Why does healing feel harder after you finally have words for what you’ve been living through?

In this episode of The NeuroSpicy MomPod, I explore why awareness can feel destabilizing at first — especially for neurodivergent adults, trauma survivors, parents, and late-diagnosed women who spent years surviving through masking, fawning, and dissociation.

From a nervous system and neuroscience lens, awareness doesn’t make life harder — it removes numbness. And when dissociation was doing the heavy lifting, feeling again can feel overwhelming.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Awareness vs. dissociation

• The fawn response as a survival strategy (not people-pleasing)

• Autistic burnout and delayed nervous system collapse

• Why neurodivergent women often “seem fine” until adulthood

• How shared language reduces shame and supports regulation

If you’ve ever felt more sensitive, more tired, or more impacted since learning about your neurodivergence — you’re not broken. You’re listening.

✨ Stay until the end for a gentle journal prompt designed to support nervous system integration.

🎙️ Hosted by Austen Marie, a neurodivergent mama, former teacher, and psychology-loving nervous system nerd creating a cozy, sensory-safe corner of the internet.