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Wired Divergent: Nervous System Regulation & Mental Health for Neurodivergent Brains

Wired Divergent: Nervous System Regulation & Mental Health for Neurodivergent Brains

By: Jen deHaan
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Wired Divergent is a show about nervous system regulation and mental health strategies for neurodivergent brains, finding new ways to use self help techniques to rebuild our trust in our own brains. Hosted by Jen deHaan, an autistic and ADHD Canadian who has spent close to 30 years working across creative technology, performance, fitness instruction, and podcast production. Most nervous system content assumes a neurotypical baseline, or never moves past it, but this particular show doesn't do that thing. The Wired Divergent podcast covers important neurodivergent topics like functional freeze, autistic burnout, sensory overload, ADHD paralysis, masking, interoception, and the somatic tools that actually work when your brain is wired differently. Episodes mix long form education with short, repeatable micro-rest and body double sessions you can use in real time for asyncronous support. The show is partially grounded in the Community Resilience Model (CRM), a skills-based, trauma-informed approach that treats regulation as something your body already knows how to do. The model is personally adjusted by Jen, and added on to using other ideas and models, in order to make it inclusive for our neurodivergent brain wiring. Polyvagal theory gets discussed here too, but the topic is covered critically (basically, not as gospel but we'll take the pieces that work for better health.) If you're a late-diagnosed or self-identified neurodivergent adult, an ADHD professional trying to improve your mental health to get through your workday without crashing, a practitioner looking to make your somatic work more neuro-inclusive, or just someone who has given up on "just breathe" as advice, this show is for you. New episodes cover topics like: somatic exercises for ADHD, vagus nerve stimulation for sensory processing, the window of tolerance for neurodivergent adults, co-regulation techniques, stimming as a regulation tool, and why standard meditation fails neurodivergent brains. Created, written, and produced by Jen deHaan. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacyCopyright 2026 Jen deHaan Biological Sciences Hygiene & Healthy Living Personal Development Personal Success Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Science
Episodes
  • [Regulation Practice] Bring One Good Thing to Mind: A Brief Resourcing Practice

    [Regulation Practice] Bring One Good Thing to Mind: A Brief Resourcing Practice
    Jul 2 2026
    This is a brief resourcing exercise based on the Community Resilience Model (CRM) concept of a "resource" for nervous system regulation. This educational self-care practice focuses on bringing a positive, steady resource to mind to help you gently refocus and reset your nervous system.What to expect in this episodeIntroduction to resourcing: A guided exercise to bring a positive person, place, pet, object, or activity to mind.Sensory focus: Exploring a single visual, auditory, informational, or textural detail of your chosen resource.Mind and body awareness: Observing pleasant or neutral shifts and responses in your body or mind.Practical application: How to keep this simple resourcing tool available for difficult moments in your daily life.About Audio and VideoThis show is available as a video on YouTube and Spotify. The audio you are hearing in strategy episodes is taken from the video version, which is recorded both inside and outside, and why there are some changes in the microphone quality.NEURODIVERGENT RESOURCES FROM JEN:Neurodivergent coaching (1:1): https://jendehaan.com/coachingGroup Programs: https://jendehaan.com/offscript/ (introductory program coming soon, check site for other options in future)Newsletter signup: https://jendehaan.com/newslettersWired Divergent videos: https://youtube.com/@jendehaanResources and blog posts: https://jendehaan.comSupport the showLike this episode or show and want more? Support us with a one-time tip: https://learn.improvupdate.com/products/supportWe love our podcast host Capitvate.fm! Contact to ask me anything, anytime. You can support the shows by signing up with Captivate here: https://www.captivate.fm/signup?ref=yzjiytzWe have our newsletters on Kit.com. We also have our tip form with them, and sell products on their platform. Easy, and they don't take a cut! Check Kit out and support the show using this: https://partners.kit.com/ijdkivtf8nddTranscriptions by MacWhisper. I use and love the Pro version (subscription free!) - you can get it too using this link: https://gumroad.com/a/20303251/ivpqkSchedule posts? We use Metricool (reasonable for multiple accounts/brands/shows). Support us using our link: https://f.mtr.cool/VZBOZRAboutThis podcast was created, written, and is hosted by Jen deHaan. Jen has certifications related to healthy communities (Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy), nervous system regulation and soon teacher training certification on community resilience. She has a BFA in teaching creative arts to adults. You can find her full bio here.This podcast was made in British Columbia, Canada by Jen deHaan.I respectfully acknowledge that I live and work on the unceded traditional territory of the Coast Salish peoples, and honour the homelands of the Qualicum First Nation and the Snaw-naw-as First Nation, as well as the ties of the Snuneymuxw and K'ómoks First Nations. I would like to express gratitude to these and all First Nations for their continued stewardship of these lands and waters where I create these episodes.DISCLAIMER:Wired Divergent is for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice. If you're in crisis or need clinical support, please reach out to a qualified professional.Crisis & Support Resources: https://jendehaan.com/mental-health-resourcesFull Disclaimer: https://jendehaan.com/disclaimerThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
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    7 mins
  • Your Nervous System and Making Transitions: How to Task Switch with Inertia

