"I'm Too Intense for My Therapist"
And other common concerns from Neurocomplex individuals regarding their experience with mental health and medical providers.
Below are eight common concerns I’ve heard repeatedly from my neurocomplex (Autistic, Gifted, ADHD, for a combination) clients regarding their experiences with wellness and/or healthcare providers. Can you relate to any (or all) of these?
1. "I fear that I'm too intense for my provider and don't want to make anyone uncomfortable."
Neurocomplex individuals often experience emotions with greater intensity, and these emotional responses may be heightened due to sensory sensitivities, social anxiety, or internal stress. When you feel like you're "too intense" for your provider, you may fear that the emotional volume or complexity of your experiences will overwhelm them. Since you are processing emotions and thoughts at a deeper, more intense level, you might worry that your provider might be unable to keep up with your emotional depth, or worse, that you might make them uncomfortable or cause them to disengage.
This anxiety can lead to you holding back, masking your true emotions, or even overthinking your expressions to ensure you’re not "too much." The fear of causing discomfort in others, especially in a therapeutic space, can be paralyzing when you’re trying to process raw, intense emotions.