SHIFTING AND MANIFESTATION FOR NEURODIVERGENT PEOPLE
a general word vomit from a kid trying to get a point or two across.
yes, this is long. because it NEEDS to exist.
you don’t need to be neurodivergent to read this; your only requirement is to be someone in this community. being educated and aware never hurt anyone.
i myself am not diagnosed with anything—mostly because my mom is a total nutjob who refuses to believe her child is “abnormal”, buuuut… i’m pretty sure there’s something undiagnosed up in my brain. regardless, i’ve rarely seen a post really trying to accommodate for neurodivergent people in this community.
because one could easily say “your physical body doesn’t matter, your circumstances do not matter, just persist!”
and while in LOA, that IS true; you could manifest and shift regardless of whatever you’re possibly going through. nothing is impossible.
most neurodivergent people are actively affected more by their mind, their perspective on the world or their mental state. it becomes extremely hard to just ignore the circumstances and power through; not impossible! but very, very hard.
do excuse me if i get anything wrong, and feel free to point it out and correct me. especially if you are neurodivergent yourself, i prioritize giving the best advice when it comes to things such as this!
different neurotypes share no single experience, but patterns exist.
many autistic, ADHD, sensory processing, and other neurodivergent people have stronger, more literal, or more embodied sensory experiences. this means that visualizing or “feeling” a desire, to live in the end, may be vivid…
or the complete opposite. because remember, people, spectrums exist!
ADHD and some autistic profiles bring hyper focus and distractibility. hyper focus can massively accelerate planning and skill building toward a goal—to shift, manifest—but distractibility makes consistent practice of attention based techniques harder.
along emotional regulation, strong mood swings, alexithymia (trouble naming internal states), rejection sensitivity, or mood disorders can amplify the emotional stakes of “not manifesting,” causing the following;
shame, catastrophizing, or despair.
then comes literal thinking and black-and-white cognition; when things are interpreted literally, metaphorical LOA language can confuse or lead to rigid rules that backfire. examples; be the energy you want to attract. people may adopt extreme, all-or-nothing behaviors, developing an insecurity or a nagging fear of having to be PERFECT. this harms wellbeing.
for people prone to psychosis spectrum experiences, blending imagined outcomes and actual evidence can become dangerous. this is something i do not see anyone talk about, which really worries me. there’s more harm in not telling someone they can have issues in their journey, due to the fact that they’re built a different way, just to save face for the community. you need to be able to tell what’s delusion, and what’s a shift.
what i’ve mentioned above are all core ways neurodivergence changes how these concepts, shifting, manifesting, feel and work.
this does not mean in any way, shape or form that neurodivergent folks cannot do these practices. in fact, they can LEVERAGE special strengths (intense interests, hyperfocus, pattern recognition) to make these mechanisms powerful, if the approach is adapted to their specific cognitive style!
small examples could be emotional rehearsal. preparing yourself for future events, to practice anxiety handling or social scripts reduce shock when they happen; followed by motivation and reward loops! believing something is possible, combined with small wins, creates dophamine feedback that helps sustain the effort. do not see any of your small wins as useless, no matter how miniscule they may be. it is proof of SOMETHING. put that in your pocket, and protect it!
there’s also common traps and harms. like i mentioned above, it helps NOBODY to act as if the community or these practices are easy for everyone. they can be, but humans weren’t created as copy pastes of one another. realize that each and every one of us is so uniquely different, so complex, and that not everyone will see the world in a picture perfect example.
VICTIM BLAMING; in some corners of the community, there’s still those people that set specific language. “you didn’t manifest because, this and that and those…” this could be damaging if you have depression, OCD, anxiety, trauma, or executive dysfunction. there’s a difference between adding moral blame for setbacks, and genuinely helping someone.
to add onto this, i’d like to mention that NONE of my harsh motivation posts are for people genuinely struggling. i am someone who struggles, i would never set shame in someone i see myself in. i saw many people mentioning this in other posts and i just wanted to speak upon it. my toxic motivation posts are for people that LIKE it—because it works for some! okay, niko rant over, back to the post…
OVER RELIANCE ON INTERNAL METHODS; if manifestation is treated as only, only internal—visualize, feel, expect, and ignores external planning, people with executive dysfunction or chaotic environments can become stuck in imagining without building supports. telling your average joe that they don’t need to do methods is fine; it’s wonderful, even! it can help THEM. but make sure to let others know that doing the work helps regardless.
BURNOUT FROM FORCED CONSISTENCY: many methods, subliminals most popularly, ask for consistency. if one has limited energy, sensory sensitivity, or fluctuating ability, rigid daily demands cause exhaustion and failure—again, leading to blame!
i’d like to give some principles tailored to neurodivergent brains, if you believe one could help you,
A — TRANSLATE “FEEL IT” INTO YOUR BRAIN’S LANGUAGE.
if traditional visualization doesn’t fit you, replace it with something that does.
if you have strong sensory imagery: anchor the desired state to a specific sensory memory (a texture, a smell) that could evoke calm or confidence.
if imagery is weak: use verbal descriptions, lists of facts about the future you want, or an internal logic map! concrete statements act like images for people who think verbally or logically.
if tactile helps: pair the mental image with a physical object (a ring, a stone) that stands for the desired state.
B — USE IDENTITY AS LEVERAGE, NOT PRESSURE.
pick one tiny identity trait you can honestly almost.. inhabit? equip? without strain. e.g. “I’m someone who asks for help” rather than “I’m successful.” small and believable shifts produce action without cognitive dissonance. let identities be layered and temporary, some neurodivergent people change modes quickly; use that to your advantage rather than demanding a permanent identity swap!
C — TRANSLATE POSITIVE THINKING INTO REALISTIC EXPECTATION
be. compassionate. i cannot stress this enough, accept that negative thoughts happen. instead of fighting them so fiercely; label them and redirect attention gently to another action.
HOW TO HANDLE SPECIFIC CHALLENGES:
once again, this is the best i could come up with due to neurodivergence being a complex system full of spectrums.
ADHD: treat manifestation as task design. break goals into single ting next actions, feel free to use alarms, timers or external prompts that really match your rhythm! plan to do the “hard work” during likely hyper focus windows. do NOT punish yourself on low energy days.
AUTISM: avoid vague wishes if it messes with your system and mind, use literal and concrete language for intentions. embed manifestation, shifting, or whatever you’re trying to practice in routine or special interest projects so it feels more natural.
OCD/ANXIETY: reframe intrusive thoughts as noise to the best of your abilities. they do not invalidate your intent, and avoid “must” language. replace ABSOLUTE rules with flexible guidelines. concrete rules do not exist in LOA regardless, you choose what works.
BIPOLAR AND MOOD DISORDERS: recognize mood linked fluctuations in motivation, and prepare for both high energy and low energy stakes! once again, avoid framing setbacks as moral failure.
PSYCHOSIS SPECTRUM VULNERABILITY: grounding techniques and trusted mental heath support is essential, if shifting increases confusion for you, stop and seek support from anywhere you can. a clinician or a trusted person, there is NO shame in doing this.
LEARNING DIFFICULTIES SUCH AS DYSLEXIA OR PROCESSING DIFFERENCES: use audio, tactile, or visual supports rather than long textual affirmations. make intentions short, simple and repeatable in a format that matches how you process the information. if, of course, that’s what helps YOU!
all of what i’ve mentioned is simple guides. they are not necessary, not concrete rules, you do not HAVE to follow them. i hope this helped, even in the slightest.
i love you, and treat yourself a little kinder tonight!