    Your Nervous System and Making Transitions: How to Task Switch with Inertia
    Jun 30 2026
    Inertia makes task switching super difficult. You can see the thing you need to do, you actually want to do it, and your body responds like it's completely out of reach. In this episode I get into what's happening underneath autistic inertia, and what helps once you know which kind of stuck you're in making the transition (or task switching) difficult.Plenty of us autistics named this thing in our own community years before researchers got around to it, despite a lot of people find it one of the most disabling parts of being autistic, mostly because of the shame that gets piled on top of this state. I walk through what autistic inertia is, the difference between not being able to start and not being able to stop, and why caring about the task on its own won't get you doing the thing. I get into the nervous system side of it, why some of the usual advice can make things worse for neurodivergent brains, and a set of options matched to the kind of stuck you're actually in.If you're ADHD or AuDHD, a lot of this will probably resonate too.WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:Why wanting to do the task doesn't get you into the transition or task switching, even when you value itWhat's going on in your nervous system when you can't start, and when you can't stopHow to tell which kind of autistic inertia you're in without having to read your body on cueWhy the standard advice (start small, make a list, push through) tends to not work for many of usCHAPTERS:0:00 What autistic inertia actually is1:42 The two kinds of stuck, and the crash that follows4:32 Why hyperfocus comes from the same place as not starting8:07 The gap between wanting to and doing it, and the shame that gets added11:10 What's happening in the nervous system underneath18:51 How to tell which kind of stuck you're in21:45 Why the usual advice backfires for some of us24:41 What to try when you can't start31:52 What to try when you can't stop34:03 A move that's safe when you can't tell which one you're in35:50 Building your own version, and the one thing I'd want you to take awayRESOURCES:Interoception resources: https://youtu.be/VVzB0qQ9nmY and https://youtu.be/ZIVvkk6eMQIMonotropism, the autistic-developed model of attention https://monotropism.org/A 2024 study of autistic adults on the "living in extremes" experience https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11067417/Look for [Regulation Practice] in this podcast feed!Asynchronous body doubling YouTube examples: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=body+doubling+%22work+with+me%22About Audio and VideoThis show is available as a video on YouTube and Spotify. The audio you are hearing in strategy episodes is taken from the video version, which is recorded both inside and outside, and why there are some changes in the microphone quality.NEURODIVERGENT RESOURCES FROM JEN:Neurodivergent coaching (1:1): https://jendehaan.com/coachingGroup Programs: https://jendehaan.com/offscript/ (introductory program coming soon, check site for other options in future)Newsletter signup: https://jendehaan.com/newslettersWired Divergent videos: https://youtube.com/@jendehaanResources and blog posts: https://jendehaan.comSupport the showLike this episode or show and want more? Support us with a one-time tip: https://learn.improvupdate.com/products/supportWe love our podcast host Capitvate.fm! Contact to ask me anything, anytime. You can support the shows by signing up with Captivate here: https://www.captivate.fm/signup?ref=yzjiytzWe have our newsletters on Kit.com. We also have our tip form with them, and sell products on their platform. Easy, and they don't take a cut! Check Kit out and support the show using this: https://partners.kit.com/ijdkivtf8nddTranscriptions by MacWhisper. I use and love the Pro version (subscription free!) - you can get it too using this link: https://gumroad.com/a/20303251/ivpqkSchedule posts? We use Metricool (reasonable for multiple accounts/brands/shows). Support us using our link: https://f.mtr.cool/VZBOZRAboutThis podcast was created, written, and is hosted by Jen deHaan. Jen has certifications related to healthy communities (Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy), nervous system regulation and soon teacher training certification on community resilience. She has a BFA in teaching creative arts to adults. You can find her full bio here.This podcast was made in British Columbia, Canada by Jen deHaan.I respectfully acknowledge that I live and work on the unceded traditional territory of the Coast Salish peoples, and honour the homelands of the Qualicum First Nation and the Snaw-naw-as First Nation, as well as the ties of the Snuneymuxw and K'ómoks First Nations. I would like to express gratitude to these and all First Nations for their continued stewardship of these lands and waters where I create these episodes.DISCLAIMER:Wired Divergent is for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical, psychological, or therapeutic ...
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    38 mins
  • [Regulation Practice] Neurodivergent practice for when you feel nothing during a body check-in

