Preliminary Findings from a Mindfulness-Based Intervention in Patients with Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures

Background/Objectives: Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) are seizure-like episodes not caused by abnormal brain activity, often linked to emotional dysregulation, dissociation, and altered interoceptive awareness. Standardized treatments are limited. This study aimed to explore the feasibility and preliminary psychological effects of a group-based mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) in individuals with PNES. Methods: This single-arm, pre-post pilot study (no control group) enrolled fifteen participants in two cycles of an 8-week MBI delivered either in-person or online. Twelve participants completed pre/post self-report assessments of depression (BDI-II), anxiety (STAI-Y1), perceived stress (PSS-10), sleep quality (PSQI), dissociation (DES-II), meteoropathy (METEO-Q), mindfulness (FFMQ), and interoceptive awareness (MAIA). Results: The intervention was well tolerated (dropout rate: 20%). Trend-level, non-significant improvements emerged for depressive symptoms (p = 0.092, r = 0.564) and sleep quality (p = 0.078, r = 0.591). A significant reduction was observed in the FFMQ Describing subscale (p = 0.045, r = 0.697). No significant changes were found in anxiety, perceived stress, or interoceptive awareness, although certain MAIA subscales indicated small, non-significant increases. Conclusions: Despite the limited sample size and absence of a control group, these preliminary findings support the feasibility and acceptability of MBIs for PNES, warranting further controlled investigations.