NEURODIVERGENT AND METAPHYSICALLY ORIENTED

 This might be a crazy idea to the neurodiversity community and to psychiatry and other connections to it, but I think that neurodivergents tend to be metaphysically oriented. They could even be in danger of being diagnosed schizophrenic. Many neurodivergents could be keeping stuff to themselves to avoid being diagnosed as having some type of psychotic disorder.

One of the things that seem to confirm what I believe is the concept of the Indigo Children,Crystal Children. The books that I read about them were people that seemed to be neurodivergents that have characteristics of ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia,and Autistic Spectrum but they also were metaphysically oriented. The book, THE CARE AND FEEDING OF THE INDIGO CHILDREN by Doreen Virtue showed a remarkable overlap in characteristics between the Indigos and neurodivergents.  She said the following about Indigos.  

1.  may seem awkward or clumsy and may be labeled as having delayed motor skill functioning, 2.  Talking and reading may also seem unnatural to them because they know that more accurate and honest conversation is available through telepathy, 3.  are exquisitely sensitive in many ways like may have been subject to taunts such as "You're too sensitive," yet their sensitivity is a spiritual gift equivalent to a detecting instrument, 4.  Because right-brained people have such acute senses, they're easily distracted. They can hear every little click of the school clock's hand, and the high pitch of the fluorescent lighting, 5.  they are so good at manifesting because they processing information primarily through mental pictures. They are skilled visualizers and can easily develop a photographic memory. They think and learn mainly in pictures, 6.  aren't just affected by the physical properties of their bedrooms; they're also influenced by the invisible non-tangibles in their rooms. Music, lighting,and scent and can make a big difference in your children's sleeping patterns, moods,and energy levels, 7.  are highly creative children,and think outside the box. This thinking style has created many of the world's breakthrough inventions, and 8. Indigo Children, gifted children who are labeled ADHD and adult lightworkers are almost always right-brain dominant. This means that they interact with the world primarily with the right hemisphere of their brain, which focuses upon visions and feeling and relates to nonverbal studies such as art, music, math, philosophy, psychology, and psychic arts. Right brain - dominant people can make excellent writers and speakers, provided they learn how to translate their mental pictures and strong internal feelings into the world. Of course, she talks about their empathic, psychic, mystical abilities.

There is also the concept of Anomalously Sensitive. Some of the findings were that people that are anomalously sensitive are likely to have unusually sensitive immune systems, be highly reactive/responsive to sensory stimuli, exhibit learning/attention styles that differ from the norm, be very attuned to the emotions of both themselves and others, be especially facile at accessing Altered States of Consciousness and to frequently have Transpersonal ("metaphysical," "paranormal," "psychic") Experiences. The point was made that if an individual is anomalously sensitive in one realm (the "Physiological," for example), s/he is very likely to be anomalously sensitive in the other realms ("Cognitive," "Emotional,", "Altered States of Consciousness" and "Transpersonal Experiences") as well.

Another concept that seems to support my theory is Overexcitabilities.  Dabrowski talked about OE's - over-excitabilities ("superstimulatabilities"), and how the gifted were extremely sensitive in a variety of areas. It's a stimulus-response difference from the norms. It means that in these 5 areas a person reacts more strongly than normal for a longer period than normal to a stimulus that may be very small. It involves not just psychological factors but central nervous system sensitivity.  Psychomotor like lots of physical energy and movement, fast talking, lots of gestures, sometimes nervous tics.  Sensual which involves a love for sensory things,  a powerful reaction to negative sensory input ,and/or tendency to be sensitive to bright lights (squinting in all the family photographs, etc.), harsh sounds.  Imaginational  is the OE of the dreamers, poets, "space cadets" who are strong visual thinkers, use lots of metaphorical speech. They day dream, remember their dreams at night and often react strongly to them, believe in magic.  Intellectual is the OE of the ones with strong "logical imperative,",love brain teasers and puzzles, enjoy following a line of complex reasoning, figuring things out as well as love of things academic, new information, cognitive games, etc.  Emotional is the OE which includes being "happier when happy, sadder when sad, angrier when angry," etc. There is an intensity of emotion, but there is also a very broad range of emotions.  There is also a need for deep connections with other people or animals.  If they are unable to find close and deep friends, they invent imaginary friends, make do with pets or stuffed animals, etc.  They have empathy and compassion.  This is also the OE that makes one susceptible to depression.  Dabrowski believed emotional OE to be central -- the energy center from which the whole constellation of OE's is generated.  Highly gifted people tend to have all 5 of these, but different people lead with different OE's. The engineer types lead with Intellectual, the poets with Emotional and Imaginational, etc. These five describe the unusual intensity of the gifted as well as the many ways in which they look and behave "oddly" when compared to norms.

There is also the Gift of Dyslexia concept by Ron Davis who is Dyslexic and Autistic. He has the following views about neurodivergents.  They include  can utilize the brain's ability to alter and create perceptions (the primary ability), are highly aware of the environment, are more curious than average, think mainly in pictures instead of words, are highly intuitive and insightful,  think and perceive multi-dimensionally (using all the senses), can experience thought as reality, and have vivid imaginations.

He also has the view that their special mode of thought also produces the gift of mastery: once they have learned something experientially, they understand it on such a deep level that they know how to do things intuitively without thinking about how.

