AuDHD Flourishing

Chronic shame makes us feel all kinds of terrible things that often are the triggers that send people to therapy.It's caused in part by relational rupture without repair, especially as an infant and child.While there's no quick fix, recognizing the signs and beginning to gently work with it does help over time.This is episode 10 of a series of 10 that started with 102 AuDHD Therapy That Works with Joe SostaI'm working on some more materials to pull all these episodes together in a useful way and will add that here when they're done! Crisis Resources:USA-based anonymous crisis chatInternational crisis linesVarious types of crisis resources in about 10 countriesMy Medium article, "Please Stay, We Need You"Mentioned in episode: Book Understanding and Treating Chronic Shame: Healing Right Brain Relational Trauma (I recommend this 2nd edition, affiliate link)Whack-a-Mole Workshop slides/notes and recordings (latter is free & requires free login; a downloadable PDF is also available there on Patreon)AuDHD Flourishing resources:Transcript DocMattia's NewsletterLike Your Brain community space (Patreon/Discord) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Darren Glencross, a UK-based writer and coach, shares insights from his journey of neurodivergence and his innovative framework that moves beyond traditional medical models. He discusses his concepts like Pattern Language and Inner Orbit with 12 satellites, emphasizing community-led approaches. The conversation touches on creating supportive environments, the significance of non-pathologizing language, and the unique strengths of neurodivergent individuals. Darren invites listeners to engage with resources that harness their brain strengths and promote self-acceptance.

This conversation dives deep into the unique challenges faced by individuals with autism and ADHD in managing projects. It emphasizes the shift from the adrenaline-anxiety approach to a more sustainable, monotropic method. The importance of experimentation and crafting personalized structures is highlighted. Listeners learn to navigate their brain states and manage distractions effectively. Additionally, the discussion introduces the Love Your Brain course, focusing on self-compassion and tailored processes for overcoming project hurdles.

This ep also available on YouTube"use more lube:" do what you need to do to make life easier, more comfortable, and more pleasurable for you in the moment.This goes beyond sensory needs, though that's often where we start.You may not be sure what you want on the grand scale (or it feels impossible to get there). But being kind to yourself, and meeting your needs moment-to-moment, helps create a communication feedback loop with the body.Better communication and care for the body makes everything easier.ep. 8 in an interconnected 10-episode seriesMentioned in episode:Free Workshops registration linkLove Your Brain course (& Sep-Oct live round details)Resources:Transcript DocMattia's NewsletterLike Your Brain community space (Patreon/Discord) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Intuition has been a way to interface with my body, even when the relationship with my body was contentious.While I won't share the trauma stories that led to the subtitle (Intuition Saved My Life), I have a variety of examples of how unconscious information can surface in a useful way.ep. 7 in an interconnected 10-episode seriesMentioned in episode:Free Workshops registration linkLove Your Brain course (& Sep-Oct live round details)Resources:Transcript DocMattia's NewsletterLike Your Brain community space (Patreon/Discord) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It often feels easiest to do what's right in front of us. And that's lovely, a lot of the time, and uses our strengths!And... it starts to feel bad if we're in whack-a-mole mode almost all of the time, and don't have spacious time to comprehend the whole of our experience.This ties into our sensory needs and leans more into the psychological side of these needs.Mentioned in episode:Free Workshops registration linkLove Your Brain course (& Sep-Oct live round details)Resources:Transcript DocMattia's NewsletterLike Your Brain community space (Patreon/Discord) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Maria Bowler recently published the book Making Time: A New Vision for Crafting a Life beyond Productivity. It's a relaxing take on doing what you want to do, and feeling okay while doing it.One of the main themes is being present, and being true to yourself even if you're doing boring stuff you don't want to do. Finding those moments of resonance that turn the entire activity into building self-trust.If you already read the book and found it resonant even though it doesn't mention AuDHD... that's because Maria is AuDHD and snuck all that good neurodivergent content in!Connect with Maria: Maria's website, MariaBowler.comMaria's Substackthe book Making Time (affiliate link)Resources:Transcript DocMattia's NewsletterLike Your Brain community space (Patreon/Discord) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Autistic community has taken many approaches to reframing what the diagnostic criteria calls "Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts." There's the double-empathy problem, for example, in which Autistic people have an easier time understanding each other where allistics struggle and vice versa. Childhood Emotional Neglect, while a relatively new idea from 2012, aligns remarkably with autistic social "deficits." While I'm by no means trying to draw a single causal line, I also wonder in this episode if maybe some of our social difficulties are actually signs of CEN. Even if our parents were quite well-meaning, we were more likely to experience CEN via a lack of appropriate mirroring of our internal responses, especially if our internal world was especially intense or complex. This episode covers the effects of CEN primarily. To learn more about examples of how it can develop, or how to address it, you can read the books below, or search for articles about them. Books mentioned: Running On Empty Running On Empty No MoreBoth are affiliate linksResources:Transcript DocEmail Newsletter: Nothing Wrong With UsLike Your Brain community space (Patreon/Discord) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The discussion centers on the vital role of sensory needs for neurodivergent individuals. Meeting these needs can transform a tough day into a more manageable one. Personal anecdotes and practical tips are shared to enhance daily sensory experiences, fostering joy. The importance of community connections for support and understanding is emphasized, along with the journey of self-acceptance. All of this reinforces the idea that addressing sensory needs can significantly improve emotional well-being.

Lessons learned from ~17 years of therapy over the last 20 years. How I'd approach therapy now based on that.What to look for in therapists, goal-setting in therapy, and reasons to quit your current therapist. Also connects back to last week's interview with Joe about AuDHD therapy.Links mentioned:Book Decolonizing Therapy (also mentioned last week, affiliate link)Blog post on finding a neurodivergent-affirming therapist (with links)More resources suggested by a community member:Dueling Minds, AuDHD SupportAutistic Girls Network in-person support groups for adultsADHD Support Groups in Canada (CADDAC)ADDA Virtual Support for ADHDResources:Transcript DocEmail Newsletter: Nothing Wrong With UsLike Your Brain community space (Patreon/Discord) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.