Well thats what I think anyway. I've had epilepsy for over 25 years now. The only way to cope with epilepsy is to have hope and will, isn't being spiritual about that? Hope for goodness and and will to maintain that belief? Whether it be in a god or in yourself?
I'm not a religion person, in fact I don't believe in religion to me its another way to categorize peoples beliefs.
But I do believe in a god a being far greater than us, and I believe in myself and my family. Thats what keeps me going.
And fyi i'm trying out eastern medicine (herbs and roots), thats hope and will for you! (tastes terrible) its only been 2 days. I'll let you know how I go.

I'm from vancouver, canada, and I find spirituality has helped me immensly; probably more so than my meds. Just by changing my thought patterns from negative to positive, and being aware of my inner self, I feel that my seizures have been somewhat reduced because of it. I read some books that had to do with self-help and healing, and instead of seeing epilepsy as a burden, I see it as a blessing (to an extent). I have learned so much about coping and patience and self-love because of my seizures, not that they don't inconvenience me, becuase I do have grand mals and have had for over 11 years. I read something mother theresa said when she was asked to walk in a march against the war in vietnam: she said no, but if they were to have a march for peace, they could count on her support. Maybe this comparison is a little extreme, but if you think about it, visualizing a healthy existense instead of fearing an unhealthy one (i.E., having seizures) seems like a much better use of energy, and I find it does make a difference.

Hi,
i totally believe that a positive frame of mind can make a huge difference. For the longest time I was in denial about having epilepsy. I saw it as a horrible "brand" on myself and therefore wanted nothing to do with talking about it or dealing with the negativity I felt. Then a couple of years ago I suffered from post partum depression which caused a seizure. I saw a psycologist and talking with her made me realize how many issues I had surrounding having epilepsy. Since then i've made a point about being open about it with friends and collegues, figuring that if there's anyone in my life who can't handle me having this condition, then I don't need them in my life anyway. I've learned to love myself and see that I have positive things to contribute to the world, and as I said earlier, having a positive outlook on things has made a big difference for me. I no longer live in fear but live for each moment. Now, that's not to say there aren't still challenging times and emotions to deal with, but trying to see things in the same manner as what was quoted above from mother theresa, is powerful. Finally I am open to help and recently there have been times in church that i've just burst into tears. I don't consider myself to be super religious by any means but really like the support I feel when I do attend church.
In short (after rambling on, sorry) seeing silver linings rather than clouds definately makes a difference.
Kathy