ADHD and mindfulness, a users guide.

Learning Mindfulness with ADHD — is it possible and does it help?

Meditatively walking a labyrinth but for me — some days — that would be jumping it or skipping along it too.

This year ( 2016) at a Thich Nhat Hanh community (COI)family Mindfulness retreat in Stourbridge UK, I worked with families with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) diagnoses and I wanted to share some reflections on mindfulness practice and how it relates to ADHD. I believe this is important at this present time because more and more people are being diagnosed with ADHD and being medicated away from who they are. Mindfulness offers all people affected directly or indirectly an opportunity to find a realistic and long term response to this.

Be assured, ADHD exists, and it makes life difficult for adults and children alike. It is a spectrum condition, like autism, thus many people may have some ADHD tendencies but not the full blown condition. ADHD is genetically linked to Tourettes, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia; the brain is wired differently and people are not being difficult, rude or thoughtless; one can still be highly intelligent with severe ADHD, it just isn’t visible like a wheelchair might be.

Whether you are living with someone who has ADHD symptoms or are the diagnosed individual, or just perhaps likely to run up against someone with ADHD in your general life, (which is possibly most of us), this article may help you.