Category: Autism
-
Your body has been writing you letters for years. You just couldn’t read them
If decades of masking and the invisible weight of long COVID have left your body keeping a score nobody told you about, you are not imagining it. Lee Hopkins is a psychologist and late-diagnosed AuDHD adult who understands what you are going through from the inside out
-
When the body keeps the score of a lifetime of masking
Chronic physical pain can emerge after years of neurodivergent masking because the nervous system and body absorb prolonged stress responses. When identity strain, social pressure and self-criticism accumulate over decades, the body may eventually signal overload through fatigue, tension and pain
-
Misdiagnosis nearly killed me
A personal and clinical account of misdiagnosis, neurodivergence, environment, and augmentation. Three books form one argument: mental health fails when behaviour is mistaken for architecture, context is ignored, and clinicians lose the bandwidth to remain curious
-
Doing less without disappearing
Living with an ADHD and autistic brain often means having more ideas than energy This reflective essay explores why doing less is not failure but a necessary response to nervous system depletion burnout and the quiet work of recovery in a culture addicted to productivity
-
Why late ADHD diagnosis rewrites your life story
If you were diagnosed late and are still reprocessing your life story, you’re not behind. You’re doing the necessary work. Follow Mindblown Psychology for clear, humane explanations of neurodivergence, identity, and mental health without shame or simplification
-
Have you tortured someone today?
One in four of us don’t ‘fit in’. This leads to tremendous psychological pain as we deal with the pain of rejection and the fear of being ostracised. Have you unwittingly tortured your friend today?
-
Why some conversations now feel impossible
If conversations leave you exhausted rather than understood, this piece explores the psychology behind why dialogue collapses when belief fuses with identity, and how to recognise when shared understanding is no longer available without blaming yourself or others
-
Goodbye to the shitty end of social media
If you’re tired of the enshittified end of social media and ready for calmer, more human spaces, join me on Substack, YouTube and in the pages of my books. Follow the work where depth lives, not where algorithms thrive. It’s time for a cleaner digital life
-
AuDHD isn’t two conditions, it’s one complex reality
If this is your life too, you’re not alone, and you’re certainly not malfunctioning. You’re wired differently, and that wiring deserves explanation rather than judgement. If you want more grounded, contrarian, neuro-affirming writing like this, stay part of the conversation
-
Systematic desensitisation: Teaching the brain to unlearn fear
Joseph Wolpe’s 1958 therapy method, Systematic Desensitisation, still reshapes how we treat anxiety and phobias today—especially for neurodivergent minds learning to trust their own nervous systems again
-
Get over yourself
A reflective essay on sensitivity, overthinking, and learning that not everything is about us. Includes a neurodiversity lens on rejection sensitivity and the contrarian ‘Gaye factor’
-
When your brain decides to throw a rave without asking first
Late-life migraines can feel like the body’s betrayal, but they’re often your nervous system drawing a hard line. If you’ve ever had that sudden sensory explosion—light, sound, pain, dread—you’re not alone. Let’s explore what your brain’s really saying and how to listen to it
-
When desire dies and you’re both still breathing
Struggling with mismatched desire in your relationship? Book a consultation to explore what’s really happening beneath the surface—and discover what connection might look like when you stop performing and start being honest about what you actually need
-
When obsession isn’t love: limerence and the neurodivergent brain
Ever wondered why your crush feels like a full-time job? This piece unpacks the neurodivergent chemistry behind limerence, why it hijacks your brain, and how to turn obsession into insight. Read the full piece on Mindblown Psychology — where intensity meets understanding
-
It’s not about money, it’s about dopamine
If your dopamine system keeps raiding your wallet, you’re not broken—you’re brilliantly wired for stimulation in a system that sells it. Learn how to satisfy the craving for novelty without emptying your bank account or your self-worth
-
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: What it gets wrong (and what still works)
CBT can change lives, but only when it fits the person, not the other way round. Discover why logic isn’t always healing, and how therapy needs to evolve for the neurodiverse, the complex, and the emotionally wired
-
Why mindfulness often fails for neurodivergent brains
Traditional mindfulness often alienates ADHD and autistic minds. Discover why calm doesn’t mean stillness and how flow, curiosity, and movement can regulate better than breath counting. Read the full guide to mindfulness that finally fits neurodiverse brains
-
When crying never came: why freeze-fawn children grow into people-pleasing adults
Were you the quiet, “easy” child who grew into the exhausted, approval-seeking adult? Lindsey Mackereth’s freeze-fawn hypothesis offers a powerful lens. Read my take—and my story—on why invisible early neglect leaves deep imprints and what healing really asks of us
