc.).
② Write down how others reacted at the time: Did someone immediately call an ambulance? Did someone scold you for "doing it again"? Did someone try to comfort you? Did someone freeze in place, not knowing what to do? Also write down how you felt about these reactions afterward.
③ Based on the doctor's explanation to you (if there is no professional explanation at present, write "no"), write down the warning signs that you remember that "you need to seek medical attention immediately/call the emergency number"; then write down the "safe coping steps that can be taken during a functional episode" that the doctor or therapist has provided (if any).
④ Try starting with "If a similar situation occurs next time, I hope the process will be like this:" and write down your ideal 5-8 steps, including: what to confirm first, who is responsible for what, under what conditions to seek medical attention immediately, under what conditions to assist you in stabilizing gradually according to the established plan, and how to record and schedule follow-up afterwards.
⑤ Finally, write 3-5 sentences expressing your expectations and concerns about this "draft": Are you worried that others will not cooperate? Are you worried that doctors will not take it seriously? Are you worried that you will not be able to do it? Also, write down one piece of support you most want from the professional team (such as revising this draft together, writing out medical instructions for family members, etc.).
After submission, AI will help you: ① Organize and compile a clearer text version of the "Crisis Process Card"; ② Identify key gaps that need further discussion and confirmation with doctors and therapists; ③ Draft several short explanatory statements that can be printed on small cards and carried with you.
○ Musical Guidance: After a crisis, use a soothing melody to help you recover.
The real crisis doesn't just happen in the most severe few minutes of symptoms; it often lingers long afterward. You might spend the whole day replaying the scene, worrying that "next time will be worse," blaming yourself for "scaring everyone again," your body remaining on high alert, unable to sleep or eat properly. If this "aftershock period" isn't properly managed, it can easily make the next attack even harder to handle. The music exercises in this lesson aren't about forcing yourself to listen to music in the middle of an attack, but rather a time specifically designed for "gathering your mind and body" in the 24–48 hours following a crisis.
Practice Method: After an acute exacerbation has passed and medical safety has been confirmed, choose a relatively quiet and undisturbed time (such as later that day or the next day) and play a piece of music about 10-12 minutes long with a steady melody and gentle timbre. Treat it as a "crisis recovery song." In the first half, you only need to do three things: ① Acknowledge that something really scary or uncomfortable just happened, not deny it; ② Gently scan your whole body from head to toe, find three parts that are still tense, and silently repeat to yourself, "I see you are still tense"; ③ Let your gaze rest on a safe object in the room (such as a lamp, a painting, a soft pillow), reminding yourself, "I am back here now."
In the latter half, you can gently perform some small movements to the accompaniment of the music: such as slowly rotating your shoulders, gently clenching and relaxing your fists, and placing your feet more firmly on the ground. You don't need to go through the details; just tell yourself, "That's over now, and what I'm doing now is cleaning up the mess." If you wish, you can also write down a short sentence or two near the end of the music to record your physical and emotional state at this moment.
When such "crisis cleanup" musical rituals occur repeatedly, you will gradually experience that even if some things cannot be completely prevented, after each event, you can choose to clean up your mess in a less destructive way, rather than letting the aftershocks spread indefinitely.
○ Eastern Healing Tea: Brew a cup of calming tea for the transition before and after a crisis.
Crises and acute exacerbations are often related to a sudden imbalance between mind and body: stress suddenly reaches its limit, sleep/eating is severely disrupted, environmental stimuli exceed tolerance levels, the nervous system is like being struck by a heavy hammer, and the whole body is forced to express itself in extreme ways. We cannot prevent a crisis from happening with just a cup of tea, but we can prevent the period "before and after a crisis" from being completely out of control. This course, respecting your physical condition and medical advice, invites you to design a "stabilizing tea" for yourself, to be used during two special periods: ① when you feel you are approaching your limit; ② within 24 hours after an acute exacerbation has passed.
After consulting with a professional, you can choose a tea that is suitable for your constitution and not too stimulating: such as fragrant oolong, mild white tea, light green tea, or a combination of herbs that suit you (such as chrysanthemum, a small amount of jasmine, osmanthus, etc.). The principle is "clear but not drying, warm but not greasy". When you feel that you have not been sleeping well for several days in a row, are overwhelmed by tasks, or the frequency of symptoms has increased significantly, you can deliberately set aside 10-15 minutes to do only one thing: brew this cup of tea, sit down and drink it slowly, without checking your phone or messages, simply let your body feel "I am pausing for a while".
