Understanding the Unseen Parts of Being Neurodivergent
When people hear the word “sensory,” they often think of bright lights or loud sounds. But for many neurodivergent people, the sensory experience goes so much deeper—and it impacts everything from emotional regulation to daily functioning and connection with others.
As late-diagnosed neurodivergent adults, both of us (Ariel and Charissa) have spent years trying to “push through” things we didn’t realize weren’t just personality quirks or random sensitivities—they were part of how our brains and bodies process the world around us.
Let’s break it all down together—so you can better understand yourself, someone you love, or the clients and communities you support.
The 8 Sensory Systems (Yes, Eight!)
You’ve probably heard of the “big five”: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. But the body actually has three more internal systems that are just as important—especially when it comes to neurodivergence.
1. Visual (Sight)
Light sensitivity, trouble with eye contact, difficulty focusing under fluorescent lights—these are common neurodivergent experiences. Some may also notice motion sensitivity or struggle with tracking in reading.
2. Auditory (Hearing)
Loud noises, background conversations, or even specific tones can feel overwhelming or painful. Others may crave certain sounds as comfort or become hyper-aware of noise others don’t notice.
Charissa often describes “hearing everything at once” like a tidal wave—and having to sort through it to find one voice in a room is draining.
3. Olfactory (Smell)
Strong scents can cause migraines, nausea, or emotional distress—or alternatively, be deeply comforting. This is often overlooked, but can be a major trigger in daily life.
4. Gustatory (Taste)
Many neurodivergent folks experience food aversions or texture sensitivities. What’s “just a food” to someone else might be completely intolerable to another person’s nervous system.
5. Tactile (Touch)
This can mean being sensitive to fabrics, tags, temperature, or light physical contact. Some crave deep pressure, while others flinch at the lightest brush.
Ariel spent much of their life being labeled “too sensitive,” but only after learning about tactile processing did things start making sense.
6. Vestibular (Balance & Movement)
This system controls balance and spatial orientation. Challenges here can show up as dizziness, poor coordination, or a need for constant movement to stay regulated.
7. Proprioception (Body Awareness)
This is our internal sense of where our body is in space. Struggling here can mean frequent bumping into things, clumsiness, or even not knowing how much pressure you’re using when hugging or holding something.
8. Interoception (Internal Body Cues)
Interoception helps us notice hunger, thirst, needing the bathroom, or even emotional states. Many neurodivergent people struggle to “feel” these cues—or feel them too intensely.
We didn’t even have the language for this until recently—but suddenly things like not realizing we’re hungry or needing rest started making more sense.
Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD)
SPD is a condition where the brain struggles to receive and respond to sensory information appropriately. It’s common in autistic and ADHD individuals, though it’s not exclusive to either.
There are typically three patterns of sensory processing challenges:
- Sensory Seeking: Craving certain inputs like movement, pressure, or noise.
- Sensory Avoidant: Avoiding or reacting negatively to specific inputs.
- Sensory Sensitive/Over-Responsive: Getting overwhelmed or distressed by seemingly “normal” sensory experiences.
SPD can affect everything from clothing choices to communication styles, and unfortunately, it’s still largely misunderstood—even in medical and educational settings.
Alexithymia: When You Can’t Name What You Feel
Alexithymia is the difficulty in identifying, describing, and expressing emotions. It’s not a mental illness, but a neurological trait—often seen in autistic individuals, people with ADHD, and those with trauma backgrounds.
For both of us, this has shown up as going “numb” in moments of emotional overwhelm, or being unable to articulate what’s wrong until much later. It’s not detachment—it’s a disconnect between body and brain.
People with alexithymia may:
- Struggle to name feelings beyond “good” or “bad”
- Find it hard to differentiate between physical and emotional sensations
- Have a hard time expressing needs, especially in stressful moments
- Be misunderstood as distant, cold, or emotionless—when they’re actually flooded or confused internally
Learning to work with alexithymia often requires patience, gentle support, and developing a shared emotional vocabulary over time.
Why This All Matters
Understanding sensory differences and emotional processing is essential—not just for self-awareness, but for self-compassion.
Being neurodivergent is not about being “too much” or “too sensitive.” It’s about experiencing the world in a way that’s rich, layered, and often intense. And for many of us, we didn’t know how different our experience was until we were given the words and space to explore it.
We spent decades trying to “fix” ourselves before realizing—we weren’t broken. We were just misunderstood.
Let’s Keep Talking
If you see yourself in any of this, or if you’re supporting someone who might be neurodivergent, know that you’re not alone. And you don’t have to navigate this without community.
🌀 What sensory experiences do you find the most challenging or comforting? 🌀 Have you ever struggled to describe what you feel or why? 🌀 What’s one thing you wish people understood better about neurodivergence?
We’d love to hear your stories in the comments or connect with you through our community at Let’s Heal Together. Let’s keep learning, growing, and supporting one another—because neurodivergent lives deserve understanding and care.