There is also the concept of Sensory integration Dysfunction by Dr. Jean Ayres, Ph.D.  It does present significant evidence of a link between ultra-sensitivity and LD/ADHD. This theory describes dysfunction in processing information through the senses (touch, movement, smell, taste, vision, and hearing). Some signs of this sensory integration dysfunction include: 1. Oversensitivity to touch, movement, sights, or sounds, 2. Distractibility, 3. Hypo or Hyperactivity, 4. complaints about how clothes feel - especially tags, socks, and shoes, 5. difficulty making transitions from one situation to another, 6. Inability to unwind or calm self, 7.  Impulsivity, 8. Delays in speech, language, or motor skills, 9. Delays in academic achievement, and 10. Frequent Mood Changes.  Research indicates that up to 70% of children with learning problems experience characteristics of this sort. Autistic Spectrum and ADHD are thought to be the highest contributors of sensory integration dysfunction. There is also debate about Dyspraxia (aka Developmental Coordination Disorder, formerly Clumsy Child Syndrome)and Sensory Integration Dysfunction are one and the same because Dyspraxics have the characteristics of sensory dysfunction.

There is the concept of the Highly Sensitive Person (HSP). Dr. Aron describing persons with this characteristic as having an extremely sensitive nervous system. She asserts that highly sensitive people are biologically more sensitive to external stimuli such as glaring lights, strong odors, and clutter.  It is not just emotional stimuli.  She says that HSPs augment stimulation that is about picking up on subtleties but also experience more autonomic arousal in what others would find only moderately arousing.  She says that HSPs have greater intuition and physical awareness. She also says that HSPs have abundance of spiritual experiences - visions, voices, or miracles, and of intimate personal relationships with God, angels, saints, or spirit guides.

I think that there is a strong connection between neurodivergence and metaphysical orientation. My best friend is a shaman, and he has dyslexic, dyspraxic, ADHD traits like me. He even had a special education class history like me too.  I used to be in love with a woman who was a daycare/preschool teacher of children with special needs (obviously you can see why I was in love with her), and she had a history of using magick and tarot. She is metaphysically oriented. I met her in astrology channel on irc on internet. 3 years later, I was talking about neurodivergent conditions, she told me that she has dyslexia and ADHD. She told me that she has a tendency to talk backwards and is very hyper. I actually even felt more connected to her when she told me that stuff.  Her best friend who was also her co-worker revealed herself as a witch. She turned out to have dyslexia and ADHD.

Maybe it wasn't just witches, warlocks that were being executed for not going with the status quo, maybe it was people with autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and/or ADHD that were being executed in ancient times. Actually some may have gotten away with it. Some ADHDers could have been good warriors. Even dyslexics who didn't have to bother with language stuff may have been good warriors. Dyspraxics might have been viewed as the buffoons because of their clumsiness, but they could have been the ones that were probably the ones being the priests and not the warriors.  People with Aspergers Syndrome could have been the scribes.  Autistics probably had it worst than anybody.  They could were probably viewed as being possessed by the Gods, spirits or the devil. They might have been viewed as having paranormal abilities that were either respected or feared.

Interestingly, somebody at a psychic fair told me that I have problems with eye contact due to being such an empath. What's interesting is poor eye contact is common in neurodivergents including especially people on the autistic spectrum. It is also common in schizophrenics too.

It's not uncommon for people with autistic to be misdiagnosed as having schizophrenia.  It used to thought of as a form of schizophrenia. What's even really messed up is that anti-psychotics are being approved to treat symptoms of autism.  It's ironic that autism is not thought to be a form of schizophrenia now but is getting treated with anti-psychotics.

My mother told me that my father had dyslexic,dyspraxic,and ADHD traits. It it also turns out that my father had problems with perceiving/understanding emotional/social cues including facial expressions, tone of voice, and gestures, and so he was definitely on the autistic spectrum.  My mother even told me that he was too sensitive, reactive to his surroundings/environment to the point that he was very protective of her and me.  What was really bad is that he was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic by prison psychiatrists.

My father was an African American born and raised in Southern Louisiana. Voodoo is not uncommon in those places. Voodoo was brought from Haiti when Haiti slaves came to Louisiana.  My father had a strong belief in metaphysical and had a paternal great grandmother who put snakes on the house porch to ward off negative spirits. It's actually a Voodoo belief that snakes are divine and used for protection. It seems my great grandmother was a voodoo practitioner herself. My mother told me that my father had habit of gathering up all his hair on the floor after a haircut so it wouldn't be used against him with voodoo magick.  She also told me that he had a lock of her hair for good luck. He would be viewed as highly superstitious.

I could see how many neurodivergents don't want to out themselves as metaphysically oriented. Why would they? There is a strong history of being mistreated that goes way way way back in history.  Neurodivergents are viewed as being disordered and needing to be fixed. Metaphysical is not recognized by scientific and mental health community, and so they would be viewed as being liars or psychotic.  They are already viewed abnormal from the neurological perspective, and so they wouldn't want to be viewed as abnormal from the psychiatric perspective. I don't think any sane person wants that. I certainly don't. I don't think that my father wanted to be viewed as abnormal either.