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My ADHD: My Superpower

Updated: Jan 25

As I was transported at 4am from the Royal Free Hospital in North London, where I trained as a Doctor in 1994 after Cambridge, to the Mental Health Crisis Assessment Centre (MHCAS) today I asked the transport officer in the secure van if he often transferred ‘crazy’ people like me. He replied “No-one is crazy, they just need help.” I thought, I like you! I just needed a little tinkering of my medication, some psychotherapy, a little coaching, now that it seems that my anxiety, depression, and compulsivity (over 80 percent of people with ADHD suffer from compulsivity) may all stem from previously undiagnosed ADHD as well as my severely dysfunctional childhood and severe childhood trauma.


Why am I being so open and vulnerable with you? Because taking off our masks is the only way to live and to love.


This was the welcome continuation of my ADHD journey from pain to peace. From Kryptonite to uranium. From Chernobyl to powering the National Grid. For you see, ADHD can be a superpower…



Albert Camus said that “I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger - something better, pushing right back.” My brain is wired differently to someone who is neurotypical. And that is something for me to celebrate. It’s the source of my hyperfocus, my determination, my persistence, my creativity, and my own invincible summer: Summer symbolises the enduring strength within all of us who are neurodiverse: Seasonal superheroes.


I am a generator: I have so much life energy, and I am here to work for you.


Camus’s writings explore the human struggle to find meaning and happiness in a world that can seem devoid of these things. He thought we must create our own meaning in the face of an indifferent and sometimes hostile world. Summer is the foundation for resilience, and the ability to persevere through any adversity. In the darkest of times, find your freedom. Camus wrote “The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.” It’s personal strength, resilience, or a deep understanding of life beyond mere chaos. Camus spoke of his “antifragility”.


You see I am self-aware now, as a result of my journey, and know my way through the chaos and the storms of life. “Blessed are the hearts that can bend; they shall never be broken,” Camus said. Even when we are faced with overwhelming chaos, we can find a sanctuary of tranquillity within ourselves. A refusal to be swept away by the storms of life changes your approach to life. Your reservoir of love, hope, and perseverance can triumph over any adversity.


Even when life throws its worst at us, we possess the inner strength to persevere and find joy amidst sorrow. Inner calm, according to Camus, arises from a deep self-awareness and understanding of our own existence. He realised that life devoid of inherent meaning shouldn’t lead to despair: But that it should heighten your appreciation for the beauty and fragility of life. Robert Eliot invites us to forge a path through the chaos, saying “Rule number one is, don’t sweat the small stuff. Rule number two is, it’s all small stuff.”


This is why I am writing this article at 4.30am on my smartphone in a hospital waiting room. Think of the absurdity of life as a catalyst for transformation. Or chaos as an opportunity to take control of the trajectory of your life, using your unique ADHD brain wiring. Losing a job might be seen as chaotic and distressing: Think of it as an opportunity for a career shift to one that is far more aligned to your true purpose, personal growth, skill development, or pursuing something creative that you are deeply curious about. Hermann Hesse wrote “Within you, there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be your Self.”


Dr Gabor Maté on ADHD


Gabor Maté states that “The most salient feature of the environment that shapes the surface of the human brain is the relationship with the parents. So when the parents are stressed the child absorbs that stress and what can they do with it other than tune it out?.. Essentially he’s saying when children have parents who are stressed they use tuning out as a coping mechanism, which is then programmed into their brain. Then 10 or however many years later when a doctor says you have “ADHD” but really they’re just using that coping mechanism that is no longer serving them.“ So, ADHD, or this struggle to maintain attention on tasks may be the result of a coping mechanism built from childhood stress from growing up in a dysfunctional family.


