EMDR Intensive Therapy for Neurodivergent Adults

Simple tasks can feel impossible. It’s  like you’re failing at adulthood and everyone else seems to have it figured out.  Doing the dishes, paying bills on time, and getting an oil change - feels like climbing Everest.  Some days it’s  hard to have the motivation to do much at all.  You know you need structure, but you also know that you don’t want to do things because you have to.  Some days even brushing your teeth seems impossible because the dentist pressured you to do it.  You’re thinking, why can’t I just do it like everyone else? What the f*ck is wrong with me???

You get overstimulated by crowds, lights, and noises. Suddenly you feel overwhelmed and attacked by the sounds, smells, or sights around you.  Something as simple as the sound of someone breathing, chewing, or drinking.  Maybe you become anxious - feeling hot, sweaty, dizzy, and tight in your chest.  Maybe you become irritable and feel like you want to punch someone or run away.  Maybe you freeze and go into a state of shutdown.  For people with sensory issues, the world becomes a confusing and overwhelming place to navigate.

You’ve put your head down and managed to be one of the top performers at your job.  You’re an excellent employee, get the A every time, and you want to be the best parent or partner - even if it’s becoming too much to handle. It’s eating away at you and you’re losing yourself in the process.  And some days it is.  You’re exhausted, running on fumes, and starting to have less and less spoons everyday.  You want to be able to be yourself, and not spend so much energy masking in order to feel ok.  You don’t want to feel so exhausted but it feels like the mask is a necessary-evil for facing the world.  You want to talk to someone who gets it so you can take off the mask at the right moments and be more yourself than ever before.

You care about people and you’re very loyal to the people who make it into your inner circle, but keeping balance isn’t easy.  It feels like you’re either doing too much or too little when it comes to your relationships.  Some people haven’t heard from you for weeks, months, or even years.  

You’re usually the smartest person in the room but it doesn’t always feel like people appreciate what you have to say.  Sometimes your intelligence feels like a burden.  At work, you feel undervalued and misunderstood.  It feels like you’re speaking a different language or everyone else got a memo about how to be in social situations and you were left out.  

At home, your roommates or family may not understand why you need things a certain way or want time alone to decompress.  They may think you’re stubborn or being difficult when really you’re doing your best to survive.  If you’re a part of the BIPOC, Queer community or a collectivistic culture, this can be even more challenging to navigate.

All of this and more can make you feel like you’re failing.  Suspicions of  self-doubt can whisper (or scream) in your ear, leading you to question your worth.  Despite all the things you’ve done right, it can feel like you don’t measure up.  Maybe this sends you in a dark place where you sink deeper into self criticism and depression.Or maybe it puts you back on the hamster wheel looking for new ways to prove your worth - where you keep pushing and burning through whatever energy you have left.

Either way, at the end of the day you feel utterly exhausted.  You don’t want to feel this way, but you don’t know another way to do things… at least not yet.