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The Sensitive and Neurodivergent Podcast with Julie Bjelland , LMFT — Education
The Sensitive and Neurodivergent Podcast with Julie Bjelland , LMFT

The Sensitive and Neurodivergent Podcast is a space for deep understanding, validation, and nervous system support for sensitive and neurodivergent people, especially late-identified autistic women.

Hosted by Julie Bjelland, LMFT, psychotherapist and founder of the Sensitive and Neurodivergent Community, this podcast explores the internal lived experience of being autistic and highly sensitive in a world that often misunderstands both.

Ranked in the top 1.5% of podcasts globally and listened to in over 195 countries, this show reaches a wide and deeply connected community seeking meaningful, affirming insight.

Each episode offers compassionate, research-informed guidance on masking, burnout, sensory and nervous system differences, emotional depth, boundaries, relationships, self-trust and more. You’ll begin to understand yourself in ways that feel relieving, validating, and empowering.

This is a place where your sensitivity is honored, your experiences make sense, and your nervous system is understood.

You are important to the world. Your way of being matters. And you deserve support as you learn to honor it.

Copyright: © Julie Bjelland

Latest Episodes:

Reparent Your Sensitive Inner Child: with Julie Bjelland and Willow McIntosh Jun 04, 2020

Show notes

Learning how to give yourself what you needed as a child can be a powerful healing practice that can transform your life. Discussions in this episode: Let’s explore the concept of caring for your inner child Getting to know and connecting with your inner child. We share our stories too. What did you need that you didn’t get? Learning to listen to your inner child’s needs: validation, nurturing, honoring, healing Is your self-talk truly yours or is it the voice of your parents, society, or culture? Does your self-talk soothe you or stress you? Practicing intentional reprogramming & changing the pattern Growing more self-love: We can be loved at the level we love ourselves We share some powerful practices that can support you Here are what some of you said you needed as a child... acceptance as myself as I was and encouragement, not being pushed to be like others reassurance that everything was ok or would be. Asking me: how are you? What is your opinion? How do you feel? I needed encouragement, special attention, apart from the attention my siblings were getting. I needed soothing. I was put on the porch in windy Nebraska as a child and told I was going to be blown away, and I believed that. My imagination was Huge. My parents thought it was funny, they had no idea... that is was ok to have big feelings It's ok to be different than others I needed to be allowed to cry when I felt sad and hurt. I needed nurturing. I think my mother was a narcissist. But I was punished for crying, and told that I didn’t have anything to cry about, and that I better stop crying or I’d be given something to cry about That was mainly my mother. Fear of punishment to this day. I needed compassion and understanding about my sensitivity to noise. Instead I was either ignored or told I was wrong and bad. What did you need as a child? What does your inner child need? More information about all our episodes can be found at www.HSPpodcast.com

Live HSP Q/A With Julie Jun 02, 2020

Show notes

What a beautiful community of HSPs we have in our Sensitive Empowerment Community! Thank you for all the wonderful live questions.

We started out discussing the post: Anguish and Action: Be the Change. Supporting ourselves through intense emotions so we can be our best selves to listen, learn, and grow to be the change we need in the world.

Here are some of the questions we covered in this Q/A event....

Q: I’ve been receiving feedback that I’m too good or too nice for the world. Why is that a negative? How should I respond? I think I’m seen as too soft and it seems to hinder me in the workplace.

Q: How to tell, when meeting a potential friend, if they are going to be parasitic about our HSP empathy and energy. Are there questions, we can ask, in addition to checking in with how we are feeling in their presence, and after spending time with someone?

Q: How to control osmosis with everyone and everything around us with the wall analogy that you have spoken of, Julie...how to bring that wall up and down at will.

Q: I have questions around the message of loving yourself and turning inward and the push to destigmatize therapy. How is that not still looking outward? 🤔
I recognize my religious PTSD has created even more sensitivity and trust issues. Feels counter-intuitive to me to "be vulnerable and share who you really are," with just anyone….I find myself wanting to encourage anyone thinking they have to find their 'right mentor' to be skeptical of that message. Who is telling them they can only look within by attaching outside themselves?

