In this engaging conversation, Mattia Maurée, a host and advocate for AuDHD individuals, shares insights from their journey with chronic pain and neurodivergence. They discuss navigating complex emotions and trauma while seeking effective care. The importance of self-advocacy and body awareness comes to the forefront, alongside practical techniques like hypnotherapy to create safe mental spaces. Mattia also emphasizes the power of community support in empowering neurodiversity and fostering personal healing.
The podcast emphasizes the importance of neuroplasticity in personal healing, highlighting how self-compassion and curiosity can foster transformative change.
Matia's journey reveals that the interplay between childhood adversity and physical conditions is crucial for understanding chronic pain and recovery.
Exploring one's identity, particularly in neurodivergent individuals, empowers personal agency, enhancing safety and ownership in the healing process.
Deep dives
Neuroplasticity and Self-Compassion
The concept of neuroplasticity plays a crucial role in personal healing and recovery, emphasizing the brain's ability to reorganize itself through experience. Simple techniques rooted in self-compassion and curiosity can foster this change, allowing individuals to cultivate a healthier relationship with their bodies and minds. Integrating a shame-free approach enables individuals to explore their feelings and experiences without the burden of guilt or judgement. By understanding that healing is a journey, one can embrace the power of incremental progress and self-acceptance.
Personal Pain Recovery Journey
The journey of pain recovery can be complex and multifaceted, often rooted in traumatic experiences and mental health challenges. Individuals like Matia highlight the impact of childhood adversity on chronic pain, describing how internalized trauma coupled with physical conditions can lead to debilitating pain. Acknowledging the connection between physical symptoms and psychological history is vital for comprehensive healing. By recognizing the layered nature of their experiences, individuals can start to develop personalized coping strategies and healing practices.
Navigating Identity and Agency
Understanding one's identity, particularly for individuals who are neurodivergent, can significantly impact their relationship with pain and recovery. Matia's reflections on transitioning and exploring gender identity reveal how personal agency can lead to physical and emotional healing. Feeling empowered to assert one's identity and needs can alleviate tension and create a safer internal environment. This sense of agency allows individuals to take ownership of their healing journey, making decisions that align with their unique experiences and needs.
Finding Safety and Comfort
Creating a sense of safety is essential for individuals dealing with chronic pain and trauma, especially when exploring coping mechanisms. Techniques such as establishing a mental safe space can aid in dissociation from pain and provide a much-needed break from overwhelming sensations. This practice enables individuals to connect more deeply with their feelings of safety, addressing their needs without judgement. By cultivating environments—both mental and physical—that feel safe, individuals can navigate their pain and experiences more effectively.
Empowerment Through Knowledge and Community
Empowerment through knowledge is crucial in the pain recovery process, allowing individuals to advocate for their needs and experiences effectively. Understanding that they are the experts of their own bodies fosters a sense of control over their healing journey. Community support can amplify this empowerment, providing spaces for sharing experiences, learning from others, and building connections. Engaging with like-minded individuals not only offers validation but also inspires hope through shared stories of resilience and recovery.
Today's conversation with Mattia takes us through their journey with chronic pain, feeling better, and the ways they navigate their inner mindbody conversation as someone with AuDHD + PDA. We touch upon themes of neurodivergence, gender transition, resourcing inner + external safety. We chat about using hypnotic techniques to decrease a sense of threat/unsafety that may accompany disorders like ehlers-danlos syndrome and POTS.
Thanks to Deb for sharing this episode: full show notes here
The show notes link above has many resources about successful healing from related conditions
