This Is My Life?! Ambiguous Grief in Neurocomplex Adulthood
Grieving the Life You Were Told You Wanted: Career, Relationships, Identity & More
Before delving into grief, it’s essential to clarify what neurocomplexity means. Neurocomplexity refers to the lived experience and identity of individuals whose neurological makeup doesn’t fit neatly into simplified categories or traditional diagnostic labels. Unlike the binary of “neurotypical” versus “neurodivergent,” neurocomplexity embraces the nuanced, multifaceted, and often overlapping cognitive, sensory, and emotional experiences that resist reduction or categorization.
Neurocomplex adults may navigate a mix of traits associated with autism, ADHD, giftedness, dyslexia, anxiety, sensory processing differences, and other cognitive variations, all interacting in unique and sometimes unpredictable ways. Their brains don’t follow a singular developmental or functional trajectory but instead exhibit complex, nonlinear patterns.
This complexity impacts everything—from how they process information and regulate emotions to how they form relationships and construct their identities. The neurocomplex experience challenges normative ideas about cognition, productivity, and mental health, demanding more fluid and individualized understandings.
Self-Reflection:
How do you understand your neurocomplex identity? In what ways has recognizing this complexity shaped how you view yourself and your experiences?