From Constant Seizures to “Completely Symptom-Free”: Stories of Progress and Hope
Two-thirds of the more than 50 children with epilepsy who have attended our therapy camps to date experienced less frequent, shorter, and less severe seizures afterward. In four cases, the seizures disappeared completely.
Eva’s Story – “Completely Symptom-Free”
Eva* was nine years old when she began suffering from an exceptionally severe form of epilepsy. Since then, she experienced Grand Mal seizures every one to two weeks. During these episodes, she would suddenly freeze, her gaze would turn blank, her eyes would roll upward, and her body would stiffen and convulse violently; meanwhile, she would briefly lose consciousness.
“Sometimes there are calmer phases,” Elena’s mother reported, “but they never last”—even though the young woman was taking the antiepileptic medication Lacosamid as prescribed by her physician, 250 mg twice daily.
Yet, not a single seizure occurred while Eva and her mother attended an AUSWEGE camp in the summer of 2023. She was “completely symptom-free,” as Eva later noted in a patient questionnaire. Her mother was equally deeply moved: “I am incredibly grateful that my daughter made such beautiful progress during this single week.”
Mandy and Doris – Wide Awake and Open-Minded
After Spiritual Healing: Eight-Year-Old Girl Almost Entirely Free of Epilepsy
Since 2015, Mandy*, an eight-year-old girl from Central Hesse, had suffered from severe epilepsy. Conventional medications like Keppra, Valproate, and Lamotrigine kept her seizure-free for two years—but then the child developed drug resistance. She began experiencing convulsions around a hundred times a day. In desperation, the family turned to a healer from the “Auswege” therapist network. After just two to three sessions, “her myocloni reduced to five per day,” the parents reported. “At times, she is even completely seizure-free”—recently for four consecutive days. “Cognitively and linguistically, she is making massive progress.” (Reported in our online magazine “Auswege Infos” 101 / November 25, 2022)
Seizure-Free, Wide Awake, and Open-Minded
In September 1987, Doris* (37) was diagnosed with epilepsy. She took medication for it for around 30 years. Despite this, her condition deteriorated continuously—until 2016, when she decided to significantly reduce her antiepileptic drugs. Since then, her mother reports, Doris’s condition has “improved substantially. She is now much more awake and attentive.” Her daughter now needs “help to trust herself and others again.”
In 2021, Doris attended an “Auswege” camp for the first time. Afterward, she wrote: “I have gained a significant amount of self-confidence. I dare to do more. There is still so much potential in me, and I want to discover it.” She reported “significantly improved communication, fewer epileptic seizures, and better digestion.”
A year later, in autumn 2022, Doris attended a second “Auswege” camp, again accompanied by her mother. This time, a truly spectacular breakthrough occurred: from the very first day, she was completely seizure-free—and remained so until the end of the healing week. She was able to partially reduce or entirely discontinue three antiepileptic medications she had been taking up to that point: Lamotrigine, Levetiracetam, and Topamax. This was accompanied by mental and psychological progress. Her mother described her child as “awake and open-minded,” stating that she was “approaching others more freely.” In facilities for people with disabilities, “there is no space to unfold Doris’s full potential; there she does not feel truly perceived as a woman, but merely as ‘the one with the seizures and falls.’ Here at the camp, however, she feels free, she says.”
Mira – The Days of 20 Seizures are Over
Mira, 5, had suffered from severe epilepsy since her first year of life—experiencing up to 20 seizures a day, around the clock. Medication had no effect. Her cognitive development came to a standstill. However, shortly after her second “AUSWEGE” therapy camp, Mira stopped having convulsions. That was in 2008. To this day, the epilepsy has remained largely gone, aside from brief, isolated relapse episodes. Mira is now beginning to catch up on her developmental delay. (For further details on this case, see Harald Wiesendanger: Nine Days Among Angels, 2008)
Ulla – “No More Seizures Noticed At All”
Ulla*, 12, had been tormented since the age of three by severe epilepsy with absences—brief lapses of consciousness. “Medications brought hardly any improvement,” her mother reports, “the treating physician is at a loss.” However, after twelve healing sessions at the 19th AUSWEGE therapy camp, Ulla was “completely symptom-free—I haven’t noticed any more seizures at all.” During the healing week, her daughter “felt comfortable; in particular, her fatigue has disappeared. She shows interest in many things and can concentrate better,” which she demonstrated, for example, during crafts “that require patience.” Ulla returned from individual treatment sessions “joyfully, with shining eyes.”
