Colourful people pretending to be normal

Sybille Lindner - Her story is

meant to spark your curiosity,

stretch your mind and invite you

along on a thought experiment

that proposes that maybe, just

maybe, people with autism or

attention-deficit/hyperactivity

disorder (ADHD) are not disabled,

but rather represent an

interesting and unique way that

human brains naturally exist.

I have always been captivated by

the more complex interactions

between the mind and the body

and relentlessly researching, I’ve

stumbled upon the undeniable

fact that the mind and body

cannot be separated.

My research led me on an epic

side quest discovering the world

of fascia – the connective tissue

that structures the inner

framework of the body and the

entire reason there are physical

reactions to mental-emotional

processes in the body.

Over time, I developed my own

way of working with my patients

that was a little more sensitive

and a little more layered in

complexity than my original

methods. I now teach this

approach as FasciaWork, as it

doesn't aggravate pain in the most

sensitive of people.

This development in my work

happened parallel to my own

personal discoveries about how

my nervous system works, and I

now understand that I am

neurodivergent – autistic and with

ADHD, a combination often called

AuDHD among the neurodivergent

community. The limited resources

available and the misconceptions

that exist about these topics are

rampant, greatly confusing and

restricting people’s access to

support and practices that would

help them live better lives.

There are so many neurodivergent

people out there hiding their

truth, pretending to be what

they’re not and can never live up

to. Living with daily struggles as

severe as chronic depression and

repeated suicidal episodes, and

many of them don’t even know

that having a brain that works

differently can be a natural part of

themselves, rather than

something wrong with them.

Neurodiversity can be defined as

the natural diversity or variation

of cognitive function in all people.

A ‘neurotypical’ person is

described as possessing the

presentation of brain function

that is most common in the

population, and a

‘neurodivergent’ person is one

whose brain function is most

different from the most common

presentation. Examples of

neurodivergent states are: Autism

spectrum disorder (ASD), ADHD,

dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia,

dysgraphia and other variations in

how brains work.

The common images of ASD and

ADHD we have as naughty or

disabled children who can’t sit still

or are flapping their hands as they

scream in the corner are very

misguided, and only represent a

tiny proportion of the

neurodivergent population. Also,

many behaviours we accept as

autistic or ADHD are actually

coping mechanisms and trauma

responses, and have nothing to do

with the natural differences in the

brain.

Because we are born with

neurodivergent brains, and know

from a very young age that we are

different, we develop ways to

survive this society that is not

always kind to those who are

different.

When brain functions vary so

much that they differ hugely from

the way most people’s brains

function, this is described as

neurodivergence. Each

neurodivergent person is also

unique unto themselves, even

within categories themselves.

Many neurodivergent states

overlap in function or occur

together, with many preferring to

call themselves simply

‘neurodivergent’. Misdiagnosis is

especially a problem in women,

because historically most

neurodivergent research has been

done on boys and men, and

neuroscience is only now starting

to realise the vast differences

between male and female brains

and the consequences of

misunderstanding that.

Our sensory systems

All neurodivergents have highly

sensitive nervous systems. Issues

like chronic pain, muscle spasms,

joint problems, anxiety,

depression, eating disorders and

digestive issues like irritable bowel

syndrome are common among

highly sensitive people. These

physical challenges also reduce

mental health function, because

of complex body-mind

interactions like the gut-brain axis

and other chemical factors. The

feedback loop this creates – the

mind creating body problems, the

body problems perpetuating the

mind problems – can keep people

stuck in disease and ill health for

many years.

The larger part of the population

has low to medium sensitivity

levels, while the highest end of

the sensitivity spectrum is

occupied by neurodivergents.

There is another category in

between these two – officially

called ‘highly sensitive people’, or

HSP, who are more sensitive than

most, but not quite as sensitive as

neurodivergents. Not all HSPs are

neurodivergent, although they

certainly may be.

Highly sensitive nervous systems

A person with a highly sensitive

nervous system (HSP or

neurodivergent) will have an

increased capacity to sense,

locate, describe and express the

detail of all inner and outer

sensations they experience. They

usually also have a much higher

ability to discern the differences

between subtle details and

changes in their sensation.

Our bodies also have internal

senses – those that help us

identify what is going on inside

our bodies at all times.

We also have social senses – those

that help us function in society by

communicating and interacting

with people. We also have

protective senses, for example

neuroception, which is our

capacity to sense danger or safety

in our environment at any time.

When you are highly sensitive,

your connection to all these

senses determines how you

function in the world. This feels

like we absorb everything from

our environment and we notice

everything going on inside us as

well, meaning our brains process

sensory information differently.

Sensory struggles

Many of the struggles that

neurodivergents face daily are

because of these sensory issues.

Why is it that those who are

highly sensitive often end up

struggling to identify their

sensations, almost like they are

less able to feel them?

1. Trauma

Being born highly sensitive is

traumatising. Children are not

born with the capacity to regulate

their own emotions and stress

responses; they have to learn this

from their parents over time.

Trauma responses start being

ingrained early on while the brain

is still developing, and this has

huge consequences later in life.

2. High self-awareness

Many neurodivergents are also

highly intelligent, have much more

self-awareness, and mentally

perceive the world in a much

deeper way than neurotypicals.

The mental space is where you

feel powerful and in control, but

the physical, sensory and

emotional world is where you feel

overwhelmed and out of control –

of course you’ll mentally cut that

off to survive.

3. Overstimulating world

A highly sensitive brain takes in

everything, and so has a much

larger load of information it must

process. Processing time usually

means “time away from people”,

since humans are the most

overstimulating things in the

world.

Learning ways to regulate our

nervous systems to bring us out of

stress responses is essential for all

neurodivergents and highly

sensitives, and will be a valuable

skill for the rest of their lives. This

is a necessary step in healing

trauma, and finding our way back

to our own selves.

Neurodivergent Life: Simple Tools

and Resources to Guide You Down

the Rabbit Hole; Facebook: FlowForm Rehab & Physiotherapy; [email protected]; 264 81 790 1160