Is It Trauma… or Is It Neurodivergence? ADHD, Autism & the Nervous System | Elizabeth Ormes

Is it trauma? Is it ADHD or autism? Or can neurodivergence and trauma become so intertwined that it’s difficult to know where one ends and the other begins?

In this episode of AuDHD and Then Some, Ellie Capstick is joined by psychotherapist, trauma specialist and neurodivergent professional Elizabeth Ormes for an incredibly insightful conversation about AuDHD, ADHD, autism, trauma, masking and the neurodivergent nervous system.

Elizabeth brings nearly 30 years of experience in mental health — alongside her own lived experience of neurodivergence — and this turned into such a warm, fascinating and genuinely thought-provoking conversation.

We explore the huge overlap between trauma responses and neurodivergent traits, and what happens when a person has spent years masking, adapting, people-pleasing or living in survival mode without understanding why.

We talk about:

🧠 ADHD, autism and AuDHD⚡ Trauma and the neurodivergent nervous system🎭 Masking and losing your sense of identity❤️ People-pleasing and survival responses🫠 Emotional dysregulation, overwhelm and shutdown👩 Why neurodivergent women can be missed for so long🔍 Discovering your neurodivergence later in life🌱 Healing, self-understanding and learning who you are underneath the mask

We also ask an important question:

When you’ve spent your whole life believing something is “wrong” with you, what happens when you finally begin to understand your brain instead?

This episode isn’t about fixing neurodivergent people.

It’s about understanding ourselves — our brains, our bodies, our nervous systems and the experiences that have shaped us.

Whether you’re diagnosed with ADHD, autism or AuDHD, self-identifying, exploring whether you may be neurodivergent, or simply trying to understand yourself a little better, there is so much in this conversation to take away.

And yes… Elizabeth’s cat even makes a little appearance. 🐱❤️

🎙️ AuDHD and Then Some — real, honest conversations about ADHD, autism, AuDHD, late diagnosis, masking, mental health and life inside a neurodivergent brain.

Guest: Elizabeth Ormes — psychotherapist, trauma specialist, neurodivergent professional and founder of Actualizing Your Best Self.

Topics: AuDHD • ADHD in women • autism in women • neurodivergence • trauma • PTSD • complex trauma • nervous system regulation • autistic masking • ADHD masking • people-pleasing • emotional dysregulation • late diagnosed ADHD • late diagnosed autism • neurodivergent women • identity • healing