Why I Create Playful Therapeutic Resources (Even When Some Call Them “Childish”)

I often create therapeutic creative resources that look playful. They use simple metaphors.Gentle illustrations. At times they are interactiveSometimes even squished, squashed sandwiches. And every so often, someone asks – kindly or otherwise –“But isn’t this a bit childish?” I want to speak to that. Not to defend myself, but to name something I’ve learned […]

Hypoarousal Signs: Shutdown, Freeze, Numbness + What Helps (Adults, Kids, Parents)

Hypoarousal Signs: Shutdown, Freeze, Numbness – What to Do First (Adults + Parents) Hypoarousal is what happens when your nervous system drops into “too little, shut down.” It’s the bottom slice of The Sandwich of Capacity™: metaphor. Immobilised energy that reduces output – fewer words, less movement, less connection, less access to “thinking clearly.” Hypoarousal […]

Is Sensory Overload Hyperarousal? Window of Tolerance + The Sandwich of Capacity™

Is Sensory Overload Hyperarousal? Window of Tolerance + The Sandwich of Capacity™

Is Sensory Overload Hyperarousal? (And Why It Can Flip Into Shutdown) If you’re neurodivergent, you might know sensory overload as that moment when sound is too sharp, light is too bright, clothing feels unbearable, and your brain can’t “filter” anything anymore. Sometimes it looks like panic, irritability, urgency, or rage. Other times it looks like […]

Mask All Day, Crash Later: Neurodivergent Capacity, Burnout + The Sandwich of Capacity™

Mask All Day, Crash Later: Neurodivergent Capacity, Burnout + The Sandwich of Capacity™

Mask All Day, Crash Later: Capacity, Masking Fatigue, and Neurodivergent Burnout (What Helps) If you’re neurodivergent, you might recognise a familiar rhythm: You show up, perform, cope, smile, respond “normally,” keep pace. You hold it together through work, school, meetings, family, or social time. Then you get home and collapse – irritable, tearful, numb, foggy, […]

Hyperarousal Signs: Anxiety, Rage, Overwhelm + What Helps (Adults, Kids, Parents)

Hyperarousal Signs: Anxiety, Urgency, Rage, Overwhelm – What to Do First (Adults + Parents) Hyperarousal is what happens when your nervous system moves into “too much, too fast.” It’s the top slice of The Sandwich of Capacity™: mobilised energy that wants action-fix it, escape it, control it, or end it. This is why hyperarousal can […]