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What if the restlessness, risk-taking, and novelty-seeking that comes with ADHD isn't a character flaw — but an unmet need? In this episode, Cameron introduces the concept of the "sixth need": stimulation. Drawing on the five need models of Maslow's hierarchy and Glasser's Choice Theory, Cam makes a case that conventional needs models are missing something essential for the ADHD brain.
With characteristic candor (and some wonderfully ill-advised stories from his early 20s involving small sailboats and ceiling fans), Cam explores how an unrecognized need for stimulation can quietly hijack your week — sending you chasing shiny objects or avoiding anything that might add more noise to an already overloaded system.
The good news? There's a three-step path forward: awareness, embracing the need, and integration. Because the goal isn't to suppress your need for stimulation — it's to channel it into the meaningful, high-impact work you actually want to be doing.
Part of the ongoing series on using the week as a unit of time.
Cam's Hierarchy of ADHD Needs
Cam's Group Coaching Offering Equanimity
By Cameron GottWhat if the restlessness, risk-taking, and novelty-seeking that comes with ADHD isn't a character flaw — but an unmet need? In this episode, Cameron introduces the concept of the "sixth need": stimulation. Drawing on the five need models of Maslow's hierarchy and Glasser's Choice Theory, Cam makes a case that conventional needs models are missing something essential for the ADHD brain.
With characteristic candor (and some wonderfully ill-advised stories from his early 20s involving small sailboats and ceiling fans), Cam explores how an unrecognized need for stimulation can quietly hijack your week — sending you chasing shiny objects or avoiding anything that might add more noise to an already overloaded system.
The good news? There's a three-step path forward: awareness, embracing the need, and integration. Because the goal isn't to suppress your need for stimulation — it's to channel it into the meaningful, high-impact work you actually want to be doing.
Part of the ongoing series on using the week as a unit of time.
Cam's Hierarchy of ADHD Needs
Cam's Group Coaching Offering Equanimity