Those with neurodiverse tendencies will be all too familiar with the everyday threats to their self regulation, cascades of sensations, emotions or impulses that can overwhelm, feelings of disintegration of our sense self or the feeling of our body being on the edge of collapse.
Despite considerable attention on these conditions, there are still no definite, 100% reliable tests for ADHD or autistic spectrum disorder (ADS). Both conditions exist on a spectrum that overlaps into what we call ‘normality’. Most of us have an aspect of neurodiversity. Moreover, a person might well display traits along one or both of these spectrums, but never satisfy the full criteria decided upon by the professional classifying bodies. Both conditions’ also blend all too confusingly into the more commonly understood symptoms of depression, anxiety and borderline personality.
The Whole Works does not offer any ADHD or ASD assessments, questionnaires or tests. We do however have therapists with experience in working with these conditions who can help.
What we feel is important is helping the client with such tendencies towards a deepening understanding of themselves, exploring their personal history, the journey through their significant relationships, the emotions they may have found too hard to process. Once the challenges of ‘neurodiversity’ are shared, articulated and acknowledged, a deepening understanding can begin, new narratives can rehabilitate these ‘diverse’ emotions back into the sphere of the so-called ‘normal’ and new ways of living with this more heightened sense of life can be embraced.
Therapy can significantly empower neurodiverse clients to live more fully, embracing their heightened sensitivities rather than suffering their overwhelming effects.