⚠️ This episode discusses disassociation and trauma responses. Please listen with care and step away if needed

🧘‍♀️ Meditation apps promised calm — but for many ADHD mums, stillness doesn’t soothe. It shuts us down.

If you’ve ever sat down to meditate and felt panic instead of peace — you’re not broken. You’re not the only one.

In this Quick Reset, Jane explores why meditation, yoga, and “just breathe” advice can trigger dissociation instead of relaxation. When stillness feels unsafe, your nervous system isn’t failing — it’s protecting you.

This episode unpacks the difference between resistance and survival, why dissociation is often misunderstood, and how ADHD mums can build regulation in ways that actually feel safe.

What We Cover in This Episode

• Why meditation and stillness can trigger dissociation instead of calm
• Dissociation as a neurological survival response, not a mindset issue
• How it shows up in kids (zoning out, robot-like compliance, emotional flatness)
• Why “letting go” feels impossible without safety and scaffolding
• Practical alternatives: movement, sensory tools, music, micro-pauses
• How to reframe meditation as presence, curiosity, and building tolerance slowly

This Episode Is For You If

• You’ve ever felt panic, not peace, when trying meditation
• You blame yourself for failing at yoga, mindfulness, or “relaxing”
• You want to understand dissociation as survival, not weakness
• You’re raising a neurodivergent child who zones out or seems “not present” at school
• You need validating, practical strategies that meet ADHD brains where they are

References & Resources Mentioned

The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk — on trauma, the body, and survival states

✨ Listen now: “No, I Can’t Meditate. I’m Too Busy Disassociating” — available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and adhdmums.com.au — because calm shouldn’t feel unsafe, and you deserve tools that actually work for your brain.

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