Neurodivergent Notes

Neurodivergent Notes

Part One: Shame, Restlessness, and Erik Erikson

How core wounds shape our sense of brokenness ~ and what a neurodivergent lens reveals

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Megan Anna Neff
Jul 28, 2025
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“I realized I’m not broken. I’m different.”

Some version of this line has become a kind of neurodivergent tagline. And for good reason. It’s powerful. Some really important books have been written around this idea (We’re Not Broken, A Little Less Broken). It’s become a core reframe in our community.

And I agree ~ learning I was neurodivergent helped loosen the grip of that old narrative. The one that says: You’re the problem.

But lately, I’ve found myself circling a different question. Not just what helped me unlearn brokenness, but why did I come to believe it in the first place?

Why do so many of us feel broken? Psychologically. Socially. Existentially. How does shame get so deeply woven into our foundations?

It’s a question with layers. Developmental. Relational. Cultural. And it’s one I’ve been asking in my head for years ~ but one I want to explore more intentionally in my writing.

So this marks the start of a new series: an exploration of why so many neurodivergent humans come to carr…

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