After the crisis, this cup of tea becomes a "return to home": once medical safety is confirmed, brew yourself a cup, and while drinking it, consciously return to the three simplest sensations: temperature, aroma, and the feeling in your throat and stomach. You don't need to deal with complex emotions at this time; just silently tell yourself: "This cup of tea is neither a reward nor a punishment, but simply a reminder that I am still alive and deserve to be slowly settled."“
When you repeatedly brew this cup of tea at moments like "taking a break when you can't hold on any longer" and "giving yourself a gentle transition after a crisis," you are helping your nervous system learn that there is more than one path: collapse. Between tension and release, there can be a buffer zone.
○ Chinese Food Therapy: A Bowl of Porridge to Help Your Body Reset Its Basic Energy Before and After a Crisis
After a crisis and its acute exacerbation, the body often feels severely depleted: some people experience extreme fatigue, body aches, and difficulty concentrating for several days; others lose their appetite completely after the shock, wanting to eat but unable to, or only managing to survive on snacks and sweets. If a gentle and stable supply of energy is not provided during this period, the next crisis is more likely to occur sooner. This lesson, without replacing medical and nutritional advice, invites you to use a simple, long-term, recurring bowl of porridge to help your body "reboot its basic energy" before and after a crisis.
Based on your doctor's and nutrition advice, you can choose one or two types of porridge that are relatively easy for you to accept, have a soft texture, and are not too irritating to your stomach, such as millet and pumpkin porridge, yam and lotus seed porridge, oatmeal and vegetable porridge, or a light porridge with a small amount of lean meat or shredded chicken. The key is not to have a variety of options, but to be willing to maintain a "small daily ritual" in the days before and after a crisis: no matter how chaotic the day is, try to have this bowl of porridge around the same time.
If you feel that even getting out of bed to eat is difficult, you can talk to your supporters and ask them to help prepare this bowl of porridge for 1-3 days after the acute phase. They won't force you to finish it, but only invite you to "take a few bites at a time," and give yourself some time to observe between each bite: how your stomach feels, whether your strength has slightly returned, and whether your dizziness has changed. You can write a simple note in your symptom logbook: "Day X after the crisis, ate/did not eat/ate how much," gradually shifting your attention from "that terrible attack" to "whether I was fed today."
When you are willing to hold onto this bowl of "basic energy porridge" for yourself even during the most difficult days, you are telling your body: even if I have just gone through something terrible, I will not completely abandon you; we can slow down, but we will not give up taking care of you.
Restore physical strength
Rebuilding daily life
Healing Recipes
/home2/lzxwhemy/public_html/arttao_org/wp-content/uploads/cookbook/congee-1513(Alternatively, you could try relaxed="1" or use an existing filename.)
○ Theme Mandala: Observe the path "from the central explosion point to the safety boundary" (observe, do not draw)
Please choose a mandala with a relatively dense central pattern that gradually loosens outwards. Simply observe it; you do not need to draw it. You can consider the center of the mandala as the "crisis tip," while the outer concentric circles symbolize "different levels of vigilance and safety boundaries."
While viewing, first focus your gaze on the center of the mandala for a few seconds, coordinating with your natural breathing, and silently repeat to yourself, "Yes, I have indeed experienced, and may experience again, such a breaking point in my life." Then, gently shift your gaze to the first circle, imagining it as a state where things are just beginning to go wrong, but haven't fully erupted yet: sleep has noticeably worsened, minor physical symptoms have become more frequent, and emotions are noticeably tense, but not yet at the point of collapse. You can pause at this circle for a moment and ask yourself, "If I stop at this circle next time, what can I do?"“
Next, slowly move your gaze to the outermost circle of patterns, imagining that circle as a "safe boundary": there you'll find a doctor you can contact, friends you can tell the truth to, breathing/relaxation/distraction tools you've practiced, and the crisis process cards and aftermath plans you wrote down in previous lessons. You don't need to see everything at once; just linger on a place with a gentler texture and softer color, and silently say, "Next time I slide towards the center, I want to try using these things to block it."“
Mandala drawing is not about drawing something, but about observing: observing how you acknowledge that there are indeed dangers and breaking points in your life, while also allowing yourself to see that beyond the breaking points, there are circles that can be pulled back, and you are practicing making these circles clearer.
[mandala_gallery1513]
○ Chinese Calligraphy - Clerical Script: "Even in a Crisis, Remember the Procedure" Practice
The practice sentences for the clerical script in this lesson are:
“"Even in a crisis, remember the procedures."”
In moments of true crisis, the mind often goes blank, leaving only fear or numbness; in retrospect, one always thinks, "If only I had done it this way." This lesson uses the clerical script as a practice medium, hoping to instill a sense of "process" into muscle memory through each stroke. The broad horizontal strokes and steady, flowing lines of the clerical script are well-suited to conveying the idea of "even in chaos, grasping some order."
