Manage ADHD and PTSD while in chaos!
The Perfect Storm: RAS amplifies threats.
How a Person with ADHD Deals with PTSD and Chaos:
Steven’s Story
Steven always thought his life was just... chaotic.
From the time he was a child, he struggled to keep up with schoolwork, constantly forgot his homework, and was always losing things.
His teachers called him "scatterbrained," and his parents often said he needed to "try harder." By the time he reached adulthood, Steven had learned to laugh off his forgetfulness and impulsivity, chalking it up to his ADHD diagnosis. He thought he understood his brain; it was swift, unpredictable, and sometimes exhausting, but it was his.
But then, something changed.
One day, while walking through a crowded park, Steven heard a loud, sudden bang. It was just a car backfiring, but his body reacted as if he were in immediate danger.
His heart raced, his palms grew sweaty, and he froze in place, unable to move. He felt like he was back in a moment he couldn’t quite remember, but his body remembered it vividly.
That night, he had a nightmare that felt so real: flashes of yelling, a slamming door, and the sound of glass breaking. He woke up gasping for air, his chest tight and his mind racing.
Confused and shaken, Steven began to piece together fragments of memories he had buried deep. With the help of a therapist, he uncovered something he had never fully processed: a traumatic event from his childhood. When he was eight years old, his parents had a violent argument that ended with his father leaving the family.
He had hidden in his closet that night, trembling as he listened to the shouting and the sound of objects breaking. For years, he had pushed the memory aside, dismissing it as something that "wasn’t a big deal." But his body had never forgotten.
Suddenly, Steven’s ADHD symptoms, his impulsivity, difficulty concentrating, and his emotional outbursts took on a new meaning. They weren’t just part of his ADHD; they were also his brain’s way of coping with trauma.
The internal turmoil he had consistently experienced was not solely due to ADHD but also to PTSD.
In my discussions with Steven, I mentioned that what he is dealing with is known as a “perfect storm.” ADHD, PTSD, and an over-regulated RAS can be debilitating and paralyzing when they all hit at once.
The Storm Inside: Living with ADHD, PTSD, and Trauma.
Imagine standing in the middle of a storm. The wind howls, the rain lashes against your skin, and the ground beneath you feels unsteady. You’re trying to find shelter, but every direction looks the same: chaotic, unpredictable, and overwhelming.
For someone with ADHD, this storm is a familiar feeling. The mind races, thoughts scatter like leaves in the wind, and focus slips away as quickly as it comes. Now, imagine adding trauma to this already turbulent experience. The storm intensifies.
The wind becomes deafening, the rain turns to hail, and the ground beneath you begins to crack.
This is what it feels like to live with both ADHD and PTSD.
ADHD already makes the world feel loud and fast, but trauma adds another layer of unpredictability. Every sound becomes a potential threat, every shadow a reminder of past pain. Your body is constantly on high alert, bracing for danger that may or may not come. Even in moments of calm, you can’t shake the feeling that the storm is just waiting to return.
The Reticular Activating System (RAS) plays a key role in this experience. The Reticular Activating System (RAS) functions as the brain's filter, determining which sensory information warrants attention and which ones to disregard.
For someone with ADHD, the RAS struggles to filter out distractions, leaving the brain overwhelmed by too much information. Add PTSD to the mix, and the RAS becomes hyperactive, amplifying every sound, sight, or sensation that might signal danger. It’s like having a smoke alarm that goes off at the slightest hint of smoke, even when there’s no fire.
“How can I avoid being triggered?” you might ask yourself.
It’s a question that haunts many who have lived through traumatic experiences. How do you protect yourself when the storm isn’t just outside; it’s inside you, too?
If you’ve ever felt this way, know that you’re not alone. The overlap between ADHD and PTSD is real, and it’s more common than many realize. But there is hope. There are strategies to calm the chaos, seek refuge, and restore your sense of tranquility.
This article is for you, for the person who feels trapped in the chaos, searching for a way out.
The Overlap: When ADHD Meets Trauma
ADHD and PTSD are two distinct conditions, but they often coexist in ways that make them challenging to untangle. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder, meaning it’s present from childhood and affects how the brain processes attention, impulse control, and emotional regulation.
PTSD, on the other hand, is a response to trauma, a distressing event or series of events that overwhelm the brain’s ability to cope. Despite their differences, the symptoms of ADHD and PTSD can overlap in profound ways.
Both conditions can cause difficulty concentrating. In ADHD, brain development differences make it challenging to focus on tasks that are not particularly engaging.
In PTSD, concentration issues often stem from intrusive thoughts or hypervigilance; your brain is so busy scanning for danger that it can’t focus on anything else.
Similarly, both ADHD and PTSD can lead to emotional dysregulation, impulsivity, and sleep disturbances. These shared symptoms can create a vicious cycle: ADHD makes it harder to process trauma, and trauma exacerbates ADHD symptoms.
The reticular activating system plays a central role in this overlap. In ADHD, the RAS is underactive, meaning it struggles to prioritize what’s essential and what isn’t.
This imbalance is why people with ADHD often feel distracted or overwhelmed by their environment. In PTSD, however, the RAS becomes hyperactive, constantly scanning for threats and amplifying the brain’s fight-or-flight response.
When ADHD and PTSD coexist, the RAS swings between these extremes, leaving the person feeling both overstimulated and unable to focus.