The mother, who was involved in the therapy from the beginning, was given food for thought by indications that her parenting might lack confidence and consistency. She was amazed to experience her leg length discrepancy disappear after blockages in her spine were sensed and cleared. Ulla was so enthusiastic about the camp events that she insisted on staying there alone when her mother had to leave early.
Nicky – “He is More and More Present with Us”
Due to a congenital brain malformation, Nicky*, 14, suffered from severe developmental delay and epileptic seizures. In both respects, he had already made astonishing progress during three previous participations in AUSWEGE camps between 2010 and 2013, as our camp doctor noted at the time: “He is calmer, full of contentment, and sometimes even filled with loud joy. He takes a great interest in his environment. In certain situations, he clearly shows happiness or sadness.” His mother confirmed: Her boy had become “much more independent in his actions.” Quite often, “he even stayed alone in his room—which is a huge step forward for him in letting go of me. At night, he slept very well. He has increasingly used his right hand. His mind is much sharper; he can process requests faster. When it was time to say goodbye, Nicky cried heavily; he did not want to go home. This is the first time in his 14 years of life that something like this happened—usually, it was quite the opposite.”
Since Nicky first attended an “Auswege” camp in 2010, he had “become more mobile, attentive, balanced, and peaceful overall; after arguments or tantrums, he recovers faster.” In December 2010, five months after his first camp ended, Nicky’s EEG showed “no more seizure spikes—for the first time since birth. The professor of medicine was very astonished by this.”
As his mother confirmed again in the summer of 2013, “Nicky has had no more seizures since the camps. His motor skills have improved greatly. Also, he has stopped wetting himself since the 2012 summer camp and makes himself understood when he needs to use the restroom.”
Following another camp week in August 2013, according to his mother, Nicky’s “right leg also became much, much better: now he can straighten it almost fully and turn his feet inward independently.”
In May 2014, his mother reassured once more: “Nicky has no more seizures!” From his renewed participation in the camp at the beginning of July, she hoped for further progress in his cognitive development, as well as a more secure gait: after recently undergoing surgery for a flat foot, walking was causing him problems despite daily physiotherapy.
The family was not disappointed during the 15th AUSWEGE camp in July 2014 either. Nicky, now 16 years old, “is more and more present with us,” his mother summarized in her diary, capturing the joyful cognitive progress her boy was making: “He observes very intensely, tries to contribute, seeks contact with other children, is happy and content, and his eyes are bright and clear”—he appears “very alert” and “is increasingly in this world.” Furthermore, “his walking is getting better and better.” From the third day of camp, “swallowing became increasingly easier for him.” An abscess on his testicles, which had been operated on around Whitsun, stopped oozing on the fourth day of camp.
The camp week did them both good: “I don’t think this camp can be topped,” Nicky’s mother noted in conclusion. “From the very first minute to the end, everything was perfect. We felt comfortable; I cannot describe how happy we are—and how sad that the week flew by so quickly.”
Miriam – West Syndrome and “Massive Progress”
In April 2012, four months after her birth, Miriam* was diagnosed with West Syndrome shortly after receiving a vaccination. This is a rare form of epilepsy that is particularly difficult to treat. It typically leads to “BNS seizures” (“Blitz-Nick-Salaam”), which exhibit three main characteristics: lightning-fast myocloni involving primarily the flexing of the extremities, especially the legs (lightning/Blitz seizure); convulsive nodding of the head (nodding/Nick seizure); and the throwing up and bending of the arms, bringing the hands together in front of the chest while the torso bends forward (Salaam seizure). Inpatient treatment with several types of antiepileptic drugs rendered the girl seizure-free for a short time, but multiple seizures per day soon returned.
Fortunately, they disappeared in April 2013 following homeopathic treatment and acupuncture, meaning the little girl was already seizure-free when she arrived at an AUSWEGE therapy camp in May 2013. However, she brought with her a significant developmental delay, which typically accompanies the onset of epilepsy in children. At almost two years old at the time, Miriam could still not sit, nor could she even crawl. According to her parents, physiotherapy and osteopathy had yielded only “minor progress” until then.