Q: Are we born HSPs, or is it a genetic in the family thing? Or is it something we could get out of a traumatic experience?

Q: I'm feeling quite nervous in lockdown as I've not traveled on public transport for a few months and was wondering are the tools to bypass the emotional brain and self-compassion the best ones to try to relax me? Also, can HSPs increase this self-esteem as I find negative self-talk is better but unfortunately it doesn’t work especially at work

Q: I am struggling with being emotionally and physically drained when I am looking after my 4-year-old grandson during the days. I have done this for 2 months since no school due to COVID.
Q: I have challenges around managing self-sabotage when going for career goals. I’m working on rewiring this self-image of being ‘less capable’ around stress management/handling things. A lot of the career paths that I am drawn to involve long investment/are emotionally draining potentially (e.g. social work which involves dealing with people constantly)...and I have so many back and forth moments where I think this might be what I want to do and also so much fear around burnout, it's too stressful, etc. How can I stop this over-worrying- this fear that doing what is needed to be successful would be ‘too much’/finding that balance?

And More!

If you have questions that you want to be asked in the next Q/A come join our Sensitive Empowerment Community! Learn more about my community at www.juliebjelland.com

Meditation for Deep Feelers May 31, 2020

Show notes

Being a deep feeler in the world can sometimes be difficult when we have intensely strong emotions. I hope this meditation supports you and calms you. For more meditations visit www.HSPpodcast.com and for tips and tools to thrive as a highly sensitive person, a free Sensitivity Quiz and to join my Sensitive Empowerment community visit www.juliebjelland.com

Validation: The power of personal validation as an ongoing practice: with Julie & Willow May 28, 2020

Show notes

Following a previous episode about self-compassion, the powerful technique for managing our feelings, we turn our attention to the power of validation. As high sensory people, we can often get overly affected by other people's opinions and expectations of us. So much so we can even lose track of a sense of meaning in our lives and the very reason nature has given us this powerful trait. We’ll discuss tools and techniques to stay connected to our own sense of self, our purpose, and ultimately our own happiness and fulfillment. Join us as we will dive into key areas such as: What does validation really mean from a personal development point of view What are the signs to look out for when we have lost our sense of self The adverse effects of ‘people-pleasing’ on the relationship with ourselves and how to manage this The importance of differentiating personal validation from being self centered and how it ultimately leads to being of better service to others Understanding why self-validation is the path to bringing our high sensory gifts into the world Reflecting on the importance of self-validation in leadership How to bring self-validation into our lives as a daily practice More information at www.hsppodcast.com

Self-Compassion: This One Skill Can Transform Your Life with Julie and Willow May 21, 2020

Show notes

HSPs are some of the kindest, most compassionate people in the world, toward others, and yet It’s common for HSPs to have a lot of negative self-talk and lack healthy self-compassion. This can be particularly damaging during times of high stress when we need to be a compassionate, caring friend to support ourselves through intense emotions. We will talk about how this brain-training skill development of self-compassion can improve every aspect of our life and even help us through a global crisis. We need this skill now more than ever. Self-Compassion decreases cortisol (stress hormone) and increases the release of oxytocin (creating a calming effect). Self-criticism, common in HSPs triggers the amygdala’s fight/flight response sending out an alarm bell system: releasing the stress hormone cortisol, adrenaline (racing heart) and increased blood pressure fight/flight response designed to protect us from physically threatening situations response also gets activated with emotional attacks (even from when we are emotionally hard or unkind to ourselves We already have more activation in our fight/flight so have a stronger need to counter this alarm bell response. Research shows us self-compassion actually decreases our cortisol levels and can deactivate the stress response and activate a calming response We can even change our body chemistry, recover more quickly from emotional wounding, improve health both short term and long term. Warm, loving physical touch can release the feel-good hormones (oxytocin), reduces cortisol (stress), and blood pressure. (Self-hug, loving gestures (lotion lovingly applied to your body), hand on chest sending loving energy to your heart) Learn about research from Kristin Neff showing that self-compassion is one of the key features of improving mental health and what life looks like without self-compassion and what improves when we have it. Julie and Willow share our journey of developing self-compassion and how it transformed our life. Practice the self-compassion technique with us! Please share this episode and review our podcast which helps more HSPs find our episodes. Check out Julie's HSP blog showing the video of her teaching the 3-step self-compassion technique: https://www.juliebjelland.com/hsp-blog/a-self-compassion-technique-for-hsps Explore all our podcast episodes and learn about Julie and Willow at HSPpodcast.com For information about Julie's Sensitivity Quiz, books and courses visit: juliebjelland.com

