Nobody talks about how painful nostalgia can be when you’re neurodivergent.

Not because you miss the past more than anyone else—but because so much of your life was spent just trying to get through it.

When your nervous system is constantly in survival mode, it’s hard to be fully present. Even in the moments you’ve waited for, dreamed about, or thought would finally make everything feel okay.

Then years later, you find yourself desperately trying to remember them. Trying to hold onto moments that never had the chance to fully sink in because your brain was focused on surviving, not storing memories.

That’s the heartbreak.

It’s not just grieving the past.

It’s grieving the version of you that never got to fully experience it.

If this resonates with you, you’re not alone. ❤️

Why do so many of us find ourselves repeating the same relationship patterns? How do we recognise red flags, recover from narcissistic abuse, and learn to trust ourselves again?

Due to internet signal issues during recording, this conversation had to be split into two parts. We kept getting cut off, but the discussion was far too important not to share, so we’ve released it as Part 1 and Part 2.

In Part 1, I’m joined by Dave Kopney, alongside the brilliant Man on Pause, who asks some incredibly thoughtful and insightful questions throughout the conversation.

Together we explore addiction, harm reduction, recovery, lived experience, and the realities behind substance use without judgement or stigma.

Topics include:

• Harm reduction

• Addiction & recovery

• Mental health

• Trauma

• Lived experience

• Neurodivergence

• Compassion over judgement

Find out more about Dave’s work:

🌐 ASAP Community: https://asapcommunity.org/