Epilepsy and the Electric Spirit
Epilepsy Society features in BBC Radio 4 documentary
Presenter Daniel Kramer opens his documentary, Epilepsy and the Electric Spirit describing having a seizure. He’s at a bus stop on his way to a party and he’s carrying a large cheese plant. As the bus draws up, he notices the left side of his vision has gone completely hazy and scrambled. He waves the bus on and starts to power walk back to his flat. Daniel knows he is going to have a seizure. He also knows he won’t make it back home in time so he lies down on the pavement, puts his jacket under his head as a cushion and calls his girlfriend to come and find him. Daniel vividly describes what happens to him as his body convulses and he then loses consciousness.
This documentary is not about the science but the experience of epilepsy and the perception of people with the condition and society’s view. Epilepsy is often seen as being invisible until it becomes very visible when someone has a seizure. Daniel spoke to several people about their unique take on their shared epilepsy.
Daniel takes listeners through an epileptic seizure, what it feels like, how it’s been understood and why it matters. Speaking to different people, Daniel explores how epilepsy affects people differently and the types of discrimination they have faced over history. From its depiction in the Bible to first-hand accounts of how a seizure affects a person, the documentary explores personal experiences and social attitudes.
He came to the Epilepsy Society to learn more about epilepsy and the role of the charity and spoke to a colleague about our Helpline and the way we can support people. It also features Adam and Sunil, who have shared their stories with us. The comedian Jake Lambert also features sharing part of his latest stand-up set where he talks about having a seizure while sitting in a lecture hall at university.
Neurologist Rajendra Kale described the history of epilepsy as “4000 years of ignorance, superstition and stigma, followed by 100 years of knowledge, superstition and stigma” and the documentary shows that people still face discrimination. Daniel speaks to people with different seizures, a neurologist and how people assume that anyone with epilepsy has tonic clonic seizures. Daniel shares how a seizure physically affects people, what they do and don’t remember and the physical pain experienced.
He acknowledges the fear of epilepsy, both for the person worried about their next seizure and for the people who witness someone having one. Daniel concludes the documentary by speaking to his girlfriend who saw him having a seizure. They hadn’t spoken about what had happened before but it is truly illuminating when she shares her memories.
You can listen to the documentary of BBC Sounds. Please note that there are detailed descriptions of seizures which some listeners might find distressing: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0033dn8