Bring Your Best Self to the Session
HIGHLIGHTS FROM AMHCA ’ S 2023 ANNUAL CONFERENCE continued from page 22
instead of a neurodivergent individual with gifts . To identify the gifts , look inside the challenges :
• Eye Contact : I had a high-school senior who rarely made eye contact . I brought this to their attention one day and the student explained , “ When I look at someone ’ s eyes , I see everything that there is to know about them , and I feel it in my body .” ( Could there be a better way to describe an empath ’ s experience ?)
• Areas of Interest : Use these to teach new concepts and behaviors . They also often become a neurosensitive ’ s career superpower . I ’ ve heard employers tell of their neurosensitive employee ’ s ability to focus on specific details that have saved the company significant money . Finding the correct match of setting and skills is so important !
• Waves and Particles : A physics student told me that when left alone , he can be in his bliss place , totally at ease and at one with his surroundings ( wave ). But as soon as he needs to relate with another or with an expectation , he is pulled out of his ease and feels like a “ particle ” being forced to interact , and that this is not familiar or easy .
• Integrity and Authenticity : I love this superpower . Seems to me that this is exactly what our society needs — people who will tell the truth and act from their core values and principles .
• Oneness : Many in our society focus on “ the other ,” seeing the differences that separate us from one another . Neurosensitives are prone to see no separation between self and others . ( In fact , it is often essential to teach them boundaries — physical , verbal , and energetic — in a way that doesn ’ t encourage them to lose their bright light .)
We can do so much as clinicians when interacting or working with folks who are neurosensitive :
DEEP-DIVE BREAKOUT SESSION Working With ‘ Neurosensitives ’
BOOKS
• Bolte Taylor , Jill . “ My Stroke of Insight : A Brain Scientist ’ s Personal Journey .” New York , Viking , 2008 .
• Dana , D . “ Polyvagal Flipchart : Understanding the Science of Safety .” New York , W . W . Norton and Company , 2020 .
• Perry , P . and Winfrey , O . “ What Happened to You ? Conversations on Trauma , Resilience , and Healing .” New York : Flatiron Books , 2022 .
• Silberman , S . “ Neurotribes : The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity .” New York : Avery Publishers , 2016 .
• Van der Kolk , B . “ The Body Keeps the Score .” New York : Viking Press , 2014 . ( This book is a classic . More people are realizing that
• Look for antecedent events : Be aware that they might not occur immediately prior to the challenging behavior or meltdown .
• Provide explicit instruction : Neurosensitives often don ’ t generalize , so they must be taught and retaught . They have so many layers of anxiety and avoidance — not knowing what to do , plus the social and communication aspects , plus anything else real or perceived . We have to create the scaffolding for interpreting each event and walk them through each small step between where they are now and where they ( or we ) want them to be .
• Turn off fluorescent or other bright lighting , and use natural lighting where possible . In addition to the noise from the ballasts , it can impact reading , anxiety , and inattention .
• Remember that transitions are hard . Provide social stories , modeling , and role-playing .
Bring Your Best Self to the Session
I have found that it works best to walk a mile in their shoes . As I identify each neurosensitive ’ s experience , I become more effective in our sessions . I bring my calmest , most compassionate , curious , and authentic self to each session to create a safe environment for my clients .
With this perspective , and by utilizing the many tools listed above , I hope that you can identify their superpowers , help them to recognize and appreciate who they really are , and enable them to minimize their challenges effectively .
Resources on Neurosensitives
WEBSITES
the symptoms and behaviors that accompany PTSD are experienced by neruosensitives as a result of their numerous “ little t ” traumas . — Judy Lipson , LPC )
Havening Techniques : https :// havening . org /
The Highly Sensitive Person :
• www . hsperson . com ( Featured on the website is the work of Elaine N . Aaron , PhD , who is the author of “ The Highly Sensitive Person ” and “ The Highly Sensitive Child .”
• The website includes a tab on FAQs as well as “ Research from 2022 on High Sensitivity ” https :// bit . ly / 46A4aVD
The Tapping Solution : https :// www . thetappingsolution . com /
The Advocate Magazine 2023 , Issue # 2 American Mental Health Counselors Association ( AMHCA ) www . amhca . org 23