Meditation for Emotional Wounding May 16, 2020

Show notes

Emotional wounding needs care just as much as physical wounding does, especially for highly sensitive people who can feel things so deeply. This emotional healing meditation will help you to become more relaxed and at peace.

How to Develop High Self Esteem Through the Recognition of Our Core Beliefs as a Highly Sensitive Person May 14, 2020

Show notes

Recognizing core beliefs can be pivotal to developing confidence and high self-esteem as a Highly Sensitive or “High Sensory intelligent” person. We often feel so strongly about the injustices in the world, it can upset us deeply when our core beliefs are challenged. Or if we witness someone causing harm in a context that we are particularly passionate about. It is very common for us to feel very strongly about the change we know we can make in a particular area. Understanding this at a deep level can bring enormous clarity into the importance of our place in the world, the deeper meaning of our lives, and personal empowerment. Areas of focus: The pain we can feel when we are not helping in the area that feels most important to us Getting clarity about the deeper need or cause underneath our core beliefs How the trait of being an HSP comes with a profound level of caring for the well being of people, animals, and the planet How the great leaders of the past known to have had the trait changed the world with their core beliefs and values The importance of recognizing that our innate skills are aligned to the cause we stand for How we can learn to develop our own skills by creating the right circumstances around us Why the alignment to what is most important to us can become the new reference point in all that we do. Learn more about Julie and Willow at www.HSPpodcast.com

HSP/HSS Boost Your Mood & Energy May 11, 2020

Show notes

After working with highly sensitive people as well as high sensation seeking HSPs I have learned important information that may help you feel better if you’re experiencing depression, low mode, or low energy.

10 Steps to Creating Healthy Friendships & Relationships as an HSP with Julie & Willow May 07, 2020

Show notes

Highly sensitive people (HSPs) have a very caring and giving nature. However, sometimes we over-give to the point of being targets to people with toxic or narcissistic tendencies causing an imbalanced, unhealthy dynamic. We’ll talk about the ways that contribute to that dynamic. Almost every HSP I’ve ever spoken to has a story about an unhealthy friendship or relationship. We will talk about why this can be common and what we can do about it and how to create the healthy friendships and relationships that you deserve. See you next week at the same time for more empowering discussions on what it means to thrive as an HSP. Join us live at https://www.sensitive-empowerment.com/ Willow's website: https://inluminance.com/ Julie's website: https://www.juliebjelland.com/

How to Keep Your Boat Afloat in Uncertain Times: Commitment to and Trusting Change With Michael Smith, Ph.D. May 05, 2020

Show notes

Michael Smith, Ph.D., of Empath Connection helps you understand the big picture on the planet and connect with your Divine Essence. You'll understand the evolutionary advantages of your sensitivity trait, and how you can harness this trait to be used to help others. He shares a meditation and some vagus nerve hacks that calm the system. You'll come away with more trust in the changes that are happening around you, and learn to trust your intuition instead of doubting it. You will also learn several effective energy techniques that you can use in your own daily 'self-first' practice of rituals that allow you to stay centered, grounded, and fully empowered.

Dr. Michael Smith is a former mental health counselor who now helps you as an empath or sensitive person connect with your Divine Essence. He offers a quiz, free eCourse as well as paid classes at https://www.empathconnection.com

Julie Bjelland is a sensitivity expert, psychotherapist, and author. Her online resource, Sensitive Empowerment,has helped highly sensitive people (HSPs) around the world reduce their challenges, access their gifts, and discover significant value to truly thrive in the world. Known for her ability to give people a sense of true support, Julie is on a mission to empower sensitive people to live their best lives. For HSP resources and the Sensitivity Quiz, visit http://sensitiveconnection.com/

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