ADHD for Smart Ass Women with Tracy Otsuka

EP. 335: Healing the ADHD–Trauma Burnout Loop with Dr. Lorre Laws

Jun 4, 2025

Dr. Lorre Laws, a bestselling author and integrative nursing professor, discusses the complex relationship between trauma and ADHD, especially for high-functioning women. She emphasizes that you can't out-organize trauma or burnout, but healing begins with awareness and simple practices like breathwork. Lorre shares her personal journey of connecting trauma to ADHD and offers compassionate tools for emotional regulation. The conversation also highlights the importance of community support and embracing ADHD strengths in the healing process.

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ANECDOTE

ADHD Discovery Through Daughter

Lori Laws realized her ADHD traits only after her daughter was diagnosed and pointed them out.
Despite a clear trauma history and masking, she initially scored "perfect" on an ADHD test and was not diagnosed.

INSIGHT

Unhealed Trauma's Lasting Impact

Unhealed trauma is stored in the body and affects brain function and behaviors.
Healing involves nervous system regulation and neuroplasticity to shift from survival to thrive mode.

INSIGHT

Trauma is Threat to Safety

Trauma is any event that threatens or is perceived to threaten safety.
The nervous system responds whether the threat is real or perceived, triggering survival modes.

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You can’t out-organize trauma. You can’t schedule your way out of burnout. But you can begin to heal, and in doing so, everything else starts to shift.

Dr. Lorre Laws has spent over three decades helping people do just that. Known affectionately as “Dr. Lorre,” she’s a bestselling author, integrative nursing professor, and founder of The Haelan Academy, a nonprofit that supports trauma recovery and holistic well-being. She’s also a woman with ADHD who knows what it’s like to look calm on the outside while feeling dysregulated, scattered, or stuck on the inside.

In this conversation, she and Tracy explore how trauma and ADHD often intertwine, especially in women who have spent years high-functioning their way through stress, disconnection, and self-doubt. They talk about the nervous system’s role in attention and emotion, why so many ADHD women push themselves past the point of depletion, and how healing often starts with something as simple as breath and awareness.

Dr. Lorre shares powerful insights from her journey, what changed when she finally connected the dots between trauma, ADHD, and burnout, and how she now helps other women do the same. She offers concrete, compassionate tools for slowing down, listening to your body, and shifting out of survival mode… without shame or overwhelm.

This episode is for every woman who’s ever thought, Why can’t I just get it together? You’re not broken. You’re not lazy. You’re likely just carrying more than your nervous system was ever meant to hold—and this conversation will help you start to set it down.

Resources:

Website: drlorrelaws.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/drlorrelaws
Facebook: www.facebook.com/drlorrelaws

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