During the seven days of the camp, Miriam made astonishing progress: “She is moving more,” noted the lead physician, “both in her stroller and while crawling on the floor. She is more alert, looks with more intent, smiles and laughs more frequently. She has become more lively, perceives her immediate surroundings more strongly, and follows other people with her eyes.” Her parents also experienced her as “more agile, alert, and interested.”
In a follow-up interview in mid-March 2014, the family confirmed: “The camp did the three of us a great deal of good. We met new, interesting people and healing methods and are grateful that something like this exists. Our little Miriam has continued to make progress since then. We believe this is also connected to the camp. We felt how well Miriam absorbed and utilized the energy.”
As Miriam’s parents reported in early April 2014, the little girl had remained seizure-free until the beginning of the year—but then she began to convulse again, initially only occasionally, then every two days, and “currently once a week.” However, these were “no longer BNS seizures, but of a new type that, according to the treating physicians, can be treated more effectively.” Even though her epilepsy flared up again, “Miriam is developing very well. She can now walk with a baby walker and by holding a hand—still quite wobbly, but steadily improving.” She is also making progress in her cognitive development. “However, there isn’t much speech yet, apart from a bit of ‘BABA MAMA DADA’, but not yet with specific intent.”
How did Miriam fare during her next camp participation in May 2014?
“Massive progress,” noted the camp doctor during the initial check-up—and Miriam made even more during the subsequent seven days of treatment. “Although the seizures are still present,” the doctor concluded, “they are less severe, no longer as distressing, and Miriam is less tired afterward. She appears much clearer and more conscious. Her motor skills are becoming more secure, and her urge to move is increasing. She is increasingly making targeted contact with people and is visibly happy about it. She beams at me, seeks eye contact across several tables, laughs out loud, and radiates joy.” At times, changes in her environment caused Miriam to pause for half a minute, closely observing movements.
The girl “is beginning to wake up,” observed a healer who had treated her repeatedly; “she communicates non-verbally, and her movements are much more alive.” The parents confirmed “better contact-making” and experienced their child as “very attentive” during the camp.
Niklas – “More Mobile, Attentive, and Balanced”
Niklas, 14, suffers from brain atrophy, a congenital malformation of the brain accompanied by epileptic seizures and convulsions since birth. “Conventional medical treatments improved his condition temporarily,” his mother reports. Since Niklas first participated in an AUSWEGE therapy camp in 2010, he has “become more mobile, attentive, balanced, and peaceful overall; he recovers faster after arguments and tantrums.” During the healing week, Niklas’s mother, who traveled with him, noticed a “significant improvement” in his epilepsy. Furthermore, she was amazed to witness how her boy became “very self-confident.” His “fine motor skills also improved, and he executes tasks faster.”
In December 2010, five months after the camp ended, Niklas’s EEG showed “no more seizure spikes—for the first time since his birth. The professor of medicine was very astonished by this.” In the following months, the boy continued to receive treatment from a healer within our therapist network; since then, “his fine motor skills and mood have continued to improve.”
Martin – “Not a Single Seizure Anymore”
Prior to attending an AUSWEGE camp in 2012, eleven-year-old Martin suffered from one to two epileptic seizures every day. During the entire therapy week with us in the Black Forest, he experienced only two, with the last one occurring at noon on the third day of the camp. And since then? “There hasn’t been a single one since—not until the end of the camp, nor during the first week back home afterward,” his mother reports. “And this is despite the fact that I have started reducing his antiepileptic medication.”
Speech deficits associated with the epilepsy also diminished during the camp week. “Martin’s speech has improved significantly,” his mother notes in her diary. “He still speaks slowly—probably due to the medication—but he no longer has speech difficulties such as missing, confused, or reversed words. He speaks flawlessly.”
Furthermore, this week brought her boy “so much more: he has become more self-confident and open; he approached others and offered them his help. In general, he looks ‘freer’—he looks at me with very clear eyes, the likes of which I have never seen before.”
Paula – Severe Epilepsy Overcome
Paula* had been suffering from Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome since her eleventh month of life. This is one of the rarest, yet most severe forms of childhood and adolescent epilepsy. As a result, her development was significantly delayed, accompanied by substantial cognitive deficits and autistic traits. Even after attending the AUSWEGE therapy camps in 2009 and 2010, the number of her seizures had begun to decrease; during seizure-free phases, she appeared much more receptive. Consequently, her parents decided to discontinue Paula’s antiepileptic medications and instead focused on supporting their child solely through a healthy diet and medicinal herbs.