When writing the words "encountering a crisis," allow those past harrowing moments to gently surface: the sound of ambulances, the lights of the hospital, the gasps or helplessness of bystanders, the misunderstanding in their eyes. Let these images glide across the paper with your pen, while telling yourself, "That was really tough for me." When writing the words "remember the process," deliberately slow down, making the horizontal strokes wider and the endings more stable, as if paving a path for yourself to follow—not for perfect execution, but so that in the next chaos, you won't completely lose your way.
Once completed, you can paste this calligraphy in a visible place: for example, on the first page of your notebook, inside your medical record folder or first aid folder, or in a conspicuous but not inconspicuous corner of your home. When discussing crisis procedures with family members or a therapist, you can also spread this calligraphy on the table to remind everyone that the procedure is not a cold rule, but rather a way to protect a real life in the most chaotic moments.
○ Art Therapy Guidance: My "Crisis Red, Yellow, and Green Light" Diagram
Draw a vertical strip on a piece of paper and divide it into three sections: the top section is colored red and labeled "Red Light: Seek immediate help/medical care"; the middle section is colored yellow and labeled "Yellow Light: Increased alertness, prevention and buffering measures needed"; and the bottom section is colored green and labeled "Green Light: Relatively stable, but basic care needs to be maintained".
In the green zone, write down some habits or resources that help you maintain stability: regular eating and sleeping, basic activities, regular check-ups, a consistent supporter, course practice, journaling, etc. In the yellow zone, write down warning signs that indicate you are approaching your limit, such as: several consecutive nights of severe insomnia, a significant increase in the frequency of symptoms, certain stressful events approaching, or the emergence of thoughts of self-harm or lying down completely. Next to these, write down the "yellow light response checklist": such as reducing tasks, contacting your doctor in advance, using relaxation techniques learned in previous lessons, and recording and seeking help.
In the red-light zone, write down examples of situations where you and your doctor have confirmed that "immediate help/medical attention is required" (Note: Please fill this out based on the professional advice of your doctor or therapist), and the first step of your prepared "crisis process card": who should be notified, how to explain, and what documents or medication information to bring. You can use short arrows to mark possible paths "from yellow light to red light" and "from red light back to yellow/green light," reminding yourself that even if you get to the red light, there is still a chance to gradually return to yellow or green in the future.
This "red, yellow, and green light map" doesn't need to be beautifully drawn; it just needs to be understandable and useful to you. You can discuss it with family, trusted friends, or your therapy team, and post it in a place you consider safe, making it a shared "crisis map."
[arttao_Healing_Course_tts_group1511_1515]
Lesson 1513 - Log Guidance
① Reflect on one or more crises or acute exacerbations you have experienced so far, and write down the most important moments in 5-10 sentences: what happened, who was present, and what your strongest feelings were at that moment.
② Try to honestly write down which aspects of the incident you "did very well/tried your best" (e.g., sought help in time, successfully made it to the hospital, and were willing to follow up for a check-up afterward), rather than just listing all the "things you did poorly." Write down at least 3 points.
③ Based on the content of this lesson, write a "Crisis Management Process Draft v1.0" for yourself, condensing it into 6-8 simple steps, using conversational language as much as possible, assuming that you or your family can read it directly in the future.
④ Write down when and how you plan to take this draft to discuss with professionals: What kind of response and suggestions for revision do you most want to receive from them? What are you most worried about them saying? Please write them down as well.
⑤ Finally, write 3-5 sentences to the version of yourself who "is left with only shame, self-blame, and exhaustion after every crisis": What do you want to say to that version of yourself? What practical protective measures are you willing to promise for that version of yourself (e.g., actually writing down the procedures, actually discussing it with a doctor, actually having a family member read it to you)? You want that version of yourself to remember: Crises are terrible, but you don't have to be lost in them alone forever.
Please log in to use.
When you stop viewing each crisis as a pure failure and instead earnestly establish a discussable and adjustable handling process for yourself, you can find solace in music and the healing power of Eastern tea, reconnect to your life's rhythm with a bowl of restorative porridge, observe the multiple layers "from the tipping point to the boundary" in a mandala, write down every stroke of "remember the process even in a crisis" in clerical script, and create your own "crisis red, yellow, and green light map" through painting, you will no longer be just someone "swallowed up by every thrilling scene," but will gradually become someone "who knows how to protect themselves in danger and is willing to collaborate with professionals and those around them," reserving more space for yourself to protect amidst the ups and downs of overcoming obstacles.
EN 
ZH 
ES 
FR 
JA