Boom! A realisation: ADHD is not what I thought it is...

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Words matter.

In this episode, I share two insights I gained while reading Jessica McCabe's book 'How to ADHD'. This is a self-help book, and it's the first time I'm talking about a book from this category on the podcast. I include it in my story-exploring journey because self-help books are reflections of people's journeys; they are stories from individuals, and we can learn from them.

Reading this book completely shifted my understanding of how an ADHD brain works, totally different from what I imagined. I give examples of how I picture an ADHD brain, and even use my own experience as a deaf person to explore what brains are capable of, highlighting similarities and differences with ADHD brains.

I also touch on my study of Narrative Therapy with Dr. Chené Swart from Pretoria, and how this study opens up new realisations for me. I explain what this study involves in brief and discuss how naming a brain that doesn't follow the neurotypical path (a term I learned from Jessica McCabe) can shape perceptions, sometimes in misleading ways.

Words matter. Each word we use creates a world, and when we change how we describe people with brains that are not neurotypical , we can change both the meaning and the impact of that label.

Tune in to hear my reflections, stories and the surprising ways a single book can shift your thinking about this kind of brain.
Chapters
  • 00:03 Introduction to self-help books as stories
  • 04:19 The door metaphor that changed everything
  • 08:00 Cricket examples and brain adaptation
  • 11:51 Narative therapy and the power of words
  • 15:49 Reframing ADHD through language
3 Feb English South Africa Books · Arts

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