| Old thought | “Oh no—what’s happening to me. Am I going to die during one of these attacks?” | “I’ve got MS; I’m going to end up in a wheelchair. No one believes me” | “My spine is damaged, I must avoid moving too much in case it makes it worse” |
| New thought | “I’m having something a bit like a panic attack” | “Mmm … this is odd but it looks as if I can get better.” | “My bones are fine, its my muscles that are stiff and out of condition” |
| Old behaviour | Avoid going out, tendency to succumb to blackout as a way of getting rid of horrible warning symptoms | Seeing lots of specialists, not doing very much in case it makes it worse | Avoiding exercise/back movement |
| New behaviour | Try out distraction techniques during warning symptoms | Gradually exercise, learn to expect relapses | Gradually exercise, change sleep patterns |