    [Regulation Practice] Neurodivergent practice for when you feel nothing during a body check-in
    Jun 25 2026
    I cover a guided neurodivergent somatic practice designed specifically for when you cannot read your internal body signals. I offer alternatives to emotional labeling by using external temperature, physical pressure, and neutral feedback. I walk through a short self-care exercise that avoids the demand to identify complex emotions. I explain how to use your hands, jaw, chest, and feet and other methods (external or internal) to gather simple sensation data without the pressure to feel something specific.CHAPTERS:0:00 Introduction to the self-care practice0:53 Who this check-in is designed for1:34 Starting practice by finding a comfortable starting position9:25 Connecting to the companion strategy episodeAbout Audio and VideoThis show is available as a video on YouTube and Spotify. The audio you are hearing in strategy episodes is taken from the video version, which is recorded both inside and outside, and why there are some changes in the microphone quality.NEURODIVERGENT RESOURCES FROM JEN:Neurodivergent coaching (1:1): https://jendehaan.com/coachingGroup Programs: https://jendehaan.com/offscript/ (introductory program coming soon, check site for other options in future)Newsletter signup: https://jendehaan.com/newslettersWired Divergent videos: https://youtube.com/@jendehaanResources and blog posts: https://jendehaan.comSupport the showLike this episode or show and want more? Support us with a one-time tip: https://learn.improvupdate.com/products/supportWe love our podcast host Capitvate.fm! Contact to ask me anything, anytime. You can support the shows by signing up with Captivate here: https://www.captivate.fm/signup?ref=yzjiytzWe have our newsletters on Kit.com. We also have our tip form with them, and sell products on their platform. Easy, and they don't take a cut! Check Kit out and support the show using this: https://partners.kit.com/ijdkivtf8nddTranscriptions by MacWhisper. I use and love the Pro version (subscription free!) - you can get it too using this link: https://gumroad.com/a/20303251/ivpqkSchedule posts? We use Metricool (reasonable for multiple accounts/brands/shows). Support us using our link: https://f.mtr.cool/VZBOZRAboutThis podcast was created, written, and is hosted by Jen deHaan. Jen has certifications related to healthy communities (Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy), nervous system regulation and soon teacher training certification on community resilience. She has a BFA in teaching creative arts to adults. You can find her full bio here.This podcast was made in British Columbia, Canada by Jen deHaan.I respectfully acknowledge that I live and work on the unceded traditional territory of the Coast Salish peoples, and honour the homelands of the Qualicum First Nation and the Snaw-naw-as First Nation, as well as the ties of the Snuneymuxw and K'ómoks First Nations. I would like to express gratitude to these and all First Nations for their continued stewardship of these lands and waters where I create these episodes.DISCLAIMER:Wired Divergent is for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice. If you're in crisis or need clinical support, please reach out to a qualified professional.Crisis & Support Resources: https://jendehaan.com/mental-health-resourcesFull Disclaimer: https://jendehaan.com/disclaimerThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
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    10 mins
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