Welcome!

Hello and welcome to Mindbodies Decolonised, the first edition! I’m very excited to be sharing this with you.

I have been in and around the discourse on, and activism and advocacy for, Neurodivergence, Neurodiversity and Mindbodies for a few years now. As an Autistic ADHDer, I have found much comfort and wisdom there, however, I have also become increasingly dismayed with the lack of collective progress and some of the very worrying subcultures within the Neurodiversity movement. It’s high time for a shift, and a big one.

For some context on how we got here - check out my two-part article on ‘The Colonisation of Neurodiversity’ in the Mission Equality newsletter. It was in these articles that I first introduced the new terms that I hope will help us to break free from harmful cycles. These terms are:

Neuro-performative: Ways of existing that align with the construct of normal, but require an individual to move away from their own unique baseline of normal. 

Neuro-embodiment: The process of finding our own baseline of 'normal' and learning to recognise when we are and aren't operating from it.

Neuro-normal: Ways of existing that align with your specific mindbody, and that are the 'normal' baseline for you as an individual.

The creation of these terms came from a frustration in being bound by colonised language, the language of pathology, deficit and unhelpful binaries. But why hadn’t these concepts already arisen in mindbody discourse? Or had they arisen and been dismissed? I realised that my restlessness was not just for lack of words to describe my thoughts, it was also borne out of spending time in the ‘most progressive’ spaces and finding that there was a vital element missing…

The intentional, consistent, internal work of decolonising ourselves. Decolonising our thoughts, our actions and therefore: our reality. 

I have been on a proactive decolonisation journey for a couple of years, and it is no exaggeration to say that it has transformed my life. It may have even saved it.

Decolonisation is, among other things, about learning to recognise when we are being exploited and extracted from, when any of our mindbody needs are not being met, and when we are upholding systems designed to oppress and harm (as well as how we personally benefit and suffer in these systems). It is about rediscovering who we were before we were given roles that don’t serve us, and who we could be if we stopped performing. It is about reimagining a reality where all our needs are met with ease, joy and abundance.

In this fortnightly newsletter, I will be talking about how we can engage in the personal and collective healing that is decolonising our mindbodies, in order to create a new reality. A neuro-embodied reality where we no longer need to neuro-perform and we are strongly connected to our individual baselines of neuro-normal. I’ll share my personal stories and practical tips and advice on mindbody decolonisation. I hope to invite guests to be interviewed so I can amplify their stories and continue to build a community working towards the common goal of decolonised, neuro-embodied living.

Thank you to all those who contributed your stories and insights to help me shape this newsletter, your help has been invaluable.

A special thank you to my mentor, Dr Kimberly Douglass, for guiding me with such kindness and clarity to find my way.

And thank you for reading this far! I hope you’ll join me on this journey of discovery and reclamation, as I continue to decolonise my mindbody alongside you.

AJ