During Paula’s third camp stay in 2011, the lead camp physician noted further progress: “Paula now eats and drinks independently, using a spoon. She walks more securely and falls less frequently. She can focus her eyes better and now looks at others directly. She is becoming increasingly aware of her surroundings.” During the nine days of the camp, she experienced only one major and one minor seizure.
Her parents fully confirmed the doctor’s assessment: “From the third day of camp, Paula had no more seizures. Her movements have become better and more coordinated. She is laughing and joking remarkably often, having fun. She is able to keep herself well occupied on her own. During the treatments, she was incredibly patient and attentive. She ate and drank well, and her posture is excellent. Paula is doing very well—and we have found the path that she wanted to show us.”
Ludwig – Under Too Much Pressure
Since the age of four, nine-year-old Ludwig* has suffered from so-called “absence epilepsy,” which is characterized by a brief loss of consciousness lasting five to ten seconds. Those affected spontaneously interrupt their activity, only to resume it immediately after a seizure—frequently, they do not even notice these “lapses.” During the absence, they are disoriented, appear perplexed, and do not speak. Motor phenomena such as movements of the mouth and tongue, blinking of the eyes, and fidgeting movements of the fingers are also observed. Such seizures can occur up to a hundred times a day, sometimes even more frequently. (A 17-year-old girl participated in the 13th Auswege camp in 2013, experiencing up to 150 such seizures per day.) Hyperventilation and emotional tension are triggering factors. Medications “brought no clear improvement,” Ludwig’s parents report.
In 2010, Ludwig was additionally diagnosed with ADHD: “His behavior is massively conspicuous,” his parents said, “he is very restless and always on edge,” which is why he had to change schools twice. Since November 2012, he has been attending a school for children with intellectual disabilities, where he “has been able to settle in well so far; it works well,” the parents report. Behavioral issues “can be managed well because the medication Medikinet—a pharmaceutical sedative—takes effect until lunchtime.”
In both cases, “the symptoms have decreased significantly,” as Ludwig’s parents noted in a questionnaire at the end of an AUSWEGE therapy camp in September 2013. The epileptic seizures occurred less frequently and were weaker. Behavior typical of ADHD subsided: “At the camp, Leon [Ludwig] is very open and sociable,” the parents noted, “we haven’t noticed any aggression here.” The camp physician confirmed in conclusion: “By the end, Ludwig was much more relaxed, he spoke much more freely—evidently, he felt very accepted by the participants and therapists.”
As is frequently the case with ADHD, a dysfunctional family system seems to play a decisive role for Ludwig as well: “Ludwig is a very sensitive boy,” the camp doctor noted, “who is under severe pressure to perform. In his eyes, he does many things wrong because his parents argue so often because of him. Initially, he seemed intimidated and anxious. The father finds it difficult to tolerate his behavior; he always wants to ‘push’ the boy.”
“More Alert and Attentive” (Little Paul)
From his sixth month of life, little Paul had suffered from West Syndrome, a rare form of epilepsy that is particularly difficult to treat. During and after each of the six AUSWEGE camps between 2012 and 2017, his seizures became significantly less frequent, shorter, and less severe. The boy slept through the night again. He became “more alert and attentive, appeared more relaxed and in a good mood, smiled more, and spoke more,” his parents marveled. Initially for several days, and later for five months, the boy was completely seizure-free. His antiepileptic medications were able to be significantly reduced.
Noel – “We Have Been Richly Blessed”
In February 2013, during his sixth month of life, Noel* began experiencing the severe convulsive seizures characteristic of “West Syndrome.” It typically leads to series of “BNS seizures” (“Blitz-Nick-Salaam”) that flash through the body like lightning, exhibiting three distinct characteristics: sudden muscle twitching where the arms and legs shoot upward and forward, moving the head and upper body forward (lightning/Blitz seizure); the head jerking forward abruptly (nodding/Nick seizure); and the arms jerking upward and bending, bringing the hands together in front of the chest (Salaam seizure). During this time, the little boy lost his swallowing reflex; since March 2013, he has had to be fed via a gastric tube.
