NEURODIVERGENT* ALIGNED ART PSYCHOTHERAPY, COUNSELLING AND SUPERVISION

WITH JO RAY

NEURODIVERGENCE

I openly bring my own neurospicy lived experience and developmental path, including intergenerational understanding, and the complexity of working with trauma alongside a neural network that is already dysregulated by everyday life.

 

THERAPEUTIC PRACTICE WITH NEURODIVERGENCE* CLIENTS

I have many years’ experience of working with neurodivergent* clients. I often support clients, be they adults, young people or children, through turbulent times, maybe pre-diagnosis, during the diagnostic process, or recognising self-diagnosis, managing periods of burnout and exhaustion, rejection sensitivity fatigue, emotional based school absence or the path to learning beyond the education system.

 

In this context I do work with families, including siblings. However, I am not a family therapist, and this work is undertaken as an advocate for the child client.

 

Some at-home sessions are available, usually reserved for young people who struggle to leave their home and are not wanting to work online. If this is your situation, please contact me and we can discuss how such sessions might be managed – we will likely need longer then 30 minutes for our initial conversation.

 

NEURODIVERGENT* INFORMED SUPERVISION

I bring all my clinical and lived experience of neurodivergent* complexity to my supervisory practice; and when relevant seek to understand my supervisee and their clients through this lens. I share my clinical learnings and enjoy hearing about other approaches and discoveries in this arena of clinical work.

*NEURODIVERSITY LANGUAGE DISCUSSION AND EXPLANATION

I recognise language choice and ‘labels’ are deeply personal. Words carry implications that have not always been considered and can deliver unintended meaning. In this ever-changing neurodivergent milieu, navigating this complexity can feel heavy and unfortunately can shut down important communication.

 

My intention is to be respectful of others self-referential language, be it pronouns and/or diagnosis. Neurodiversity is rooted in distinct biological realities; from unique neural network connectivity to differences in interoception. These neural differences fundamentally shape how each individual experience their internal body signals and process their emotions. Therefore, the language used needs to be tailored appropriately to fit this individual experience of self.

 

‘If you've met one person with autism, you've met one person with autism’ Dr. Stephen Shore

 

I am open to discussion and debate about the words I use. I see such conversations as key to my ongoing personal development, alongside my professional accountability as an advanced, neurologically aware and trauma-informed psychotherapist.

 

SOCIAL CONTEXTS

It can be valuable (and at times necessary) to consciously use different neurodivergent language in specific settings, and I often discuss this with clients. It is an important aspect of navigating our neurodiverse world, such as making different language choices when you find yourself in an unsupportive environment; or choosing to use ‘medical’ language as shorthand in communicating needs to support services.

For example:

I might discus with a client their sensory needs, their experience of social contexts, and a lifelong pattern of repeated periods of burnout and possibly include some words like autism or neurodivergence. Mostly I will follow their use of self-referential language and/or discuss with them their feelings about words I might suggest. We might go on to co-collate a list of their functional strengths and difficulties. Whereas, in a letter to, or meeting with, CAMHS I might express the need for a neurodevelopmental assessment with indicators of ASD and list the client’s symptoms. The use of language borrowed from the medical model can help the professionals identify the treatment pathway more efferently.

DEFINITIONS OF TERMS COMMONLY USED

 

UMBRELLA TERMS

Biological neural network: the physical system of interconnected neurons forming the brain and nervous system – it is made of living, physical tissue that constantly adapts and changes throughout your life. We often talk about mental health and physical health as separate topics; they are both deeply interconnected.

 

Neurotype: a person's unique neurocognitive profile or brain type that shapes how they think, learn, feel, communicate, and process sensory information. For example, ‘ADHD’ is a neurotype.

Just as people have different personalities or physical traits, human brains and central nervous systems have different wiring. No single neurotype is superior to another.

 

Neurodiversity: is the biological fact that all human brains are different. Like ‘biodiversity’ describes all living things, neurodiversity includes all brain types, so everyone.

Only a group of people can be ‘neurodiverse’, a single person can only have their specific neurotype and so cannot be neurodiverse.

 

Neurodevelopmental: is everything relating to the development and growth of the brain and central nervous system.

When someone is described as having a neurodevelopmental difference or condition, it means their brain was wired this way right from the start of its development.

 

Neurotypical (NT): an individual whose neurological development aligns with prevailing cultural standards and societal expectations in functionality.

 

Neurodivergent (ND): an individual whose brain (and nervous system) processes information, experiences the world, or functions differently from the dominant societal expectations. This includes all neurodevelopmental aspects such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and Tourette’s. Neurodivergence isn't just a social identity—it is a physical, sensory, and neurological reality – lifelong, intrinsic traits—they are not illnesses that someone ‘catches’ or recovers from.

 

SLANG TERMS

Neuro-spicy and Neuro-fizzy: some people like its light-hearted tone, while others feel it can infantilise individuals and the lifelong impact of their situation

 

AA (Actually Autistic): A tag used by the some to mark posts or indicate information is specifically coming from an autistic individual rather than an outside observer.

