ADHD as Nervous System Adaptation

When we think of ADHD, we often define it as a list of symptoms: distractibility, impulsivity, hyperactivity. But what if this view is incomplete? What if ADHD is not a deficit at all, but an intelligent set of adaptations your nervous system made to survive in a world that didn’t feel safe?

In this episode of Trauma Rewired, we’re joined by Mari De Luna, certified Neuro-Somatic Intelligence practitioner and trauma coach specializing in neurodivergent clients. Mari sits down with Elisabeth and Jennifer for a deep and practical conversation about how ADHD patterns, from time blindness and emotional dysregulation to addiction and sensory overwhelm, are rooted in nervous system adaptations, and how healing begins with honoring those patterns, not fighting them.

Together, we explore why ADHD is not an attention disorder but a regulation disorder, how sensory processing differences impact burnout and fatigue, and why tools like proprioceptive training and nervous system regulation are game-changing for ADHD healing. Mari also shares her personal experiences of managing ADHD, burnout, and coping mechanisms, and how reframing these patterns as survival intelligence changed her life.

This episode is not about fixing ADHD. It’s about building compassion for your nervous system, learning to regulate and resource it, and understanding that you can thrive with your neurodivergence, not in spite of it.

If you’ve struggled with overwhelm, chronic burnout, time blindness, or addictive coping patterns, this conversation offers hope, tools, and a new way to see your brain and body.

Topics discussed in this episode: ● Why ADHD is a nervous system adaptation ● The sensory overwhelm driving ADHD patterns ● How time blindness and burnout are linked to sensory processing ● Emotional dysregulation as a nervous system response ● Complex trauma’s impact on executive function ● ADHD, addiction, and coping behaviors ● Proprioceptive training and prefrontal cortex activation ● How to build inhibition and safety in the nervous system ● Why neuroplasticity makes ADHD healing possible ● Honoring your body’s intelligence and adaptations

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