Emotions are part and parcel of everyday life, serving many different purposes…so why do we experience emotions, for example, anxiety?
Curious to learn more? Find out by clicking/copying this link! We hope that you find this information helpful and we are happy to hear your thoughts
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In the next period, we will help you to get to know the Pressure Cooker Model better using the “Pressure Cooker Model ABC”! This approach is intended both for people with and without Functional Neurological Disorder, and can really support you with understanding and making sense of your thoughts, feelings, behaviours and relationships.
We hope that this structure of information sharing will help you learn more about this bio-psycho-social approach to FND, increase your psychological well-being, happy emotions, quality of relationships and just generally “life” 
If you have a question, comment or reflection, you are very welcome to post or direct message the team behind the Pressure Cooker Model page. We are keen for your feedback and we’d love to hear from you
Have you ever used a pressure cooker at home?
Pressure cooker pots are made of sturdy metal, with a lid that covers the pot and a valve to release the steam. Maybe some sticky left-over food that you couldn’t quite remove last time you used it
What do you think would happen if you had a lot of fuel and hot flames under the pot but the lid was way too tight and the valve totally blocked?
Indeed, it would probably explode.
Turns out that we all have our “inner pressure cooker”!
Just imagine that every part of the pressure cooker reflects something important in your body and mind, like in the picture.
Some people find it really hard to express, feel or recognise difficult thoughts and feelings, and keep themselves to themselves (=tight cover).
They may also struggle to release these feelings in other ways (=blocked valve). With those two channels blocked, difficult thoughts and feelings may come out differently – including FND and sometimes in other understandable but unhelpful ways.
Luckily, there are quite a few things that you can do to “open up” your pressure cooker “at the top”, for example:
⇒ call a family member or a friend for a chat
⇒ go out for a dinner or a fun activity with friends, practise a sport, watch a nice movie
⇒ practise with noticing and identifying your emotions, or how different emotions may feel in your body
There is so much more to explore with the Pressure Cooker Model ! But we are taking it easy
The Pressure Cooker Model has launched on social media!
The Pressure Cooker Model is a framework that has been developed to support people with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND). Have you ever heard of FND? It is a condition that affects the neurological system and can result in problems with your speech and walking, how your body feels, your awareness of the world around you, as well as your ability to concentrate and remember.
It is important to mention that people with FND experience genuine and debilitating symptoms. The Pressure Cooker Model helps to understand and treat people with FND by looking at various biological, psychological and social factors (that’s why it’s called a “biopsychosocial” model).
Did you know that the Pressure Cooker Model can also be used if you don’t experience the symptoms of FND? Many people without FND (including the team managing this page!) have found this framework helpful to understand the links between prior experiences, thoughts, feelings, behaviours and the body.
If you are curious about learning more about the Pressure Cooker Model, then stay tuned. In the next period, we will post regular updates on the Pressure Cooker Model that you may find useful and interesting.