A Spiritual Solution for ADHD

A Spiritual Solution for ADHD

Through years of Coaching ADHD, experience has shown me that ADHD is only one of the many issues and obstacles that gets in the way of our moving forward. And as some of you will already know, I’m personally well acquainted with these ‘other issues & obstacles’. My own journey back to wholeness has taken me down many avenues of treatment and healing for these other issues, which for me were/are: 

Alcohol Addiction, Codependency,  ( Dysthymia) ADHD, Anxiety &  PTSD. ( Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)

As I’ve done the work to heal from the ways I was shaped by the early conditions of my life, I’ve developed some beliefs and understandings about them, as well as a set of tools for dealing with them.

One of my beliefs is that they’re all connected… 

I’m not a Dr. or a Scientist, so I won’t claim to know the mechanics of exactly how, but I do witness and experience these connections in my life, my family’s, my extended family as well as in many of the ADHD clients I’ve worked with.

One Canadian author, who’s always spoken up for this broader, connected view of the labels we give ourselves and their ‘causes’, is Dr. Gabor Mate. In his latest book The Myth of Normal he gracefully brings together reams of compelling research that overwhelmingly shows that these and other conditions are not as separate and disconnected from each other as we’ve been led to think. 

His work is very validating for me personally, as well as for my work as a Life Coach.  Having all of those conditions myself I could not help but have this broader view of the overlapping relationship between ADHD, Trauma, Addiction, Codependency etc.

And as I’ve learned through painful experience, the full healing and recovery we deserve is possible only so long as we are willing to deal with all the connected conditions that affect us, not just the one we call ADHD. 

The great news is that all of these ‘conditions’ ( for want of a better word) are very treatable. Frustratingly so many of the approaches to healing/ treatment are too often siloed from each other as though there were no connection, when what’s actually needed for all ADHD adults is a more holistic approach that serves the whole and complex beings we are…That utopian vision may be depressing to some, knowing as we do how slow change comes to the entrenched systems of government and the medical community.  Thankfully this reality doesn’t leave us totally powerless!! We do not have to ask permission or wait for our ‘care providers’ to catch up with the totality of our needs to begin to heal these parts of ourselves, by ourselves.

Which brings me to the Spiritual part promised by the title of this Blog…

Firstly I’d like to define Spirituality as I’m using the word, as it’s so  often misunderstood. (just check out #Spirituality to see for yourself how confusing its meaning has become) often it’s mistaken for religion or a kind of superstitious-fate- touting- signs from the universe telling- that seems a closer relation of Astrology more than Spirituality.

I’m defining Spirituality as the unseen part of life, beyond the material and physical where there resides an underlying creative intelligence, present in all of nature and in our inner selves. The energy of life that causes a heart to beat, lungs to expand, flowers grow and tides to turn. It’s an infinite, energetic and Spiritual wellspring that lives ‘beyond the surface’. In humans it’s the place of hunches, intuition, feelings and dreams and creativity, it is in fact our first language and too often a forgotten one. 

When we turn towards it, we can experience a  deep sense of calm ( beyond our conscious thoughts ) when we find that place, we are soothed, comforted, and reassured. This refuge not only brings a sense of peace but also safety and meaning as well as direction and wisdom.

This kind of ‘Spirituality’ is a powerful untapped tool that helps to ameliorate as well as positively shape the often negative, chaotic, hyper-fixated, reactive and impulsive parts of the ADHD/Trauma/Addict mind. Conversely when this state of mind and body is left unchecked and unconscious, our innately chaotic thoughts and feelings can too easily drive us into some pretty crazy behaviors, conflicts, poor decisions, unwise directions and/or haphazard schemes.

I learned  how to use this kind of ‘Spirituality’ as a Tool to calm my mind, shape my moods and direct my actions from the 12 step groups I attended for Codependency & Alcohol Addiction. Later on when I became stuck in a deep and unshifting three year depression, I took that spiritual practice a step further by taking the MBSR Mindfulness course  ( Mindful Based Stress Reduction) For the past 5 years as I’ve also delved into healing around my childhood and young adult Trauma’s, with emdr and somatic healing.*

As I’ve gone through all these challenging phases of my recovery, I’ve developed my own ADHD friendly Daily Spiritual Ritual ( one that borrows bits from all of those modalities ) This Ritual has become a cornerstone of my life and healing. 

Recently when talking to my own Coach about this Ritual it dawned on me that this practice has not only helped me with Addiction and Trauma but it also greatly shapes how I respond to  my ADHD and yet I curiously barely mention these tools or this aspect of my life with you my ADHD tribe! Hmmm… ( seem’s I too have fallen into the silo trap )  So I’d like to change that now by sharing my own Daily Spiritual Ritual with you. 

This isn’t something you have to ‘believe in,’ because it’s agnostic in nature and will work for you whatever you believe. It’s simply a Practical Spiritual Ritual that works. You will note below that my Ritual includes Prayer, which you can totally replace with planning and/or visualizing if that’s not your thing ( it’s pretty much the same anyways ) Just do as we say in A.A. and take what you like and leave the rest. 🙂 

My Daily Spiritual Ritual:

• Read my Recovery ‘Daily Readers’ ( books with daily spiritual readings from Addiction recovery or mainstream)
• 20 minutes of Mindfulness Meditation. ( I use the Insight Timer App to accompany me)
• 5 minutes of Reflective Journaling
• Prayer.

Breakdown + The how and why these tools work for ADHD/Addiction/Trauma +…

The reason this Ritual and these tools work for me ( and will work for you too ) is that so many of the ‘conditions’ we have (  including ADHD and Anxiety/PTSD ) manifest as a kind of ‘Disconnection’ from self, an inability if you like to drop away from the busy over -thinking mind into the body. 

This Spiritual Ritual asks us to experience our feelings and tune into often ignored yearnings and needs. It also gives us the ability to ‘zoom out’ to gain a much needed big picture perspective on our lives, thoughts and challenges etc. This Ritual amounts to a kind of Spiritual ‘Flight Checklist,’ grounding us, helping us come face to face with what’s going on beneath the surface, inviting stillness into our chaotic ADHD/Trauma/Addict minds, allowing us to literally pause and check for what we have onboard before taking off into the day…

Even 5 minutes of Reflective Journaling ( even without the prayer or meditation ) slows us down enough to become attuned to our feelings, allowing them to act as the guideposts they’re designed to be, much like the points of a compass, showing us the direction we ought to go in.

If you’d like to learn a bit more on how to use reflective journaling to deal practically with some of our ADHD traits I posted an example on Instagram Check it out HERE.

Tbh I think the whole reason I wasn’t sharing this ‘Spiritual Angle’ with you all was because I was a bit wary (as it’s so out of the usual ‘framework of ADHD Coaching tools.’)  But I know how key this has been and still is for my own success and I got such a positive response when I posted the IG post above,  that I’m motivated to share even more!

Some other comments I got on IG as well as in my private ADHD community forum, tell me that  there  does seem to be a real need for many of you to find something beyond the ‘tools and hacks’ that are ubiquitous in this realm.  Something of more substance perhaps?? So please do comment below if this resonated and let me know your thoughts about this new ‘off the beaten path’ direction. 

Do you have any spiritual beliefs and practices that help you with your ADHD mind and life? 

In my next blog I’ll be walking you through some common approaches as well as sharing my personal process for the ‘How To’ of Reflective Journaling. I know that many of you, though you love the idea of journaling you simply have no idea where to begin, so I’ll walk you through my process for an ADHD friendly version.

See you soon!