This week finds me in the forest of the Pacific Northwest, enjoying pine trees and birdsong. As I soak in the beauty of this land, I’m reflecting on the teachings that nature imparts on us – the cycles of life, the reminder to slow down and simply be, and the value of living in connection & harmony with each other.

Just look at the trees and fungi — they need each other to survive, existing in symbiotic relationship. Each plays a role in the other’s survival and thriving.

🌲 The interconnectedness of nature is what inspired me to record this week’s episode of the Nervous System Care & Healing podcast… where I make connections between the wisdom of nature, our ancestors, and our (neurodivergent) brains.

Read on for a full episode description, and listen along if you feel called. This episode is meant to affirm anyone who is neurodivergent or feels different or “too weird.” It may open your mind (& heart) in new ways... or remind you of what you have always known, deep down.

​PODCAST EPISODE 8​

You’re Not Broken: An Ancestral View of Neurodiversity

Neurodivergence is often stigmatized in Western mental health. Autism & ADHD are seen as pathologies in need of a “cure.” But what if we viewed neurodiversity through a curious & affirming lens, acknowledging both the challenges AND gifts?

In this episode, I explore an alternative to the pathology paradigm: an affirming, ancestral lens that views the individual within the context of their environment & community. We’ll explore how neurodivergent traits (like stimming, repetitive behaviors, or “inability to focus”) are not “deficits” – they are adaptive behaviors that make sense within a collective context, in which each person has a role & gifts to offer to the community.

🌈 In other words: the traits that make us different, “weird,” or inconvenient for capitalism, may have allowed our ancestors to survive & thrive generations ago.

This episode invites us to imagine a world where we embrace difference. I cover topics like:

• How are autism & ADHD defined in Western mental health?
• Neurodiversity-affirming & Indigenous perspectives on autism & ADHD
• Medical vs. social models of disability
• Indigenous perspectives on disability
• How might autistic & ADHD traits be understood through an ancestral & community-based lens?

(Please note that, by embracing an affirming view, we are *not* claiming that neurodivergent & disabled people do not experience any challenges whatsoever. We are saying that it is not necessary to pathologize the people who experience these challenges.)

I end with a mindfulness practice, sharing a vision of what an ancestral past (& future) might look like, where we live in relationship with each other, with nature, and with the wisdom of our nervous systems.
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Thank you for being here and for being you.

With care,

P.S. Know someone who needs to hear this? Forward it along. New readers can subscribe ​here​.

P.P.S. If you’re interested in working together, I’d love to support you.

🌻 For folks who are overwhelmed & burnt out, but too busy for weekly therapy, I offer Nervous System Healing Intensives​ — three 90-minute sessions, using brain-body modalities (Brainspotting, IFS, EMDR) that go deeper than talk therapy & help you feel better, sooner.

Intensives are a type of short-term, accelerated therapy — for folks who prefer a hyper-focused approach to healing; who need longer than 50-min sessions to warm up & process deeply.

👉🏽 If you want to get an Intensive on the books, click here to book an intro call.

I help highly sensitive, neurodivergent adults heal their nervous systems & connect with their authentic selves.

💗 Need a nervous system reset? —> Join me for a Calm Place meditation.
📚 Curious to learn about neurodiversity + holistic healing? —> Peek at my blog.
🗞️ Want to catch up on old newsletters? —> Check out the archive.

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