“For people like us, it may well take the whole 8 weeks of the course to gauge if we feel safe enough, before we can even begin to learn about Mindfulness.”
That’s what a neurodivergent participant said to me during a routine safeguarding pre-course chat, two months ago.
And it changed everything. How could it not?
Some of the most established Mindfulness-based programmes were developed decades ago. Neurodiversity was far less understood let alone included in the way Mindfulness was taught. By default, Mindfulness courses in general were developed for a neurotypical audience.
Thankfully, there now is significantly more awareness of Neurodiversity and the need to make Mindfulness courses more neuro-affirmative.
This is a necessary movement I am committed to take part in as a Mindfulness teacher.
And so last night, I wrapped up the first 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction course which I taught explicitly from a neuro-affirmative perspective.
This has been the most challenging, stretching, and yet rewarding experience.
Through additional supervision, working with an ADHD expert, but also closely WITH my neurodivergent participants (contrary to recommended conventional teacher-student dynamics), together we were able to make practices more accessible, and thus safe and useful.
I probably said all the things you’re not supposed to say, and yet, it often felt they were precisely the things I needed to say.
It’s not Mindfulness if it’s not kind, so the kind thing to do is to make the practices and didactic components safe and accessible, right?
And so, for example, we explored a new lexicon for popular concepts like “reactivity”, “perception,” and “maladaptive coping mechanisms,” which can all come across as blaming language that exacerbates emotions (like shame). Clearly, this is the opposite of what we intend to cultivate during a Mindfulness programme.
There’s SO much more I want to say. My notebook is full. And so is my heart.
It’s just a matter of pulling all my learning together and then sharing it with any interested peers. That’s the important next step.
Stay tuned, or message me for more information. I’m happy to share.
PS1: My next 8-week online courses start on 5th (Sunday mornings) and 7th (Tuesday evenings) of January 2025.
PS2: The group mentioned in this post is NOT the group in the picture, which was taken during a public introductory talk on Mindfulness.
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