Thanks for the post. I was actually thinking about making a poll recently to see if there’s a pattern between being neurodivergent and having more difficulty with subliminals.
First I want to say in no way shape or form do I expect subclubs subliminals to “cure” me of ADHD. Definitely don’t want to give that impression.
ADHD is still a VERY new emerging area of research. It’s possible years down the road they get everything wrong. But with the latest research it’s becoming more and more clear that it’s not the typical representations a lot of us have come to think of as ADHD.
I got diagnosed at the height of the pandemic. I understand people’s reservation to be given a label or feel it will form their identity. But if you do have ADHD, it’s there whether you believe it or not. I had similar thoughts but looking back on my life there was a lot of dysfunction in my life not caught by my parents or they thought I’d grow out of it. I exhibited texbook ADHD symptoms all throughout my life without realizing I had it, so it’s not really a limiting belief or something I’ve held onto. You only make it your identity if you lean on it too much, but in my case it’s better than my perpetual feelings of being a failure. At least with ADHD I have something there and can understand why my life unfolded the way it did.
As for how subliminals are processed differently. A lot of that comes down to the fact that the prefrontal cortex does not operate as well in ADHD individuals. We always say the most important thing with these subs is action. But unfortunately that’s the thing ADHD brains have issues with the most, execution, follow through, planning etc. On top of that those with ADHD are typically NOT good with emotions. They can have trouble identifying, managing, or expressing them. This can mean reconciliation is a more frustrating experience because it takes center stage in the life. They don’t have as strong of an ability in neurotypical individuals to “put it aside”, that’s why often in my journals you’ll see me caught in thought spirals or loops, I get sucked into those emotional states and then if there’s compounding stress in my life I become even more poor at managing it. This can make me look incompetent or like I’m wallowing, but the reality is I’m dealing with a dysfunction of my brain.
So that being said here’s some things I’ve found that help process the subs better.
-
Lower volume. I don’t like being told what to do. Whether that’s an inborn trait or a result of emotional experiences over the years I’m not sure. But subliminals at louder volume are more “forceful” which I don’t respond well to.
-
A lot less loops. I’m talking 1 or 2 week. An excessive amount of loops for an ADHD brain seems to be a lot different than a neurotypical one.
-
Sleep. Sleep is so important for ADHD brains. The irony is that most people with ADHD have terrible sleeping habits.
-
Balancing every day stress and subliminal input. What I mean by this is if you have a lot going on in your life and you feel overwhelmed, chucking a sublminal loop on top of that can end badly sometimes. Most of the time the stress and overwhelm from ADHD comes from falling behind, procrastinating, being unable to cognitively handle the tasks at hand, etc. Throwing more processing and task oriented stuff onto that can be bad. Those with ADHD tend to be routinely stuck in the planning or preparing stage towards action. It’s never a deficit of knowledge or awareness, but purely a lacking in the follow through. So sometimes a loop isn’t needed because it would just serve as another thing taking up resources in the mind.
That’s about all I have unfortunately. I do think these sublminals are beneficial for everyone. It’s just a matter of getting the input right and having it calibrated correctly for the type of mind. Something I recognize is not easy to do at all. But I think it did warrant a discussion so anyone else struggling doesn’t suffer extensively over trying to integrate and inefficient listening strategy.
