I Have ADHD Podcast 368 The Hidden Wound of ADHD: Emotional Loneliness at Home with Dr. Lindsay Gibson
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Jan 13, 2026 
In this insightful discussion, Dr. Lindsay Gibson, a psychotherapist and author, dives into the emotional loneliness many adults with ADHD experience, rooted in their upbringing with emotionally immature parents. She uncovers the traits of such parents and explains how children often develop people-pleasing behaviors as coping mechanisms. Dr. Gibson emphasizes the importance of setting boundaries and reinterprets guilt as a signal of emotional coercion. Her insights empower listeners to reclaim their emotional space and foster authenticity in their lives.
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Emotional Loneliness Is A Core Wound
- Emotional loneliness is feeling physically cared for but emotionally unseen, a common wound for adults with ADHD.
- Lindsay C. Gibson says this loneliness signals a lack of emotional maturity in parents, not a child's failure.
Parents' Dysregulation Erases Child Needs
- Emotionally immature parents fear genuine emotion and pull away from closeness.
- Lindsay C. Gibson explains their dysregulation makes children's needs disappear when the parent's agenda activates.
People-Pleasing As Survival
- People-pleasing and caretaking often form as survival strategies in emotionally immatu re families.
- Gibson frames people-pleasing as paying the "price of admission" to keep crucial relationships intact.
