ADHD Women's Wellbeing Podcast

Releasing the Shame of Your Past: Somatic Therapy for ADHD and Trauma Recovery

Mar 25, 2026
Jennifer McKenzie, somatic trauma therapist and founder of Lunar Lounge, speaks from lived experience of addiction, abuse, chronic pain and late AuDHD diagnosis. She discusses how trauma and masking imprint on the body, fascia as a second nervous system, somatic movement and breathwork for regulation, and why neurodivergent women are vulnerable to exploitation and risky coping. Healing is embodied and possible.
Ask episode
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
ANECDOTE

Early Alcohol Use Became A Mask For Overwhelm

  • Jennifer used alcohol from age 14 to silence intrusive thoughts and fit in.
  • She described episodic extremes: quiet masking by day then explosive, shame-filled behaviour after drinking, leading to criminality and drug use.
ANECDOTE

Masking To Fit In Led To Vulnerability And Exploitation

  • Jennifer described chronic masking to fit into female groups which left her isolated and vulnerable.
  • That masking pushed her into male-dominated spaces, risky friendships, blurred-consent sexual experiences, and later exploitation in relationships.
ANECDOTE

Domestic Abuse Left Lasting Physical And Emotional Imprints

  • Jennifer recounted leaving an abusive relationship in 2017 after repeated assaults that required hospital visits.
  • She still carries physical sensations from those assaults (neck tension) that she links to held emotion in the body.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app