Neurodivergence as a Quiet Revolution?
There are two main ways in which neurodivergence is seen. The first is the medical model, where any neurodivergence is seen as a ‘disorder,’ something that needs fixing so that it becomes, or acts as, the norm. The other way is that of the neurodiversity affirming model, which is based on the social model of disability (which states that people are disabled by their environment, rather than through their physical or mental impairments). This neurodiversity affirming model sees neurodivergence as another ‘normal,’ brains that function differently but not worse or better than neuronormative brains. (Neuronormative = brains according to the norm)
I see the medical model as extremely harmful. Most neurodivergent people (especially when late diagnosed) have lived their lives feeling different and comparing themselves to others. The medical model reinforces this concept and intensifies their thoughts that they ‘should’ be able to do everything other people can do. This further erodes self-esteem, confidence, and agency (agency = the ability to make choices and act independently). Furthermore, the medical model automatically will assume that medication is necessary for any possible functioning.
Unmedicated myself, I disagree with that stance. I am not against medication but I am against the automatic assumption that it is necessary, in the same way that I am against the assumption that anyone with depression or anxiety always needs medication. There are alternatives approaches (like coaching, nutrition, somatics, exercise, etc) which can often support the ADHDer, or that in addition to medication can make a huge difference.
Sometimes medication is used for the person to be able to function better in work. On the one hand I can see the necessity, but on the other hand I question whether it might not also be the work environment that needs changing.
All that was the preamble to what I really wanted to talk about in this newsletter. As you will most likely know by now, my thinking about ADHD was strongly influenced by the book ADHD: Hunter in a Farmer’s World by Thom Hartmann, in which he posits the idea that ADHDers are descendants from the ancient hunter gatherers and nonADHDers are the descendants of the farmers that came later. Recently, on a very long drive from Italy to the UK, I listened to the audio version of ‘The shamanic journey: a practical guide to therapeutic shamanism’ by Paul Francis, in which he discusses that same shift from a world scattered by hunter gatherer groups to one covered by agricultural societies. Where Thom Hartmann discusses the shift in brain development towards organisation, a linear time sense, and a structured environment, Paul Francis goes further in arguing that these societal changes are largely responsible for our more predatory and combative modern world. His reasoning is that whereas hunter gatherers could easily move to a new environment when the current one proved unsatisfactory, farmers would have put so much effort into their piece of land that the drive to protect that land, or to proactively kill all competition, was much greater.
If we start to think of what would be important for hunter gatherer societies, it would be the ability to move quickly and spontaneously to a different area, ecological knowledge plus the ability to pick up new ecological knowledge quickly, foraging ability, a social structure based on sharing (in a constantly moving life you cannot hoard food items), and effective conflict resolution (when meeting other nomadic groups).
What type of brain would you need for that? One where social hierarchy does not exist, where there is a high capacity to quickly and effectively learn new skills and gain new knowledge, excellent pattern recognition, rapid decision making, very good sensory-motor coordination, extreme spatial sense to be able to track prey, and very good problem solving abilities. Does that remind you of anyone?
If we then think of what would be important for agricultural societies, there would be a real shift towards stable and long term capacities. The capacity to cultivate crops and manage livestock requires organisation, structure, and a linear time sense. There would have been a shift from social sharing to holding onto surplus food (for those times when food sources were low). A more specialised work force would develop, with farmers, toolmakers, builders, administrators, guards, etc. This inevitably would also develop a social hierarchy with legal systems and some form of taxation to manage the much larger societies. Being settled would promote advances in technology, from domesticating livestock and plants to the invention of the wheel.
The brains of members of an agricultural society would evolve into one that gave priority to keeping the status quo going. To a linear time sense. To organisation and structure. To well developed executive functions to be able to plan far ahead. For the development of a social hierarchy brains would have to develop to prioritise compliance, bureaucracy, and specialised roles. The need for record keeping would have required the development of writing and mathematics. To me all of this sounds very much like our modern day society.
Over the last few years I have increasingly started to see neuronormative people as being specialised in keeping society and daily life going. They are vital in that role and they are very adept in that role. They run the infrastructure, are the educators, the doctors and nurses, the farmers, the service industry workers, the police and members of the army. All of them are specialised in keeping society going the way it is.
But we cannot keep going the way we are. Our planet is about to categorically let humanity know that it is not happy with them. Our climates are changing. The natural balancers of our planet, such as the oceans and the forests, cannot keep the equilibrium going and the climate is starting to wildly swing from one state to another. At some point another equilibrium will form but it will most likely not be one that is as suitable for humanity. The planet will survive. Whether we do or not is unclear.
This means we need to change the way societies run. The way we operate. Neuronormative people are unlikely to be the ones that come up with the answer. As the quote, accredited to Albert Einstein, says: “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
This is where the neurodivergent come to the fore. I see them as the disruptors, the original thinkers, the engineers, the problem solvers. All the skills that are needed to come up with novel solutions are the skills of the neurodivergent, as this is where hyperneuroplasticity comes in (I only recently discovered the term). Dr Patty Gently writes a wonderful blog on Substack (see references) in which she talks about hyperneuroplasticity (or the extreme ability of our brains to rewire themselves by creating, adjusting, and reinforcing neural connections in reaction to our shifting environment) and links it to neurodivergence. I will give a few examples from her writing. She states that in autism the effect is that ‘perception, identity, and environment blur into a constantly updating internal schema’ and reflects that the associated overwhelm is not a deficit but ‘a fidelity to unfiltered experience.’ She points to studies which show enhanced long term potentiation (persistent strengthening of synapses and so ability to hold information), increased dendritic spine density (important in communication with other cells), and reduced synaptic pruning (resulting in a denser brain).
She sees ADHD as a nervous system geared for scanning (another interesting book is ‘Refuse to Choose’ by Barbara Sher, in which she talks about Scanners), shifting, and rapid seeking of patterns and novelty. It explains the atypical dopamine regulation, different synaptic pruning, and the need for interest (reward) when learning.
The hyperneuroplasticity also explains why developmental trauma and complex PTSD is common amongst neurodivergent people. They are the result when safety is absent. I have long thought that rather than focusing on tools and techniques when coaching neurodivergent people, we should focus on developing a sense of safety, on learning emotion regulation, and on designing their environment to give them that sense of safety. That foundation is extremely important for us, and is needed for the rebuilding of our life in a form that works better for us.
Dr Patty Gently describes our survival instinct as memory, identity, sensory filtering, and relational interpretation as all shifting to allow us to survive; a deep adaptation under duress. Seeing neurodivergence in this way makes it easier and more logical to stop asking what we should be doing to make us fit into society, and instead poses the question of ‘what has this nervous system learned to do in order to survive, connect, and make sense of the world.’ And that in turn allows us to imagine, and work towards understanding, what we could do if we work on undoing the damage to our nervous system.
The world needs us neurodivergent people to come up with solutions, not just the practical adaptations to be able to deal with climate change, but with the philosophical and psychological concepts that may allow us all to change how our societies function, how our political system functions, and how our financial systems function. And even more, how we relate and connect to each other as people. In order for us to be able to be those disruptors who challenge the status quo and who come up with the solutions, we need our environment to be such that we feel safe. That our nervous systems feel safe. More on this in future newsletters.
Lastly, why, when I am writing a blog for ADHD/nonADHD couples, do I feel this to be a relevant topic? Because understanding the neurology, and the extreme need for psychological safety, is vital for an effectively working and calm relationship.
Warm wishes,