A quarter of a year later, Noel’s epilepsy reached its peak: dramatic seizures occurred several times a day, lasting from two to six hours (!). The young boy’s daily rhythm back then consisted entirely of sleeping, convulsing, and sleeping. From that point on, his mental and physical development came to a complete standstill. “He completely lacks body control; he cannot move his arms and legs in a coordinated manner and cannot hold his head up,” his mother reported in the spring of 2014. “He barely makes contact with the outside world: he doesn’t smile at you, doesn’t look at people properly, doesn’t follow objects with his eyes, and doesn’t react to sounds.” Naturally, “we tried various medications, but discontinued some of them because they brought no improvement whatsoever.”
In August 2014, the parents visited a therapy camp run by the Auswege Foundation for the first time with Noel and his brother, who is two years older. The results were so encouraging that they participated again a year later. Each time, Noel’s epileptic seizures decreased significantly—occurring less frequently and lasting for shorter periods. Medications were able to be reduced. “There were weeks when Noel didn’t have a single large, visible seizure anymore,” the parents noted. Furthermore, their boy had “truly changed. He has become much more alert. On some days he smiles a lot, sometimes he positively beams. We can see how he is getting more and more energy and waking up. This is an indescribable gift for us.”
Unfortunately, setbacks always followed—and so the parents hoped for a third therapy camp. However, they lacked the money for it. This is where our “Heart Fund” stepped in: it covered the costs for consultation, treatment, accommodation, and meals.
How much the boy benefited from this was summarized by his mother in an email a month later: “He has been doing great for the fourth week now. At first, I didn’t trust this positive development; somehow, I was always afraid that it would get worse again. But his seizures have decreased even further. He hasn’t had any very strong seizures at all in recent weeks. And it is also completely new that his seizures sometimes last only a few seconds—a couple of seconds—and then he is back and smiling. Previously, when he started to convulse, he couldn’t get out of it on his own. He would only calm down after being held in our arms for a while. He has also become even more alert and smiles a lot. His physiotherapist also noticed that something has happened to Noel and that he has developed. (…) We have been richly blessed. I don’t even want to imagine how we would be doing today if Noel hadn’t received a therapy placement with you.”
Matteo – Significant Progress – Did Mom Heal Along with Him?
Three-year-old Matteo* experienced his first epileptic seizures in October 2010 when he was just seven months old. They were extremely severe episodes lasting at least eight minutes, during which the little boy would lose consciousness. “Currently, they mostly occur at night out of his sleep,” his mother reported. Medications brought no relief whatsoever; a clinical report explicitly described his condition as “drug-resistant.” His development was severely delayed, and he did not speak. In the summer of 2012, a speech therapist summarized Matteo’s condition as follows: “No sound formation, no articulatory movements, production of various tones with only moderately appropriate relevance. Tongue movement parameters are not developed appropriately for his age. The eating and drinking situation is not age-appropriate. Perception (…) is restricted.” His pronounced anxiety was evident immediately upon arrival: “For a long time, he huddled on my lap and cried a lot,” his mother recalled.
In all of these areas, Matteo made significant progress during the 13th AUSWEGE camp in November 2013. “The seizures do not occur less frequently, but they are much less intense,” his mother observed. His speech disorder improved “significantly”; he produced “many new sounds” and syllables, and said “‘yes’ and ‘no’ clearly and distinctly for the first time.” He addressed other camp participants by their first names, and on the fifth day of camp, he uttered “Mama!” Furthermore, “he has become more balanced, less tearful, more open, more attentive, and more alert.” There was no longer any trace of anxiety: on the second-to-last day of camp, his mother had to “fetch him from the house pub three times because he simply sat down at the table with strangers.”
Did Matteo’s symptoms also improve because his mother benefited enormously from the camp stay? She had been in psychotherapy for a long time due to an anxiety disorder with panic attacks. From the third day of camp onward, she was increasingly free of feelings of anxiety for longer periods and felt “internally very calm.” She credited our camp with providing valuable “food for thought,” as she noted in her diary: “I have realized that I create many of my problems myself—through my thoughts, my fears, my feeling of not being good enough. I have understood that I must also think of myself and not neglect myself. Because only when I am doing well can I pass that on to my child.”
* Name from AUSWEGE changed
This is part of the healing stories on the website of Stiftung Auswege/Ways Out Charity.