Neurodivergent Hormonal Sensitivity: How Understanding Your Genetics, Trauma, and ADHD Can Help You Heal with Paula Rastrick

This week on the ADHD Women’s Wellbeing Podcast, I’m joined by Paula Rastrick, EMDR therapist, psychological trauma specialist, and author of the upcoming book Sensitive Women: A Trauma-Informed, Neurodiverse Approach to Hormonal Sensitivity.

Together, we explore how hormonal sensitivity, trauma, and neurodivergence are deeply connected and how understanding this can help you better regulate your nervous system and emotional responses.

From perimenopause to past trauma, Paula shares empowering insights into how women can reclaim their wellbeing by honouring their unique physiology and lived experiences. Whether you’re neurodivergent, highly sensitive, or navigating hormonal changes, this episode offers practical tools and a compassionate perspective.

What You’ll Learn:

• How genetics, trauma, and environment shape your neurodivergent experience
• Why nervous system dysregulation shows up as anxiety, fear, and hypervigilance
• Why cortisol can feel addictive and keep you stuck in cycles of hyperarousal
• How hormonal shifts like PMDD affect stress tolerance and emotional regulation
• How trauma can be processed without words through body-based methods like EMDR
• Why removing people and environments that dysregulate you supports healing
• How taking responsibility for your reactions helps you reclaim your power
• Why not absorbing other people’s emotions protects your nervous system
• How prioritising space, freedom, and flexibility supports long-term wellbeing
• Simple morning habits that lower cortisol and help regulate your day

Timestamps:

• 02:00 – ADHD, hormones, trauma and your nervous system
• 23:12 – Hormonal changes and their emotional impact
• 32:46 – What happens when we suppress emotions
• 36:42 – Mindfulness and nervous system balance for healing

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by emotional ups and downs or struggled to feel calm in your body, this episode will give you the validation and gentle strategies you’ve been looking for.

You can connect with Paula via her website, www.thebrainbodymethod.com or Instagram @mrspaularastrick

Links and Resources:

Book on to the next ADHD Wellbeing Workshop about Creating ADHD 'Routines' and 'Structures' - Stability in Choppy Waters! Click here to book.

Catch all the previous ADHD Women’s Wellbeing Workshop Series workshops here. Available to buy now as on-demand.

If you love the podcast but want more ADHD support, get a sneak peek of my brand new book, The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Toolkit and pre-order it here!

Launching September! Tired of ADHD support that doesn’t get you? My new compassionate, community-first membership ditches the overwhelm by providing support aligned with YOU! Join the waitlist now for an exclusive founding member offer!

Kate Moryoussef is a women's ADHD lifestyle and wellbeing coach and EFT practitioner who helps overwhelmed and unfulfilled newly diagnosed ADHD women find more calm, balance, hope, health, compassion, creativity and clarity. 

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