Experiences of different seizures: Experiences of different seizures and auras Experiences of different seizures and auras Seizures occur when the brain's normal electrical activity is disrupted. Generally speaking, seizures occur when brain cells are 'over-excited'. The disruption can affect a part of the brain (partial/focal seizures) or the whole of the brain (generalised seizures). "There are at least 40 different seizure types and perhaps as many as 50 and individuals may have one or several different seizure types" - Joint Epilepsy Council, December 2011 H ere young people talk about their experiences of seizures. Most felt that people are generally unaware of the many different types of seizures there are and felt it was important that other people knew more about the full range of epilepsy. An aura - often called a warning - is a sensation which some people get just before they have a seizure. An aura is actually a simple partial seizure (see below) and can occur in isolation, without progressing into another seizure. Most people we spoke with had had auras. Many said they had an aura a few seconds before a seizure, just in time to get themselves somewhere safe, lie or sit down and warn others around them. People described the sensation of an aura in different ways; feeling 'light-headed', 'funny' or 'unwell' and 'sick'. One woman described her auras as feeling 'away with the fairies'. A few people described their auras as 'hand movements' or 'twitches'. Some also described feeling frightened when having