Unmasking At Last: The Unexpected Sadness Of Being Authentically Neurodivergent

THE AUTISM ADHD PODCAST

Holly Blanc Moses

Psychology, Mental Health, Health & Fitness, Kids & Family, Adhd, Speechtherapy, Autism, Autismawareness, Occupationaltherapy, Child, Therapy, Parent, Parenting, Education, Behavior

4.8 • 650 Ratings

🗓️ 23 October 2024

⏱️ 10 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode of The Autism ADHD Podcast, I’m opening up about my experience at the Journey's with PDA Retreat—and about my key takeaways:

True Freedom: The retreat allowed me to be myself completely—no pressure to conform, no judgment—just acceptance and understanding.
The Power of Acceptance: I could take breaks, fidget, or choose not to talk, and it was all okay. No one expected me to be anything other than myself.
A Bittersweet Realization: While the retreat was freeing, it also highlighted how much we mask daily and how few spaces like this exist for neurodivergent people.
The Emotional Weight of Masking: The retreat helped me see just how draining it can be to constantly mask, and why we all need more spaces where we can feel safe being ourselves.

Sincerely,

❤️ Holly Blanc Moses- The Mom/Neurodivergent Therapist

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Disclaimer

All content provided is protected under applicable copyright, patent trademark and other proprietary rights all content is provided for informational and educational purposes only. No content is intended to substitute for professional medical or psychological diagnosis advice or treatment. Information provided does not create an agreement for service between Holly Blanc Moses, Crossvine Clinical Group, Holly Blanc Moses LLC and the recipient. Children or adults who show signs of dangerous behavior toward themselves or others should be placed immediately under the care of a qualified professional.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome everyone to the Autism-AdHD podcast. I'm your host, Holly Blanc Moses, the mom
0:06.6	nerd aversion therapist. Before we jump into today's chat, I wanted to give you some great news.
0:14.0	I am now providing live online parent workshops once a month on the topics that you have been asking for.
0:23.2	Also, I'm going to be doing question and answer sessions after the workshops.
0:29.6	Now, if you can't show up live to the workshops, that's okay because you can get the replay.
0:36.1	And if you are a therapist listening right now, I've got you covered too.
0:41.7	If you want neurodiversity affirming continuing education credits, just make sure that you are on my
0:49.0	email list and you can do that by opting in for one of my free guides.
0:54.2	Okay, now let's get into it.
0:56.5	This is a big one.
0:58.5	I'm excited to share.
1:00.6	I recently attended the journeys with PDA retreat in Tennessee,
1:06.8	where parents and professionals gather together to learn more about pathological demand avoidance.
1:14.9	I want to give a shout out to the journey's team, Heather, Carissa, and Dusty.
1:20.4	Thank you for organizing the event.
1:23.6	It was a beautiful experience and one that I will never forget. So it was about 30 of us attending
1:35.5	the retreat. And one of the most remarkable things was that I'm guessing about 90% of the
1:43.6	people who attended were nerd a virgin.
1:46.1	And it was the first time I had ever been in a room where almost everyone was nerd a virgin.
1:53.3	We were the majority for a change.
1:56.2	And let me tell you, that feeling of being surrounded by people who truly understand who get it
2:03.4	was so freeing. There was this incredible sense of acceptance, kindness, and mutual respect
	...

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