 

Penguin Pebbling: the charming habit of collecting treasures objects and giving them to loved ones as a sign of affection.

For example: smooth rocks, shiny wrappers.

 

Glimmers: small, micro-moments of sensory delight, safety, and deep regulation that act as the exact opposite of stress triggers.

 

Spoon Theory: is a useful way of conceptualising and discussing an individual’s physical, cognitive and emotional capacity without judgment. It metaphorically views personal energy and capacity as a daily allowance of ‘spoons’. Each task, including all basic daily tasks and personal hygiene routines, use up a certain number of spoons. When you run out of spoons you can borrow spoons form the next day, however this ‘spoon dept’ catches up with you in the form of dysregulation, overwhelm, meltdown or burnout.

 

 

ABOUT SOMATIC REGULATION

Dysregulation: is when an individual experiences emotions, thoughts and/or behaviours to such amplification and/or intensity that it becomes distressing and interrupts functionality. This distress can take them beyond their capacity to manage or communicate their needs.

 

Co-regulation: is the relational process where one person can use their ‘regulate biological neural network’ to soothe distress and dysregulation in another person.

 

Self-regulation: is the ability to monitor your own states, and to soothe any destress in order to retain your functioning capacity.

 

Stimming: short for self-stimulatory behaviour, is any repetition of physical movements, sounds, or actions that helps someone self-regulate their emotions and process sensory input.

Some slang terms:

 

Overwhelm: to be overpowered with emotions that are too intense to manage and stop you functioning. This might lead to shut down ot meltdown.

 

Shut down: is an involuntary nervous system ‘freeze’ response where a person becomes emotionally, mentally, and/or physically unresponsive due to extreme stress, sensory overload, or trauma.

 

Meltdown: an intense, involuntary response to an overwhelming situation that results in a temporary loss of behavioural control.

Please note: a tantrum is a goal-oriented protest with some level of behavioural control, whereas a meltdown is an involuntary response to some form of overwhelm.

 

Burnout: is a chronic state of physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion and dramatically reduced functionality, sometimes leading to a breakdown. It is caused by long-term stress and therefore is a common experience in the neurodivergent population, whose nervous systems are stressed by everyday life.

 

Hyperfocus: an intense activity or focus on a single interest, subject, or task, often bringing deep joy and contentment. It can be difficult for the individual to stop mid task. This can lead to the exclusion of basic daily needs or other activities which might even be requiring attention or urgent.

 

 

SOME WORDS FROM THE MEDICAL MODEL

Hyperfixation: an intense, long focus on a single interest, subject, or task, often to the exclusion of basic daily needs or other activities.

More often the slang term ‘hyperfocus’ is used by neurodivergent communities, as the ‘fixation’ aspect carries a judgemental tone implying this is somehow unhealthy. Most neurodivergent people love their hyperfocused activities, they also recognise they can also cause difficulties in functionally, and relationship.

 

Hyper-connectivity: some neurodivergent brains show incredibly dense local networks. For example, in an autistic brain, intense connection in sensory processing areas can lead to deep passions, high attention to detail, and/or sensory overload.

 

Hypo-connectivity: conversely, there may be longer, more spread-out connections that communicate differently, which can alter how executive function, focus (like in ADHD), or language processing operates.

 

Interoception: is your brain's ability to detect, interpret, and respond to internal signals – it is often called the ‘hidden eighth sense’. Our traditional ‘five senses’ are external facing (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch); and ‘two additional senses’ (vestibular and proprioception) manage our body in relation to external space.

Interoception informs you about internal experiences such as hunger, thirst, elevated heart rate, temperature change, pain, fatigue, needing a wee. It is also the physical foundation of emotional awareness. For instance, a quickening heartbeat and tight muscles are interoceptive signals that the brain translates into the emotion of ‘anger’ or ‘anxiety’.

 

Hyposensitivity: under-responsive – when the brain doesn't register the body's internal signals until they become an absolute emergency.

For example: someone might completely forget to eat all day because they don't feel ‘hungry’. Then, they experience a sudden emotional meltdown or exhaustion because their blood sugar has plummeted. Or missing the signal to use the bathroom until it's urgent or walking around on a broken bone without noticing because of a very high pain threshold.

 

Hypersensitivity: over-responsive – the brain registers internal bodily signals too loudly or intensely.

For example: someone might feel their own heartbeat or digestion so acutely that it becomes incredibly distracting, uncomfortable, or a constant source of anxiety. Or being intensely overwhelmed by subtle changes in room temperature or reacting strongly to minor physical scratches.

 

This direct link between physical sensations and emotions is why many neurodivergent individuals experience alexithymia.

 

Alexithymia: the medical term when someone has difficulty identifying and naming emotions.

For example: if you struggle with interoception, you might not be able to distinguish between ‘fear’ and ‘excitement’ when you experience the internal messages of an elevated heart rate and/or muscle tension.