Beyond “Normal”: Neurodiversity-Affirming Therapy | Joel Schwartz

This week on the Mind Bod Adventure Pod, we sit down with Dr. Joel Schwartz, a psychologist and one of the early architects of the Neurodiversity-Affirming Therapy movement.

Joel is known for speaking truth to systems that pathologize difference — and for offering a way of working with our minds that’s healing, joyful, and radically humane.

In this episode, we explore:

* Why the “pathology model” of ADHD and autism misses the point

* The emotional toll of masking and code-switching to survive

* What actually helps when someone is overstimulated (spoiler: not deep breathing)

* Reclaiming movement, joy, and the right to stim without shame

* An unexpected practice that ends in synchronized swaying and yodel-singing!

Joel brings brilliance, humor, and zero tolerance for the rigid norms that ask neurodivergent folks to contort themselves into “acceptable” versions of humanity.

Along the way, Tasha reflects on late-diagnosed spectrum-y traits, Jeff gets real about rejection sensitivity, and we all momentarily dissolve into giggles about somatic intelligence and… mosh pits.

✨This episode is both a call to arms and a warm hug — a guide to seeing difference not as deficit, but as creative, embodied, meaningful expression.

We make this show with love, laughter, and absolutely no corporate overlords. If it lights you up, help us keep it going with a paid subscription! ❤️

Connect with Joel’s Practice: Total Spectrum Counseling

Now it’s your turn! Let us know what this episode and practice shook loose for you:

That’s all for this week. Thanks for tuning in.

Love always,

🧘🏽‍♀️ Tasha & Jeff 🧘🏼‍♂️

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