84 The Neurodivergent Playbook with Dr Matt Zakreski

Vanessa Gorelkin is an Occupational Therapist who often works with ND folks. She shares about compassionate approaches to daily life tasks.The main tool she shared is creating a crisis kit to use when experiencing distress in public, at work, or anywhere that you can't be fully unmasked. List of suggested items below.Crisis kit items suggested in episode:alcohol swabs (to smell for state change)instant ice packsextreme sour candieslemon juice packethot sauce packet (mustard is Mattia's)distress card requesting using the bathroom (or whatever's helpful for you)Connect with Vanessa: Her website, vanessagorelkin.com@otwhisperer on TikTokLove Your Brain course info & live round updateResources:Transcript DocEmail Newsletter: Nothing Wrong With UsLike Your Brain community space (Patreon) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Reflecting on the interview with Anna, who shared about accommodations for her students and herself. Learning how to build our own systems/structures is often more useful than being handed a system. Because no matter how much dopamine we get initially from a new tool or system, it inevitably becomes stale. Instead of throwing the whole thing out the window every time, I've learned how to pull forward elements that are still working. This continuous process of experimenting and tweaking (with rest/recovery interspersed, of course!) has made my life so much easier. Last 10m of the episode is about why I'm doing the work I'm doing, and the live round of LYB:Love Your Brain course info & live round updateResources:Transcript DocEmail Newsletter: Nothing Wrong With UsLike Your Brain community space (Patreon) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anna is an educator who has developed an incredible approach with accommodations at the core (for the student AND herself!). It makes sense pedagogically, and it's working! With a core of psychological safety, students are able to explore writing and language with their own goals in mind.We've also known each other since I was 15... so we talk a bit about the mysterious backstory of living in a Christian sorority ;)Resources Anna mentioned:Her English 101 Online TextbookWorkshopping: Liz Lerman's Critical Response ProcessAll My Relations podcastLove Your Brain course info & live round updateResources:Transcript DocEmail Newsletter: Nothing Wrong With UsLike Your Brain community space (Patreon) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Coping mechanisms can be a pathologizing term. What's the difference between coping mechanisms and intensity or interests?This episode also touches back to the interview on sobriety with Amy in ep. 92. As well as this note on a positive AA experience from a listener.Resources:Transcript DocEmail Newsletter: Nothing Wrong With UsLike Your Brain community space (Patreon) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thanks Eric Tivers for interviewing me & allowing me to share the full episode here as well. His show notes:In this episode of ADHD reWired, Eric Tivers is joined by Mattia Maurée, an award-winning composer, poet, and host of the AuDHD Flourishing Podcast. Mattia shares their insights into the unique challenges faced by neurodivergent (ND) individuals, particularly those with ADHD and autism, as they navigate trauma, self-expression, and what they describe as “attention tunnels.”Mattia opens up about their personal journey, discussing the impact of complex PTSD, disordered eating, and their late diagnoses of ADHD and autism. They explain how monotropism—having a narrower field of focus—shapes their experience as a ND person. Through the lens of monotropism, Mattia explores how being stuck in an attention tunnel can make transitioning to different tasks or social situations feel overwhelming and distressing.Eric and Mattia dive deep into the intersections of trauma and neurodivergence, examining how ND brains may be more easily traumatized, especially in environments that fail to meet their unique needs. They discuss the profound impact of ND parents raising ND children and the challenges of navigating systems that don’t support their differences.This conversation also highlights the importance of self-expression in healing and flourishing. Mattia explains how self-expression, rather than achievement, has become central to their definition of success, emphasizing the importance of creating work that resonates emotionally, even if it doesn’t fit the traditional metrics of success.Other topics discussed include:The connection between hyperfocus and monotropism in ADHD and autismHow Mattia balances creativity, self-care, and flourishing as a ND individualThe complexity of navigating trauma in ND familiesThe importance of community and support systems for ND creatives and entrepreneursThis episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in understanding the complex interplay of trauma, neurodivergence, and flourishing. Whether you identify as ND or are simply curious about these experiences, this conversation offers valuable insights into the importance of creating space