Do you ever feel stuck in cycles of miscommunication, emotional overwhelm, or shutdown when trying to connect? Do you find it difficult to share your own feelings or know how to respond when someone shares theirs? Many of these challenges are common in neurodivergent relationships and can be especially difficult when catastrophizing, shame spirals, or rejection sensitivity take over.
In this experiential workshop, Dr. Alison Ash and Sebastian Clarke will share practical tools for navigating these dynamics with clarity, compassion, and collaboration to support autistic and ADHD individuals and their partners in building more resilient, fulfilling relationships.
We’ll explore:
Ways core neurodivergent experiences, including alexithymia, decision fatigue, sensory overload, burnout, and masking can affect intimacy and trust
How to recognize and interrupt patterns like catastrophizing, shame spirals, and rejection sensitivity before they escalate
Practical skills to feel rather than overanalyze emotions in an embodied way, moving through them without getting stuck
Strategies to initiate and engage in challenging conversations without avoidance or overwhelm
Tools to support one another’s regulation while maintaining connection to your own authentic feelings
Whether you’re currently partnered or preparing for future relationships, you’ll leave with actionable tools to reduce conflict, deepen trust, and honor the unique ways your brains work best together.
Note: This workshop is part of a three-part series. We also invite you to join Neurodiverse Relating & Executive Function on March 3rd and Neurodiverse Pleasure & Sexual Intimacy on March 24th — recommended (but not required) companions to this workshop.
Reviews
"As someone who has struggled with shame spiraling for as long as I can remember, I found this content extremely helpful. Dr. Aly and Seb seemed like they were speaking specifically to me and what my experience has been like when my partners are upset with me. I better understood what I'm experiencing and what I can start to do differently in a way that I know will make a big difference." -A.C.
"My partner who is autistic has been trying to get me to understand why she struggles to let me in on her feelings for so long and this workshop and the exercises and handouts finally bridged the gap in our struggles. It’s not that she doesn’t care it’s just that her brain works differently and there are tools and strategies to be able to better connect with each other. This was a game changer for us." - L.R.
“The discussion about capacity and boundaries was so practical. We learned how to support each other without burning out or feeling guilty. It gave us a roadmap for handling overwhelm while staying connected and I think we'll get into less conflict as a result.” -V.E.
“I learned to slow down and actually be present when my partner shares feelings. I always wanted to fix things, but now I see how listening and empathizing first makes a huge difference. I can feel the shift in our connection already.” -P.T.
Additional details
* Tickets are not refundable. They may be transferred to another individual but not to a future event.
*We welcome folks of all genders, sexual orientations, relationship structures, ages, body types, abilities, races, and ethnicities.