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There are many meditation techniques, but all of them have the same aim, which is to still the mind by emptying it of thoughts and anxieties. Many people manage to ward off migraine, for example, by meditating when they feel an attack coming on. Although there have been no studies to prove conclusively that meditation reduces seizure frequency, it seems logical to expect that it might help to ward off seizures, as we know that many people find seizures are more likely to occur when they are in an anxious state or under stress.
If you want to learn to meditate you can either take a course or join a group from one of the organizations that teach a meditation technique. Or you can practise this do-it-yourself mantra meditation method. Choose as your mantra a neutral word or sound which has no emotional overtones for you; it does not matter what it is.
Sit with your eyes closed and your back straight in a quiet room on an upright (but comfortable) chair.
Repeat your mantra silently to yourself, focusing all your attention on it. When thoughts come into your mind (which they will) do not actively try to banish them, but simply let them come and go, trying not to let yourself follow them.
Perform this exercise morning and evening each day if you can, and gradually you will find that it is easier to empty your mind of distracting thoughts. Practise for five or ten minutes at first, aiming to work up to 20 minutes meditation twice a day eventually.

Some people find it easier to empty their mind by focusing their attention on a visual image rather than by listening to a mantra. The principle is the same: to calm your mind by emptying it of thoughts and worries. You can also use a candle flame to help you. Look at the flame for a minute or so, then shut your eyes and keep your attention on the after-image which will appear in your mind. This after-image will change in colour and shape, but just watch it quite silently, all the time keeping your mind quiet.
Once you have become used to meditating, use it just as you would any other counter measure – whenever you feel a seizure is starting, or in any seizure-prone situation.
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A person who has had two or three seizures does not necessarily need treatment. For example, an adult who has two or three generalized tonic-clonic seizures (grand mal fits) in a two-week period and who might lose his job if he had a seizure at work requires early treatment, whereas a child who has cerebral palsy and learning difficulties and who had had two partial seizures six months apart does not necessarily require treatment with anti-epileptic drugs. Remember also that there are people whose seizures can be clearly attributed in part to a non-recurring cause. For example, seizures may begin for the first time whilst the person is on an antidepressant drug, such as amitriptyline, which is known to induce seizures in some people. Clearly the drug is not the only factor. Thousands of people take amitriptyline without having seizures. In those who do, the drug presumably acts on those with a low seizure threshold. Nevertheless it would seem reasonable to see how such a person gets on without antidepressants, before prescribing anti-epileptic medication. Other precipitating factors, if specific, such as occur in epilepsy induced by television may be avoided, and make anti-epileptic medication unnecessary.

It is therefore important that each patient is considered as an individual. The choice of whether or not anti-epileptic medication should be used is made in equal partnership between patient (or parent) and doctor. For example, a woman may wish to avoid anti-epileptic medication if planning a pregnancy even though her chances of further seizures are high.

One common decision that has to be made is whether or not to start anti-epileptic medication after a single seizure in an adult, often for which no clearly defined precipitating factor can be identified. It used to be advised that ‘one seizure did not make a diagnosis of epilepsy’. Although true by definition, the risk of a second seizure is in adults as high as 78% over the next three years, the risk being its highest in the first few weeks. Recent trials have shown clearly that an anti-epileptic drug given after the first seizure does significantly reduce the chances of a second. Patients should be offered the choice of anti-epileptic medication at this stage, with a clear explanation of the risks of further seizures and the relative drawbacks of medication, even though a number will decide to take their chances.

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