Research shows that people with ADHD are four times more likely to develop PTSD than those without ADHD. This may be because ADHD increases the likelihood of engaging in risky behaviors or being in environments where trauma is more likely to occur. Conversely, trauma can worsen ADHD symptoms, making it harder to manage impulsivity, focus, and emotional regulation.
Understanding this overlap is crucial because it affects how these conditions are treated. Misdiagnosis is common; ADHD symptoms can mask PTSD, and vice versa. Recognizing the interplay between these conditions is the first step toward effective treatment.
Triggers and the Body’s Alarm System
Living with ADHD and PTSD means living with a body that is constantly on high alert. Trauma rewires the brain’s alarm system, making it hypersensitive to potential threats. This type of reaction is known as hypervigilance, and it’s a hallmark symptom of PTSD. For someone with ADHD, who already struggles with impulsivity and emotional regulation, this heightened state of alertness can feel unbearable.
The Reticular Activating System is at the heart of this alarm system. It’s responsible for filtering sensory information and deciding what deserves your attention. In a healthy brain, the RAS helps you focus on what matters and ignore what doesn’t. However, in a brain affected by trauma, the RAS becomes hypersensitive, interpreting harmless stimuli, such as a loud noise or a specific smell, as a threat. For someone with ADHD, this hypersensitivity is compounded by the brain’s natural difficulty in filtering out distractions, making triggers even more overwhelming.
Imagine your brain as a smoke alarm. In a healthy brain, the alarm goes off only when there’s a real fire. But in a brain affected by trauma, the alarm is hypersensitive; it goes off at the slightest hint of smoke, even when there’s no real danger. ADHD individuals find it more challenging to ignore this alarm due to their brain's innate tendency to react swiftly and impulsively to stimuli.
The key to managing triggers is learning how to calm your body’s alarm system. This might involve grounding techniques, such as focusing on your breath or using your senses to bring yourself back to the present moment. It might also include identifying and avoiding triggers when possible or working with a therapist to process the trauma and reduce its hold on your life.
Protecting Yourself: Boundaries and Safe Spaces
One of the most critical steps in healing from trauma is learning how to protect yourself. This means setting boundaries, creating safe spaces, and surrounding yourself with people who respect and support you.
For someone with ADHD, who might struggle with impulsivity and people-pleasing tendencies, this can be especially challenging.
Boundaries are essential for protecting your mental health. They help you define what is and isn’t acceptable in your relationships and interactions.
You might set a boundary by telling a friend, “I need you to respect my need for quiet time,” or by limiting contact with someone who triggers your anxiety. Initially, setting boundaries may cause discomfort, especially if you're accustomed to prioritizing others' needs over your own.
But over time, it becomes an act of self-care.
Creating safe spaces is another crucial step. This might mean carving out a physical space in your home where you feel calm and secure, or it might mean finding a community of people who understand and support you. Safe spaces can also be emotional places where you feel free to express your feelings without fear of judgment or rejection.
Managing the Pain: Coping with Stress and Emotional Overload
Healing from ADHD and PTSD requires learning how to manage the stress and emotional overload that come with these conditions.
This might involve therapy, medication, or a combination of both. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and trauma-focused therapy are particularly effective for addressing the root causes of PTSD and teaching coping skills.
Mindfulness and grounding techniques can also be powerful tools for managing stress. These practices help you stay present in the moment, rather than getting lost in intrusive thoughts or overwhelming emotions.
You might practice deep breathing, focus on the sensations in your body, or use affirmation to calm your mind.
Moving Forward: A Manifesto for Recovery from ADHD and PTSD
Recovery is about learning to live with the past in a way that empowers you.
Here’s a manifesto for moving forward:
1. Honor Your Journey: Your experiences have shaped you, but they do not define who you are. You are more than your trauma, and you are more than your diagnosis.
2. Seek Support: Healing is not something you have to do alone. Reach out to therapists, support groups, and loved ones who can accompany you on this journey.
3. Practice Self-Compassion: Be gentle with yourself. Healing takes time, and it’s perfectly normal to experience setbacks. Celebrate your progress, no matter how small.
4. Set Boundaries: Protect your peace by setting boundaries and surrounding yourself with people who respect and uplift you.
5. Embrace Growth: Healing is a process of growth and development. Each step you take, no matter how small, brings you closer to the life you deserve.
6. Power of Prayer: Use scriptures and pray them over yourself. These scriptures will become powerful affirmations that you can recite daily.
This storm does not isolate you.
With the right tools and support, you can find shelter, quiet the chaos, and reclaim your life.
Healing is possible, and so is peace.
The Exit Plan: Choosing Peace Over Performance
If you’re living with ADHD and PTSD, life can feel like a performance you can’t stop rehearsing for.
You try to be okay. You try to remember. You try to be “normal.”
But healing doesn’t come through performance.
It comes from permission: to rest, feel, and reclaim at your own pace.
You don’t have to hustle for healing.
You don’t have to earn peace.
You’re allowed to walk away from anything that doesn’t support your safety—mentally, emotionally, or spiritually.
These are your next steps:
Recognize when your body says “no,” even if your mind says “go.”
Begin replacing shame with understanding.
Let your healing be slow, sacred, and yours.
You were never broken.
You were adapting.
And now, you are healing.
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Such a timely topic for so many today. I’m so glad you have been led to tackle the real issues of PTSD and ADHD.
Yes, this is great! I love that you mentioned letting go of the shame. This can be huge and not always easy but recognizing it is a good start. 😁 Thanks for sharing this! 💙