Topic guide
Is it ADHD, or is it trauma?
When the wiring and the wound look the same.
Restlessness, distraction, overwhelm, a mind that will not settle: these can be signs of a different brain, or a body still braced from a different time, or both at once. This guide is for you if you have wondered which one you are living with, and felt how easily the two get mistaken for each other. Only a qualified clinician can assess or diagnose. What these essays offer is a clearer way to hold the question, without shame, so you can ask a better one.
Start with this essay
Is It ADHD or Is It Trauma? The Answer Might Live in Your Nervous System
Why the wiring and the wound can look identical from the inside, and how to start telling them apart. Begin here for the whole frame.
Keep reading
More on the ADHD and trauma overlap
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When the Wiring and the Wound Look the Same
Neurodivergence and trauma, tangled: what overlaps, what doesn’t, and why the distinction matters.
A free companion
You’re Not Broken: Understanding the ADHD Brain
A free ebook on why the ADHD brain works the way it does, held with self-compassion instead of shame, plus a set of printable affirmation cards for the hard days. This is education, not diagnosis.
Related topics
Where to go next
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Nervous system regulation
What regulation looks like when your body still treats calm as a warning.
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CPTSD & trauma patterns
Why the same loops keep repeating, and where a pattern can finally stop.
The Sunday Letter
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The Sunday Letter is where these essays begin.