Multimodal vibroacoustic music therapy for functional neurological disorder: The MTFUND clinical protocol and initial impressions from multiple perspectives

Abstract

Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) is a neuropsychiatric condition caused by problems with the functioning of the nervous system, in which patients experience neurological symptoms, resulting in significant functional impairment and distress. The various subtypes of FND categorise the wide range of diverse symptoms common with the disorder, from motoric to sensory and cognitive. The diverse symptom experience, coupled with common comorbidities and risk factors such as anxiety and mood disorders, make it especially difficult to determine suitable individualised treatment plans for FND patients. Literature suggests that multimodal treatment options would have implications for success with this population, due to the ability to integrate the physiological care and psychological needs of patients. The MTFUND clinical protocol utilises multimodal vibroacoustic music therapy, in which the elements (vibroacoustic therapy and active music therapy) meet the need for individualised care due to their inherent flexibility as interventions, while providing a consistent structured treatment protocol. The MTFUND protocol is presented and details regarding the ongoing research study are outlined. To evaluate the protocol, we conducted semi-structured discussions with patients and therapists. Two separate inductive reflexive thematic analyses were conducted to examine their experiences. The themes contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the patients’ experiences with FND, and the therapists’ perspectives on implementing the protocol, ultimately contributing towards evaluating the efficacy of the protocol.