This week, Megan and Michelle take a little detour from The Essential Guide to Raising Complex Kids because they landed on a topic that felt way too important to save for later. They start digging into sensory processing disorder, or SPD, and almost immediately the conversation turns into one of those Spicy Brain moments where a whole bunch of old experiences suddenly start making a different kind of sense. Not in a neat, wrapped-up, “we solved it” kind of way. More like, oh. Ohhh. This might explain some things.

What makes this episode so good is that they are not talking about sensory processing in some dry, textbook way. They are talking about what it feels like to actually live inside it. The aquarium shifts that are just too much. The clothes that never sit right. The lights that feel offensive. The sounds that do not just annoy you, but physically hurt. The perfect chip. The weirdness of loving certain sensations and being absolutely wrecked by others. And underneath all of it is this bigger realization that maybe “too sensitive” was never the right label in the first place.

There is also a really tender thread running through this one about language. Because once you have language, you can stop treating every struggle like a character flaw. Megan talks about chronic pain, body awareness, and how hard it can be to interpret what your body is even trying to say. Michelle keeps connecting dots between SPD, ADHD, anxiety, and the way people can get mislabeled when the real issue is that the world is just coming in way too loud, bright, itchy, crunchy, and much. That is the thing this episode keeps circling. It is not about collecting labels for fun. It is about understanding how your brain works well enough to stop shaming yourself for it.

And honestly, that is what makes this one feel so personal. It is not just a conversation about diagnoses. It is a conversation about accommodations, relationships, and what it means to be believed. Because if something really does hurt, overwhelm, or derail you, that matters whether or not somebody else would react the same way. This episode feels like the beginning of a new rabbit hole for Spicy Brain, and a really meaningful one.

If you want to follow along with the checklist then click here.

Favorite line from the episode: “Maybe I have a little bit of a 'tism' in me.”

Join us on the Spicy Brain Discord

00:00 welcome back and why this is a detour episode

01:30 Michelle introduces sensory processing disorder

03:00 why ADHD did not feel like the whole picture

05:00 the sensory checklist begins

14:00 visual overload, stencils, puzzles, and the joy of sorting

24:00 auditory overwhelm and why background noise can be brutal

32:30 the checklist results and what they might mean

43:00 how sensory issues can affect daily life

51:00 why language and accommodations matter

55:00 should Spicy Brain keep going down this rabbit hole?

If this one hit something in you, especially if ADHD or anxiety has explained part of your experience but not all of it, you are probably not the only one. Sometimes just hearing your own life reflected back in a different way can take a little weight off your shoulders. We are really glad you are here while we figure this stuff out in real time. Stay curious, joyful, radically accepting. High kick.

sensory processing disorder, SPD, neurodiversity, ADHD, anxiety, sensory overwhelm, auditory sensitivity, light sensitivity, food texture issues, chronic pain, body awareness, highly sensitive person, HSP, neurospicy, Spicy Brain Podcast