for self-expression, healing, and growth.Resources:Transcript DocEmail Newsletter: Nothing Wrong With UsLike Your Brain community space (Patreon) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thank you to guest Amy Knott Parrish for sharing about her unusual journey with sobriety. When she realized what her future was going to look like, she... stopped drinking. Because it wasn't about the drinking, it was about the problem that the drinking was self-medicating.After nine years of continuous sobriety, her therapist insisted that she try AA, but it wasn't the right fit.As with many institutions, it wasn't built for her!The giftedness/intensity piece adds another layer—we talk about how we sometimes just need the psychoeducation on certain topics, not necessarily the emotional excavation approach. (I could talk about that for hours.)Find Amy: https://www.rebelling.me/Sobriety blogA pro-AA AuDHD story (anonymously shared by a listener)Resources:Transcript DocEmail Newsletter: Nothing Wrong With UsLike Your Brain community space (Patreon) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

(Part 2 of 2. Part 1 here)Being AuDHD + gifted is being an outlier of outliers. I'd guess most of us feel like aliens.And even when we start to understand the shape of our experiences, it can feel overwhelming to even begin to order our understanding in a satisfying way. (Autoethnography, anyone?)Our depth and intensity needs can be quite challenging to meet, especially if we have lower physiological capacity due to trauma/CPTSD, and other intersectional identities that are often marginalized/mistreated.Mentioned in episode: 1. Some giftedness models:Rainforest mindRuf's 5 levelsInterGifted & HEPG"Dabrowski’s Theory and Existential Depression in Gifted Children and Adults"2. Living With Intensity book*3. Neurocomplexity & PDA as existential intelligence4. Autism/ADHD/Gifted Venn Diagram5. Overexcitabilities & being "too much"6. Ember Green's quick IQ doesn't exist overview + Aspie Supremacy deep dive (p.s. this video is 2 hrs long and made me cry a LOT bc of historical horrors... still worth it if/when you have the spoons)Resources:Transcript DocEmail Newsletter: Nothing Wrong With UsLike Your Brain community space (Patreon)*affiliate link Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Being AuDHD + gifted is being an outlier of outliers. I'd guess most of us feel like aliens. And even when we start to understand the shape of our experiences, it can feel overwhelming to even begin to order our understanding in a satisfying way. (Autoethnography, anyone?)Our depth and intensity needs can be quite challenging to meet, especially if we have lower physiological capacity due to trauma/CPTSD, and other intersectional identities that are often marginalized/mistreated.This became part one of two!Mentioned in episode: 1. Some giftedness models: Rainforest mindRuf's 5 levelsInterGifted & HEPG2. Neurocomplexity & PDA as existential intelligence3. Autism/ADHD/Gifted Venn Diagram4. Overexcitabilities & being "too much"5. Ember Green's quick IQ doesn't exist overview + Aspie Supremacy deep dive (p.s. this video is 2 hrs long and made me cry a LOT bc of historical horrors... still worth it if/when you have the spoons)Resources:Transcript DocEmail Newsletter: Nothing Wrong With UsLike Your Brain community space (Patreon) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emily Kircher-Morris is the host of the long-running and popular podcast, The Neurodiversity Podcast. (And she interviewed me last year.) She's a compassionate, incisive, and important voice in 2e and neurodivergent-affirming education. Also a delight to talk to!Building on what we talked about, she shared some additional resource links below.Connect with Emily & mentioned in episode:Emily Kircher-Morris, LPCThe Neurodiversity PodcastConnect with Emily on Facebook or LinkedInNeurodiversity UniversityNeurodiversity-Affirming Schools (new book)Neurodiversity-Affirming Schools: Transforming Practices So All Students Feel Accepted and SupportedTeaching Twice-Exceptional Learners in Today’s ClassroomRaising Twice-Exceptional Children: A Handbook for Parents of Neurodivergent Gifted KidsResources:Transcript DocEmail NewsletterLike Your Brain community space (Patreon) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr Chris Wells speaks & teaches about positive disintegration, Dabrowski's theory that (among other things) provides an alternate explanation for some mental illness. While the theory is not entirely about giftedness, it helps many gifted people make sense of their experiences.Dr Wells also talks about their journey, which included being on disability for many years. It's a reminder that while labels can change, they can also hold an enormous amount of power! Learn more about Chris & positive disintegration: Dr Chris Wells InstagramPositive Disintegration.orgThe Dabrowski Center & their InstagramPositive Disintegration Podcast InstagramLiving With Intensity book (affiliate link)Resources:Transcript DocEmail NewsletterLike Your Brain community space (Patreon) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.