Through theatrical proposals that combine emotional interaction, humor, awareness, and art, we aim to convey to healthcare professionals the experiences of patients with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) and other undiagnosed chronic conditions. My goal is to create a lasting impact that transforms the perception of these illnesses, fosters greater sensitivity, and promotes positive changes in clinical practice and research.
As a multidisciplinary artist and experiential expert in FND, I have experienced medical neglect after being diagnosed with “something functional,” highlighting the limitations of the healthcare system and persistent stigmas, especially towards women. FND, previously known as conversion disorder, has historically been misunderstood, often seen solely as a psychosomatic issue.
Theater emerges as an effective tool to raise awareness, increase visibility, and reflect on functional neurological disorders and conditions with unclear diagnoses. Through:
Humanization of the patient experience: Monologues and scenes invite the audience to step into the shoes of those facing these conditions, fostering empathy and a deeper understanding.
Emotional and introspective learning: Complex concepts are communicated in an accessible way, addressing not only the medical dimension but also the human, social, and emotional impact of these illnesses.
Questioning medical beliefs: I address the mind-body dualism, the history of the concept of “hysteria,” and gender stereotypes, promoting a view aligned with the biopsychosocial model.
Spaces for dialogue: Presentations are complemented by conversations and participatory debates, enriching the comprehensive understanding of these conditions.
The ultimate goal is to break down barriers, combat stigma, and promote holistic medical care. To maximize the impact of theater at your event, we propose various presentation formats tailored to your needs:
Presentation of fragments from Something Functional and/or Hysteria: Selection of key scenes focused on the patient experience and the history of hysteria.: Selection of key scenes focused on the patient experience and the history of hysteria.
Complete Monologue: Full presentation or in segments, offering a comprehensive reflection.
Customized Theatrical Experience: Creation of a tailored experience, combining excerpts and monologues with interactions.
Short Interventions: Brief presentations to complement round tables or workshops.
Integration with Discussion: Space for dialogue and reflection following the presentation.
Live Testimonials: Interaction with real patient experiences, promoting enriching dialogue.
This flexibility allows us to design an experience that emotionally and conceptually connects with the audience, fostering greater awareness and reflection.
The opinions of health profesionals and scientists.
The presence of Maisa Perk at our round table was key to making visible, from art and the embodied word, how Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) overflows traditional clinical language. Her intervention managed to convey the complexity of living with a disease that is invisible to a mainly biomedical audience. His poetry and sensitive language open paths of understanding and empathy, constituting a direct contribution to research in biomedicine. His story about the construction of his own knowledge in the face of medical abandonment was fundamental and he claimed the active participation of patients and communities in the production of knowledge and the improvement of health services”
Francisca Casas-Cordero Ibáñez. Scientific Culture Unit, Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) on th fragments from “Something Functional” and “Hysteria” combining with the patient experience”.
The play Something Functional, stages what many keep silent: the fear of diagnosis, the loneliness of the patient, saying what hurts, what scares, what we keep silent, difficult decisions. It is a space where health is shown from the emotional, the real and the everyday. Educating. Touches. Transforms. In theater, a well-represented scene can break down stigmas, open questions, encourage care, and make the invisible visible. Something functional, it’s not just theater. It is a mirror. A bridge capable of bridging the distance between “the patient” and “the person”. It humanizes, invites dialogue and collective reflection. It is where medicine meets the voice of the patient. Because there are truths that do not fit in a scientific article. And pain that cannot be explained by diagnoses. But when someone represents them on stage, like Maisa, then medicine is no longer just science. And when the curtain falls, the audience leaves with a story that beats inside.
Reflections on excerpts from “Something Functional“ by Andrea García. MD Neurologist. Vithas Madrid Neuroscience Institute. Fellowship in FND and FMD
“Something Functional ” helps us as doctors to grasp the medical-psychosocial difficulty people living with an FND endure. It shows the importance of our medical role on their journey, especially when listening to symptoms scarcely objectifiable through the diagnostic tools taught in medical school. “Something Functional“ underscores the fact that contemporary medicine is losing the humanism which drives all physicians to pursue this profession.
Dr. Eva Llach Gelpí, family physician specialized in neural therapy, orthomolecular nutrition, naturopathy, and homeopathy at Cos Cooperativa de Salut discussing “Something Functional,” the complete play.
Maisa Sally-Anna Perk is an artist who invites you to inhabit her skin and allows you, for mere moments, to directly experience what living with an undiagnosed illness feels like. Her poetic interpretation of an intimate yet deeply nuanced and reflective text turns her performance into a profoundly sensitive and perceptive experience. It is a powerful example of how performing arts can create awareness, empathy, and dialogue within the realm of healthcare.
Reflections on excerpts from “Something Functional“ by Irene Roura García, mental health nurse, hypnotherapist, and coach specializing in support for individuals with Functional Neurological Disorders. FND Hope.
The fragments of Algo Funcional that I saw in the first act of TNF visibility seemed to me a powerful and moving proposal, which uses theatrical language with sensitivity and intelligence to open a space for deep reflection on the body, health and medical experience. “Something Functional” is a work that sublimely represents the reality of the suffering experienced by patients with functional disorders. Told by her protagonist in the first person, Maisa is able to transmit all the mixture of sensations that the patient experiences. A way to raise awareness among the public and society about these complex disorders.
Dr. Víctor Gómez Mayordomo, neurologist with special dedication to Movement Disorders and Disorders on the basis of and co-director of the Neuroscience team, Blua Sanitas Hospital “Something Functional”.
“Something Functional” is a story worthy of occupying the training space of the Neurology and Psychiatry Units of this country, which work with patients with TNF, that is, all of them. Too often, many of these health services are still unaware of the idiosyncrasies of this pathology, the diversity of its manifestations, as well as the consequences that prejudice and lack of training of health personnel have on the lives of people who suffer from it.”
Judith Saldaña, Neuropsychologist of Cos health cooperative about the work “Something functional”
A work with feeling, passion and a lot of truth. Maisa perfectly reflects the challenge we have as a society to address health in a systemic way. Taking into account all the factors that influence health and portraying the failure of our health system to address functional neurological disorders.
Álvaro Guiter Martínez. Physiotherapist specialized in the approach to persistent pain and TNF from Hospital Vithas, on fragments of “Something Functional”.
Maisa Sally-anna Perk is an artist who invites you to inhabit her skin and allows you, for a few moments, to feel first-hand how an undiagnosed disease is experienced. His poetic interpretation of a text that is close and at the same time full of nuances and reflections, turns his intervention into a deeply sensitive and perceptible experience. A powerful example of how performing arts can generate awareness, empathy and dialogue in the field of health.
Clàudia Fernández. Scientific Dissemination. Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) on Fragments of “Something Functional” and “Hysteria” combining with the patient experience.
“Algo funcional is an emotional, deep and humorous work, in which the intimacy of someone who suffers from a functional neurological disorder is shared closely, gradually entering this reality from different angles. An emotional journey that brings us closer to a reality unknown to many.”
Carolina Liniado, family therapist, Cos Health Cooperative on “Something functional” the complete work.
