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Creating Bridges: Spirituality & Philosophy: The Awakening Generation
New Approaches
to ADD and ADHD
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by Ann Marie Judge |
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I do not presume to say that I have the experience and the knowledge of a trained professional when it comes to psychological and physical matters. In this case, I am referring specifically to the “dis-ease” that we have labeled Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder.
With my disclaimer out of the way, I will tell you what I do know about ADD/ADHD.
As the self-proclaimed “student of life” that I am, I can't help but be curious about what this ADD/ADHD really is to my generation. I watch as more and more people are diagnosed with it as both children and adults, many of which are my close friends and family members. Therefore, I have been seeking out the spiritual and metaphysical implications of ADD/ADHD in order to understand it better; I needed to dig beneath the surface to understand it in the deepest context I am aware of.
For my purposes, my research first and foremost applies to children and young people. But I have received enough feedback from adults to know that, though this may seem just about the young ones, these themes apply to all ages and all walks of life.
ADD and ADHD: Elusive Definitions
The American Heritage Dictionary defines ADD as “a syndrome, usually diagnosed in childhood, characterized by a persistent pattern of impulsiveness, a short attention span, and often hyperactivity, and interfering especially with academic, occupational, and social performance” and ADHD as “attention deficit disorder in which hyperactivity is present.”
Obviously, there are a great deal more descriptions, symptoms, and definitions of these in the medical world, with lots of big words and medical jargon. But what does all this all really mean?
When I was younger, I would often become upset that I was having trouble with some class in school or some math problem whose answer was alluding me at the moment. I would go to my mother and tell her, “I can't concentrate because of my ADD, mom! It's taking over my life!” And as usual, she'd look at me, smile, and go back to her work. Stomping away in frustration, I'd sit there and grumble about my condition—self-diagnosed, of course—and eventually, I'd end up going back up to her with the same complaint.
Finally, she responded to me. Much to my dismay, it was a typical I-don't-care-what-the-medical-definition-is-it's-your-mind-and-you'd-better-learn-to-use-it response. And there was something else that sticks in my mind to this day. It was something to the effect of this:
“ADD really does not even exist. And at the same time, it has always existed. Just because we've come up with new ways of defining things in this modern age doesn't mean that people with this kind of mind haven't existed for centuries. Different environments bring out different characteristics in people. If there are ten characteristics of ADD, most people have two to six; these people are usually not medicated and if they are 'diagnosed,' it is a self-diagnosis or by a non-professional. The people with seven to ten characteristics are usually being treated in some way for it. But still, even these characteristics are elusive and could be caused by a host of things. Thus, everyone and no one has ADD.”
The Role of Environment
Different environments surely do bring out different characteristics in people. Think of the growing pressures on children in the school systems these days; all the teachers I've ever talked to—from instructors of kindergarten to college-age young people—all say the same things about the pressures of education. A kindergarten teacher said that more and more children were not continuing on to the next grade levels and not meeting the ever-rising reading requirements for their age group, among other things. A good friend of mine who was a college professor actually refuses to teach now because the university will not let him allow students to take his classes pass/fail anymore.
Add this to the ever-growing number of hours spent at schoolwork outside of school, the constant pressure to participate in all manner of intra and extracurricular activities, higher expectations on standardized tests, and constantly rising requirements for acceptance to colleges and universities, and you've got a formula for trouble.
Now, I believe that young people are entirely capable of meeting these expectations and excelling; they could not rise as they are if many of us were not stepping up to the challenge and succeeding.
But apply a bit of common sense to the scenario.
A little boy or girl is being asked to do things that many adults could not do in our culture even just a few decades ago—indeed, there are still places in the world where people cannot write their own names or do simple addition. And as simple as it may seem, just the amount of time children are being asked to sit in one place and complete a task using their brainpower and intellect has risen by leaps and bounds. I mean, really; I am myself the very first child of the very first generation on my father's side to not grow up on the family farm! In a matter of less than fifty years, the activity of a child in my family went from farm work for most all of the day—on your feet, in the fields, outside in the open air, moving your body—to school for half the day and lessons, clubs, and homework for the rest of it—in a chair, in a classroom, listening to someone talk at you.
Obviously, it is not the favorite pastime of young people to sit in a chair for hours at a time. We'll do it, but even what adult will tell you one of their passions is to sit for as long as we do lately? Now, do the math: sitting for long periods of time plus rising expectations and pressures to succeed plus less time to be active with our bodies and our creative, unstructured minds simply equals squirmy kids and agitated teenagers.
ADD or just get me out of this godforsaken chair for five measly minutes?...
Overcoming Common Belief
To change the behavior patterns, one big step is overcoming the label of “dis-order.”
My friend told me this about his ADD: "ADD is great. I think it gives people a better outlook on life. I notice a lot of things that many people don't; it keeps your mind active."
Most people with ADD or ADHD will not say this about their disorder; they will come up with any number of reasons why it is a detriment to life, how it “controls” their life. In many cases, it actually has become that great controlling force. For one who has lived her entire life believing it is a problem, a “dis-order,” it may not be easy to see that there is a great deal of good it could do for him or her.
Overcoming common belief in the detriments and shortcomings of the ADD/ADHD mind is the first a most monumental step in taking control of its effects and actually beginning to use it as a tool for life and learning.
Medication: Band-aid or Cure?
