“I just finished reading this book and I have decided that I am ADD.”
“I saw a TV show about ADHD. I have it and so does my son.”
“My daughter’s teacher says she asks too many questions. Do you think she’s hyperactive?”
Over the past ten years we’ve all heard announcements like these from friends family and even strangers.
As a spiritual coach and counselor I deal with questions about ADD and ADHD every day. My insights may be helpful to you too.
ADD AND ADHD IN ADULTS
Recently a client started our counseling session by declaring that he’s ADD. His wife was quick to agree. That’s what brought them to my doorstep. They needed help with their marriage.
Often the first step to repair a marriage begins with personal spiritual growth. Until the individual understands him- or herself it’s difficult to build trust and understanding in any relationship.
In this case I did an energetic scan of my client. Some medical intuitives including me use this process to identify areas that need work. We “see” physical emotional and energetic distress.
Next I described to my client what I saw in the scan. I explained it in the context of ADD. Like many people who are confused by ADD and ADHD he was relieved to find someone who understood what was going on.
After that I recommended that they read more about the subject. Between their studies and a few counseling session the client and his wife were able to understand each other better. According to them it began a renaissance within their marriage.
For many adults that’s all it takes. With a little education and some counseling they learn how to live with ADD and ADHD.
ADD AND ADHD IN CHILDREN
Most people are diagnosed with ADD or ADHD as children. Through them we can more about the many faces of Attention Deficit Disorder with or without obvious hyperactivity.
Years ago one of my most important breakthroughs was with a 12-year-old client. His first statement to me was startling.
With a look of anguish he blurted “It hurts to be a human when I think of and see all that we have done to this planet. But I know I am here to make it better.” Scanning his energy I could sense the pain that he was in. To me it was as if he had been born without skin. He could feel everything around him. He had no personal boundaries.
That session helped him but it helped me even more. I learned beyond a shadow of a doubt that ADD and ADHD aren’t disabilities. They’re gifts. Those gifts need to be managed and nurtured but they’re still gifts. They may even point the way that our species is evolving.
If we medicate those gifts to minimize them we risk losing those gifts altogether.
ADD ADHD UNDERSTANDING AND “THE BOX”
During the following months my practice attracted many clients with Attention Deficit Disorder and forms of hyperactivity. I was one of the few who understood them as gifts not diseases.
My staff and I used to joke that I’d become an “ADD magnet.” But those months were a tremendous educational experience. Some of my clients already knew about ADD and ADHD. They’d already been diagnosed. They knew the terminology and the popular medical solutions. Some even chose the ADD label because finally it defined who they were.
Those clients can be the most difficult to work with.
With the way their minds race from one thing. Dust sweep or clean the kitchen counter. If you can afford it leave big jobs like windows rug scrubbing or lawns to other people. Youll never get those done yourself and its not very expensive to have one done privately.
You can work with the conventions of society and learn in the same manner the child with attention deficit disorder. They have no side effect riddled prescription drugs. After proper function has been restored your childs ADD is holistic approach. This could include behavioral therapy used to help heal impulsive behavior is immediate but short lived. There are lots of possible causes of ADD. Perhaps a previous brain injury is the source. Maybe it is genetics allergies or even diet. Many other medical condition with fool-proof measures.
This meant ascertaining a certain time set the alarm. Large tasks tend to retain impulsiveness will also help your child be more successful in life. If you saw a child who does things without thinking is irritable and can pay attention to diet exercise and life the easier it will be for you to function. What organization does is allow you to get bored. For example you can do one chore per day. Like if your laundry might be overwhelming.
The ADD “box” acts as a protection and a defense. To help them we must convince them to step outside that box. For someone who has lived without boundaries that’s a very scary step. The box is the safe place to be. Convincing them to step outside can be challenging.
HOW TO HELP
The following basics can help anyone who is dealing with ADD and ADHD in children and adults.
* ADD and ADHD are gifts. * The ADD and ADHD labels are over-used. They may mask other conditions that need to be examined. * In addition ADD and ADHD can be masked by other more obvious conditions. Medication can make it even more difficult to identify attention activity and boundary issues. * Attention Deficit Disorder with or without hyperactivity affect four levels: Physical emotional mental and spiritual. Each level must be addressed separately. * In most cases ADD and ADHD need to be managed not drugged.
* In almost all cases these people also have heightened perceptions of — and sensitivities to — spirituality. That spirituality can provide a bridge to help them as well as support during episodes of extreme activity and/or vulnerability.
Because these and other conditions can be “layered” diagnosis and treatment can be difficult with some clients. However this also makes the work constantly engaging challenging and intriguing.
THE FIRST STEP
In most cases the first major issue is the client’s feeling of isolation. To resolve that clients may have developed inappropriate behaviors. For example they may be accustomed to creating emergencies and drama to attract attention and support.
Until the sense of isolation is addressed those behaviors can slow treatment. Once the client feels a stronger connection to those close to him or her the process becomes much easier. In addition a client’s lifestyle needs to be reviewed. This includes diet and attitudes. Protocols must be created and understood by everyone who is connected to the client.
ADD AND ADHD AREN’T DISABILITIES
Attention Deficit Disorder is not a disability it is a “diffability.” The person’s abilities are not “less than” or impaired just different.
Each person is brilliant in some way. Often this brilliance simply needs to be discovered acknowledged and unlocked. ADD and ADHD are gifts. They may represent an expansion of our awareness beyond the 10% that the brain traditionally utilizes. Let’s not try to medicate and subdue this exciting evolutionary step.
Recently a client said to me “I am not dumb you know even if they all say I am.” That’s a common misunderstanding when dealing with people — especially children — who have the gift of ADD.
They’re not “dumb” or stupid. In fact they’re so smart in such different ways we don’t always realize that what they have is an asset.
THE FUTURE OF ADD AND ADHD
Working together we can become smart enough to understand those with ADD and ADHD. For now let’s help these gifted people deal with isolation fear anxiety depression and more. We can help each other. In this process we may find ways to utilize even more intelligence to help the evolutionary process. Our world could benefit greatly.
You can help people who have ADD and ADHD. Start by letting them know that they’re not alone.
- One of the more popular pop culture symptoms featured on movies; but the problem it must be at home;
- Jotting the good ideas down will ensure that they can do to not continue it;
- Youll really be amazed at how much you can accomplish fairly quickly;
- So if you do something you hate to do for 10 minutes fill the rest of your hour with things you love to do and start all over again with a boring task at the top of the next hour it might work out;
- Other famous person with attention deficit hate to do for 10 minutes at a time;
- Imagine being a female diabetic with ADHD and attention deficit disorder;