Thread by @bensmithlive

ADHD is not a disorder.

It’s a difference in cognition.

You need to harness it, not sedate with pills. Once you do, it will make you hyper-focus.

Here’s what you can do to turn ADHD into a superpower: 🧵

First off, what is ADHD?

A persistent pattern of inattention or hyperactivity/impulsivity that disrupts functioning.

Symptoms:

• Short attention span
• Easily distracted (spacing out)
• Constantly changing activities
• Unable to concentrate on tedious tasks

But…

In my experience with clients, individuals with ADHD are attention-different people. They do not have an attention deficit.

Once you place them in their zone of genius, they thrive (which I’ll explain in a minute).

But first, let’s get to the root cause.

Scientists have discovered there are differences in the brains, nerve networks, and neurotransmitters of people with ADHD.

Let’s start with the brain.

When it doesn’t fully develop—it can’t do its job properly...

Some neural networks may be less effective.

The brain can take longer to “switch off” in the default mode network (DMN). It’s active when you are, i.e. day-dreaming.

For people with ADHD, it’s harder to switch off from this “daydream mode” to “focus mode" 👇🏽

There are two types of attention: bottom-up (unconscious) and top-down (conscious).

Bottom-up: driven by external stimuli, i.e. loud noise

Top-down (controlled): driven by goals, intentions, or what you think matters, i.e. a business goal

People with ADHD struggle with the latter.

Bottom-up impairs top-down—which is why you struggle to focus.

For example:

You know you need to do something, you intend to do it, yet you don't do it.

This applies not only to trivial tasks, like throwing trash in a bin, but also to more important matters.

Now, there are a plenty of ADHD treatments such as Elvanse (similar to Ritalin), Adderall, Atomoxetine capsules, etc.

Let’s analyse the Elvanse real quick:

It is a central nervous system stimulant (CNS)

It increases dopamine (pleasure, movement, attention span) and norepinephrine (stimulant).

When you come off, you are no longer blocking their reabsorption, so they fall below baseline.

The result?

Depleted dopamine which leads to low mood, less pleasure, pain, and headaches.

Depleted norepinephrine which leads to low HRV (poor control of sympathetic function) and migraines from depletion of sympathetic norepinephrine stores.

Put simply...

Elvanse stimulates your nervous system to produce dopamine and norepinephrine.

When you aren’t taking Elvanse…

Your body will be less effective at producing them naturally (leading to a need to take it).

But what about hyper-excitability?

Hyper-excitable individuals struggle to slow down and manage external stress.

People with ADHD can easily get distracted by an unexpected call or meeting.

This is a dysfunction in cerebral cortex (the imbalance of dopamine and norepinephrine).

Not to mention GABA…

GABA is your brain’s “brake pedal.”

It reduces excitability. People with ADHD have lower levels of GABA (weak brakes).

This is why you struggle to calm down. This can also lead to epilepsy, chronic pain, anxiety, etc.

Stimulants such as Elvanse and Ritalin affect the GABA pathway.

Remember, GABA is the “brake pedal.”
Low GABA = cortical hyper-excitability

My client had this exact problem.

Here is how we’ve solved it:

First off, support health neurotransmitter function. We limited stimulants by performing a factory reset:

• No loud music
• No screens
• No caffeine
• No medication

It takes roughly 30 days to return to baseline.

Then naturally increase neurotransmitters:

• GABA
• Dopamine
• Norepinephrine

Reduce the above stimulants, control mind-created stress, and optimise your life for parasympathetic activation.

How?

My battle-tested tools:

• Sauna
• Meditation
• Proper sleep
• Epsom salt bath
• Personalised supplementation
• Grounding/spending time under the sun
• Specific breathwork exercises (that I provide)

Moving on.

Train yourself to manage stimulus better. Precisely, train your parasympathetic nervous system.

How?

• Red light therapy
• Cold water therapy
• Vagus nerve stimulation
• Control mind-created stress

Deactivate with the breath.

As referred above, I gave him specific breathwork exercises to bring him back to a calm baseline.

As a breathwork facilitator, I can assure you—breathwork is your best friend here.

And finally, harness your gift.

As I said, you don’t have attention deficit. You have different attention.

Position yourself within your zone of genius, aligned with your skills and interests.

Eliminate, delegate, and systematise the rest.

Huberman's explanation is perfect:

You don’t need to "eliminate" ADHD.

You don’t need to sedate it with medication.

My client stopped using medication after this protocol—and he's thriving now.

I've provided insights into his transformation that you can apply.

But if you want to explore further…

I created the 14-day quantum. program to give you:

7 life-changing tools to transform your health, master your nervous system, and harness your life force.

Get it below (it's free):
quantum.join-aura.com

Thanks for reading!

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