By administering drugs, it slows a person to the point where he can again function within the normal pace of schooling, for example, and normal social functions in general.
By all typical standards, medicating the ADD/ADHD child is seen as a favor to him or her. The child's learning speed is normalized to that of his classmates; the teacher no longer has to cater individually to one child and can devote his or her attentions to the class as a whole. The child does not fidget or have trouble focusing for the most part.
Obviously, there is still something wrong with this situation: my observations of my friends who have been on these drugs for years upon years shows me that a frustration develops. It's not even something they can quite name, but they do know that there is something missing, some inner potential that is not being fulfilled. And, it is less than coincidental that most of my friends who are on some form of drug for ADD/ADHD are also on depression medications. (Yes, there are also medical reasons for taking anti-depressants alongside ADD/ADHD medications, but as always, I am looking below the surface of bottle labels and medical textbooks.) There is an almost unnameable discontent within them that, upon closer examination, becomes very clear.
This discontent turns out to be a deep realization that the medications are withholding the mind from actually utilizing the great speed and learning capacity—among a host of other things—of the ADD/ADHD mind.
Pete Quily, a well-known ADD coach and prolific advocate for ADD as a great tool for learning and life (www.ADDCoach4U.com), wrote to to me recently, "Kids on ADD meds, the problem is usually not the meds; they can be very useful and sometimes life saving, saving the kids from self-medication with booze or drugs. The problem is that pills don't teach the kids/adults with ADD skills which they need. That's better done by therapy, coaching, tutoring, etc. ADD meds can be very useful, but they're not enough just by themselves."
At present our culture might not be ready to accept ADD/ADHD as a tool. Pete's point is a very valid one, in that medications are much preferred to other “numbing” substances and habits. But he is also correct in saying that it should not be the only thing used.
As we move for the optimal circumstances, there still must be ways of living with what he have in this moment—an epidemic of negative belief. In the case of ADD/ADHD, medications are, for all practical purposes, just our most popular band-aid of choice. Just as a person taking weight-reduction pills should not simply sit around and expect pounds to be shed without exercising and eating healthy foods, the ADD/ADHD medicated should not only use medication as a remedy to overcome their difficulties.
Meditation: The Road-Less-Traveled
Out of all the alternative remedies I know of for ADD/ADHD, I've heard of none more successful or appropriate than meditation. And not surprisingly, it is one of the hardest things—at first—for the ADD/ADHD mind to do.
There are obviously countless forms and uses for meditating; it's been around for centuries and been used by most every culture, religion, and spirituality. Now, we're going to add one more use to that endless list!
Meditating as an alternative solution to being controlled by the ADD/ADHD mind is a priceless thing. And it's not as hard as one would think.
All you have to do is find a type of meditation that works for you; it could be anything from the Buddhist practice of Zazen to Transcendental Meditation (TM). Have fun with it! Even if it is just sitting and concentrating on the flame of a candle or counting down from ten and being mindful of your breathing, it is a legitimate form of mind and body relaxation.
Once you've found something that you enjoy doing, all you have to do is make the choice to practice it. Be kind to yourself. Once or twice a day for five or ten minutes is a perfect way to start. Listen to your body and your mind; be aware of your progress. Every time you are able to sit and feel your mind let go of its constant banter and buzz for thirty seconds, be proud of yourself. Watch as your ability to let go of the speed and insistence of your thoughts starts to rise.
Being able to do this means that you can take your ability to relax your mind out into your life. Instead of using medication—or even nothing at all!—to keep control of your mind, you will have the ability to slow it down or speed it up at will. This will allow you to see the ADD/ADHD as the learning tool it really is. When you have a task to complete, utilize the brilliance, creativity, and speed of your mind. When you would like to relax and slow down, use the technique for meditation you've learned.
How amazingly fulfilling would it be, instead of your mind driving you mercilessly through life, to have control of and utilize it as the priceless tool it really already is?
For further readings, Thom Hartmann is the author of a number of books relating to ADD that also discuss many positive aspects of ADD/ADHD.
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Ann Marie Judge
Crystal Child, Student of Life, Spirituality, & Writer
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Ann Marie graduated from high school in 2005 and is currently an eighteen year old freshman at Beloit College in Beloit, Wisconsin. She is majoring in English and religious studies.
Not yet old enough for acronyms at the end of her name, she considers herself a student of life, and has been deeply involved in the spiritual community since her first awakening at the age of twelve. Since then, she has had much education in the metaphysical and spiritual arts by a wide variety of teachers and healers. She was very quickly recognized as a Crystal and Indigo child, as well as a clairvoyant and intuitive.
Because she was able to began living for the spiritual at a young age, her dream is to reach out through her writing to other young people that are experiencing similar awakenings while still being within the educational system and a society that often does not recognize or nurture young, spiritually-gifted ones. Her vision is to form a community of spiritually-minded young people so that the younger generations will be prepared to be guides and teachers as the spiritual consciousness of the world continues to rise.
Though much of her life is still largely potential, she feels this time in her life is the first step in fulfilling her dream of becoming a published writer so as to serve the children and young people of the world that feel the spiritual stirring within. As well, she hopes to educate parents on how to nurture and understand what is going on in their children's minds from a young person's perspective.
Visit her website at
www.RandomActsof
Literacy.com
to read her works, view
her art, and gain insight into the spiritual experiences of an Awakened young person."
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