Welcome.
This is Taryn,
And I'm so glad that you're here.
Today,
We're beginning our journey of unmasking.
We aren't here to fix your ADHD traits.
We're here to look at the psychological cost of hiding them.
Masking is not a character flaw.
It's a survival strategy.
A biological protector that once kept you safe from judgment or rejection.
We'll begin by simply noticing the armor your body has built in order to perform normal for the world,
Even though you're perfect just as you are.
Notice that you are in control of this practice.
Keeping your eyes open now for a moment if it feels right,
I invite you to let your gaze land on the image of the sunlit tree before you.
We'll use this tree as your gazing anchor.
If you are using a phone,
I invite you to hold it about a handspan away from your face.
Allow the eyes to drift slowly across the image.
Notice three specific textures or points of light.
Perhaps the rough,
Protective bark,
A soft green leaf,
Or the glow of a golden ray of light.
I'll just name these silently.
This simple orientation tells your brain's defense circuitry that right now,
In this moment,
You are in a place of safety and presence,
Not a place of performance.
I invite you to let your gaze land on the image of the sunlit tree before you.
Keeping your head perfectly still,
We'll move into the manual override,
Moving your eyes rhythmically back and forth across the image,
Sweeping all the way to the dark earth on the far left,
And now all the way to the bright light on the right,
Sweeping left and right.
Reach for the tiny edges of the screen,
Feeling the mechanical pull of the tiny muscles behind the eyes as you reach each side.
You are wiping the mental slate clean,
And now all the way to the bright light on the far right.
And when it feels right,
Gently close the eyes,
And truly settle in as possible.
I invite you to take a deep breath in with me,
Followed by another short one in order to fill the volume of the lungs completely.
Inhaling now fully,
Exhaling deeply.
Then another short one,
And a long,
Deep,
Resonant exhale.
This is your body's mechanical signal that for our time here,
The threat has passed,
And it is safe to simply be.
To simply exist with your guard down.
If your body feels the urge to move,
To rock,
Tap the fingers,
Adjust the seat.
.
.
Simply honor that natural impulse.
The willow tree does not fight the wind.
Gracefully,
It sways with the organic rhythm.
You have full permission to stem,
To shift,
And to be exactly as your nervous system requires.
Natural movement is your body's wisdom speaking up.
Just notice now any air touching the skin,
And the sensation that it brings.
And now perhaps any fragrance in the air.
Notice the physical reality of gravity.
Melting you down into your support.
I invite you to now choose your foundation for this practice.
A short I am statement.
And for this unmasking journey,
You might choose something like,
I am safe to be myself.
I am safe to be myself.
I honor my body's truth.
I honor my body's truth.
Repeat your chosen foundation three more times silently,
Allowing the logic of the words to seep into your skin and bones.
If you begin to get distracted,
Or if your mind begins to race,
We'll be using a dual anchor.
First,
Feel the pressure of your body against your support.
And at the same time,
Listen to the subtle sound of your own breath.
And if your mind begins to race or get distracted,
Come back to these anchors.
The Earth's pull.
The sound of your breath within.
If your mind wanders,
Simply notice,
And then return to the physical density of our anchors.
That return itself is the skill.
And bring your attention now to the point where your body meets the world.
We're building a somatic density here.
Starting with the right side of the body.
And moving from the head all the way to the foot,
Just focus on the contact points between you and your support along the entire length of the right side of the body.
Five.
Feel the heavy pulse.
Four.
Firm pressure.
Three.
Warming density.
Two.
Still presence.
One.
Solid weight.
And now,
Allow that to drift away as we move to the left side.
And focusing on the entire length of the left side of the body.
From the head to the foot.
Just noticing the contact points.
Feel the heavy pulse.
Four.
Firm pressure.
Three.
Warming density.
Two.
Still presence.
One.
Solid weight.
And now,
Notice the entire left side of the body for a moment.
And bring the right side back now and simply notice the feel of gravity on your entire body at once.
The entire body melting into the earth with the force of gravity.
With your body grounded,
We'll turn inward to the audit of any armor we might wear in order to navigate the world.
What we're looking for is a physical signature of your mask.
Beginning with the jaw and mouth,
Just notice if the teeth are touching or if the jaw is held tight.
As if to keep the words from spilling out.
Not judging this tension.
It has served you well in the past,
But now,
Simply acknowledge it.
I see you,
Tension.
Thank you for trying to keep me safe.
Moving up to the eyes and the brows,
Notice the muscles around the eyes.
Is there any fixed expression here?
A bracing against the light or energy of others?
Sense the mechanical pull of those tiny muscles.
And now the shoulders and chest.
Is there a readiness here?
Is there any bracing in the ribs,
As if waiting for critique?
Notice if your core is held still or if it can expand easily with each breath,
Like a slow-moving tide of the ocean.
If you've found an area that feels especially massed or tight,
We won't stay there until it breaks.
We will pendulate.
Notice the tightness in the jaw or chest or eyes for just one breath.
Now,
Shift your entire attention to an area that feels neutral or at ease within the body.
Perhaps the tip of the nose,
The ears.
And now,
Being in the sway between these two feelings,
Moving your awareness back and forth between any armor or bracing,
The calm,
The wellspring,
Like the natural sway of a willow branch.
The armor.
You're training your nervous system to know that you can visit the tension and then return to safety whenever you might choose.
To help the body let go of the day's performative energy,
We'll use the sound of voo.
Voo with a V.
Take a deep inhale and as you exhale,
Make a deep resonant voo sound in the throat.
Inhale with me now.
Voo.
Feel the vibration in the chest.
This is a direct message to your vagus nerve.
The threat has passed.
It is safe to rest.
One more time.
Inhale.
Exhale.
If you're able,
Gently begin to shake your arms or legs slowly as if you're shaking water off of a single leaf.
Discharge the adrenaline of hypervigilance.
Allow it to move out of the body and into the surface beneath you.
As we conclude this audit of the mask,
Don't expect that you're perfectly unmasked.
Just look for a 10% shift.
Does the jaw feel 10% looser?
10% more relaxed and at ease?
Perhaps the breath is 10% deeper?
You have shown up for yourself in a world that often asks you to be someone else.
Carry this physical sense with you as you return to your day.
Knowing that you are grounded,
Your roots are deep,
And your mask is simply a tool that you can use to wear or set aside.
Take one final double inhale with me and a long exhale.
This moment is a return to your authentic flow.
