Neurodivergence
Photo by Alejandro Cartagena 🇲🇽🏳🌈 on Unsplash
“Internalized ableism is like being gay, but living in the closet, hiding who you truly are, submitting to living in a mask, withholding the parts of you that ‘don’t fit in’.”
Do you sometimes feel that you are a bit different? Have you struggled to fit in? Have you wondered why you were never really liked by ‘the popular kids’? Do others think that you are ‘too sensitive’, ‘too much’, ‘too shy’, or ‘annoying’?
Search no more - you may well have found a new home. You are not alone.
Neurodivergence (ND) is a term to describe those of us who don’t fit within the bell curve of what is considered ‘normal’. It regognizes that there is a diversity of neurological presentations, and that we are all humans deserving of recognition and respect.
Some of the most common ‘forms’ of ND include ADHD, autism, HSP (highly sensitive person). These diagnoses and labels are less interesting, unless they help you understand yourself, and get the support structures you need and deserve, at work, in school, and at home, to make your life work.
In my work with ND people my goal is not for you be be ‘treated’ or cured from who you are. My goal is for you to understand yourself, become comfortable with who you are, and align yourself with people who accept you for you. We bring awareness to your specific way of being and experiencing the world. We learn to identify ableism, internalized ableism, and where you stop yourself out of the fear that comes with being ND in a world designed for neurotypicals (NTs).
We are a fascinating kaleidoscope of colours, unique and strikingly beautiful exactly as we are. It is time for you to shine.
Photo by Matt W Newman on Unsplash
“I saw this photo of Curt Cobain today, the photographer catching him after a meltdown on stage, crashed backstage in a fit of tears. I couldn’t help but thinking: why did nobody think that he was ND?
How different might his life have been had he not lived in an ableist world? Would he still be here? Would he still be creating music? Would he know how to manage his sensitivity, to track the stimulation and avoid the kind of overwhelm that triggered such meltdowns?
Would he have felt less alone, less vulnerable, less of an alien in world that is so focused on what is ‘normal’? Him and so many other musicians, artists, creatives; such unique and weird and magnificent beauty we offer the world, except that we are expected to fit into the proverbial round hole. ”