WHO WE ARE
Tremors, weakness, gait changes, sensory changes, or nonepileptic seizures can be some of the most frightening and isolating symptoms to live with– especially when they arrive suddenly, don’t match a clear diagnosis, or leave doctors without a clear explanation. At Black Hills Somatic Solutions, we provide specialized, neuroscience-informed care for Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), grounded in current research and a genuine understanding of what you’re experiencing.
Functional Neurological Disorder is a real, recognized condition involving how the brain and nervous system function, not a sign that something is being imagined or exaggerated. We help you understand what’s happening, why it’s happening, and how treatment can support your nervous system’s ability to change.
OUR APPROACH
FND is more common than people realize. It’s estimated to be the second most common reason people see a neurologist, right behind headaches – yet many people spend months or even years being passed between specialists before they ever hear the term.
If you’re living with FND, you may have already had extensive testing, been told your scans look normal, or sensed that a provider didn’t quite know what to do with your symptoms. That experience can be exhausting and disorienting, especially when the symptoms themselves are so disruptive to your daily life.
At Black Hills Somatic Solutions, we start from a simple premise: your symptoms are real and they deserve a real explanation. FND reflects a genuine disruption in how the brain and nervous system send and interpret signals throughout the body. Understanding that mechanism can make your symptoms feel less confusing and give you a clearer path forward.
UNDERSTANDING THE TERMINOLOGY
You may have encountered other terms for these symptoms, including “conversion disorder” or “functional neurological symptom disorder.” Conversion disorder is an older, Freudian-era term rooted in the idea that psychological distress was being “converted” into physical symptoms. While it’s still used in some medical settings and diagnostic manuals, it carries decades of stigma and can leave people feeling like their symptoms are being dismissed as purely psychological, or worse, not real at all.
Functional Neurological Disorder is the term we use because it better reflects current scientific understanding: FND is a genuine problem with how the nervous system functions, not a matter of imagination, exaggeration, or what’s sometimes dismissively called being “hypochondriac” or “psychosomatic.” Those framings don’t reflect how we understand or treat FND at Black Hills Somatic Solutions. Your nervous system is producing these symptoms in a way that is understandable and treatable.
THE BRAIN, BODY, & NERVOUS SYSTEM
Your brain is constantly sending and receiving signals that control movement, sensation, and awareness throughout your body. In FND, something disrupts the normal flow of that communication. The pathways involved in movement and sensation are still intact, but the way the brain is directing and interpreting them has changed.
Standard imaging and neurological testing often don’t show damage in FND, because the disorder isn’t caused by structural injury to the brain or nerves. Instead, it involves how the brain is functioning and communicating with the rest of the nervous system, which is why symptoms can appear and shift in ways that feel confusing or unpredictable.
For many people, FND symptoms emerge during or after a period of significant stress, illness, injury, or overwhelm. Once a symptom pattern develops, the nervous system can continue producing it even after the initial trigger has passed. Over time, the pattern can become familiar to the brain and body, even when the original trigger is no longer present.
This doesn’t mean FND is “all in your head” or something you’re doing on purpose. It means the brain and nervous system are involved in a way that current research is still working to fully understand, and it means that symptoms produced this way can also change through the right kind of treatment.
WHAT FND CAN LOOK LIKE
FND symptoms can vary widely from person to person, and you don’t need to experience every symptom listed for this approach to be relevant to you.
Physical & Neurological Symptoms
Thoughts & Emotions
Daily Life & Functioning
WHO WE HELP
Black Hills Somatic Solutions works with individuals experiencing:
You don’t need a confirmed diagnosis to reach out. Many people come to us while still in the process of understanding what they’re experiencing, and we’re glad to have that conversation with you wherever you are in that process.
OUR TREATMENT APPROACH
FND often benefits from an approach that considers your symptoms, emotional experience, and nervous system together. Depending on your needs, treatment may incorporate:
Understanding how FND develops in the brain and nervous system can make symptoms feel less frightening and more manageable, and it often gives people their first real sense of why this has been happening.
Somatic therapy helps you build awareness of the physical sensations connected to your symptoms, giving you more information about your patterns and more ways to respond to them.
CBT can help you work through the fear, worry, and avoidance that often build up around unpredictable symptoms, and support you in responding to triggers with more flexibility.
For many people, stress or difficult life experiences play a role in how FND develops. Trauma-informed care considers how those experiences may continue to influence your nervous system and symptoms.
FND often benefits from care that’s coordinated with your neurologist or other medical providers. We work alongside your broader care team when appropriate to support a well-rounded approach to treatment.
WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT
The goal of therapy isn’t to convince you that your symptoms aren’t real or to promise they’ll disappear overnight. It’s to help you understand what’s happening, reduce the fear and uncertainty surrounding your symptoms, and support your nervous system’s ability to change.
Learn how FND develops and what that means for your specific presentation.
Build a different relationship with flare-ups, triggers, and uncertainty, rather than being controlled by the fear of them.
Gradually reconnect with movement, activities, and routines that FND may have disrupted.
Feel more confident talking about your symptoms with medical providers, family, and others in your life.
Work toward returning to the work, relationships, and activities that matter most to you.
WHY BLACK HILLS SOMATIC SOLUTIONS
FND is still widely misunderstood, even within parts of the medical community, which can leave people feeling like they have to fight to be taken seriously. At Black Hills Somatic Solutions, that’s not something you’ll have to do.
FAQ
Functional Neurological Disorder is a condition involving real physical symptoms, like tremors, weakness, gait changes, sensory changes, or nonepileptic seizures, that results from how the brain and nervous system are functioning rather than from structural damage or disease.
They refer to the same underlying condition. Conversion disorder is an older term, historically associated with the idea that psychological distress was being converted into physical symptoms. Functional Neurological Disorder is the term currently preferred by most clinicians because it better reflects the modern understanding of how the nervous system is involved.
Not always, and not in a direct way. For some people, stress, illness, or difficult life experiences play a role in how symptoms first develop. For others, no clear trigger is identified. Either way, FND involves genuine changes in nervous system functioning, not just a psychological reaction to stress.
Yes. Because FND involves the brain and nervous system, therapy that addresses that connection, education, and somatic awareness can help some people reduce symptoms and improve daily functioning.
Not necessarily. Many people come to us at different points in their diagnostic process, including some who are still being evaluated. We’re happy to talk through your symptoms and history and help you understand whether our approach may be a good fit.
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YOUR PATH TOWARD HEALING
Starting therapy can feel overwhelming, especially if you’ve spent months or even years searching for answers. At Black Hills Somatic Solutions, we’re here to guide you through every step of the healing process with compassion, education, and personalized care.
step 01
Every healing journey begins with understanding you. We’ll take the time to listen to your experiences, explore your symptoms, and learn about the factors that may be influencing your nervous system.
step 02
We’ll help you make sense of the brain-body connection and explain how your nervous system may be contributing to persistent pain, anxiety, sleep difficulties, or functional neurological symptoms. Understanding what’s happening is an important part of moving forward.
step 03
Using evidence-based therapies like Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT), somatic therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and CBT-I, we’ll develop a treatment plan tailored to your unique needs and goals.
step 04
As you learn new skills and retrain patterns within the nervous system, you’ll gain confidence in your ability to manage symptoms, feel more connected to your body, and continue your healing long after therapy ends.
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