ADHD is a shortage of the brain chemical dopamine: The “feel good” chemical. Lacking dopamine means a higher need for stimulation. Those with ADHD will try to find ways to get that rush. Because of this shortage they are prone to act and think in abstract ways. They will perceive things from a different angle, challenge the status quo, and walk to the beat of their own drum. You see, it’s a double edged sword. This 'need' for stimulation can have a positive or negative effect. It can lead you to the edge of insanity and beyond but can also lead you to greatness. Many creatives, entrepreneurs, and leaders have and have had ADHD.


In “ADHD: A Different Hard Drive?” author and ADHD coach Jennie Friedman references the fact that one of four elements is needed to kick this brain into motion. Curiosity, urgency, interest, or challenge. It seems to me people with this brain wiring use these tools to their advantage or disadvantage depending on circumstances.


There is a long list of entrepreneurs, innovators, creatives, sporting legends, adventurers, inventors, scientists, and yes even Presidents (Donald Trump) who have or have been thought to have had ADHD including, in no particular order, Socrates, Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, Steven Hawking, Malcolm Forbes, Henry Ford, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, Ann Bancroft, Ted Turner, Christopher Columbus, Galileo, Isaac Newton, Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, Leonardo da Vinci, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Jim Carrey, Ryan Gosling, Walt Disney, Wilbur Wright, Elvis Presley, Beethoven, Virginia Woolf, George Bernard Shaw, Jules Verne, John Lennon, Simone Biles,Lisa Ling, Channing Tatum, Cara Delevingne, Emma Watson, Johnny Depp, Tom Cruise, Will Smith, Justin Timberlake, Loyle Carnel, Adam Levine, Pablo Picasso, Mary-Kate Olsen, Michael Phelps, Michael Jordan, John F. Kennedy, Benjamin Franklin, and Teddy Roosevelt, to name but a few. I am delighted to join their ranks today.


TV host and former Psychotherapist Thom Hartmann has a “Hunter / Farmer” theory in which he discusses how there’s potentially very strong evolutionary roots to ADHD. That those with lower amounts of dopamine were the “hunters” in our early days and since then have transitioned over to those more prone to be innovative.


Dr Gabor Maté on ADHD


ADHD has been hailed by experts as a “beauty and a beast”, a “blessing and a curse”, a “gift and a disorder” and a “superpower and a Kryptonite.”


Dr Gabor Maté on the 7 impacts of trauma


Recovery ecovery expert, Dr. Gabor Maté has identified 7 major impacts that trauma has on a person. In this video, Gabor explains what the 7 impacts of trauma are, including ADHD and addiction, and how to heal from them.


Gabor Maté describes trauma as more than just an external event; it is an internal wound that constricts and diminishes emotional and psychological functioning. He famously states, "Trauma is not what happens to you. Trauma is what happens inside of you as a result of what happens to you." This inner wound profoundly impacts individuals in seven key ways:


1. Separation of Self – Trauma creates a disconnection from one's authentic Self and inner instincts, causing individuals to lose trust in their own gut feelings and intuition, which are vital for navigating life.


2. Disconnection from Other People – Trauma often leads to feelings of isolation and an inability to trust others. This disconnection fosters a sense of loneliness and difficulty forming meaningful, secure relationships.


3. Altered Worldview – Trauma skews perception, leading individuals to see the world through a negative or fearful lens. This altered worldview makes it hard to trust life, people, or future outcomes.


4. Lifelong Pain – Trauma is a wound that persists until it is properly addressed. It continues to affect a person emotionally and psychologically throughout their life, creating ongoing pain that must be faced for healing to occur.


5. Cognitive Development – Trauma can impair cognitive development, particularly in children. It affects the brain's ability to process information, focus, and make decisions, leading to long-term challenges in learning and personal growth.


6. Personal Shame – Trauma often instills deep feelings of shame, causing individuals to feel fundamentally flawed or unworthy. This personal shame can lead to self-loathing and a belief that they are not deserving of love or success.


7. Difficulty Being Present – Trauma makes it hard to live in the present moment. Individuals may constantly relive past experiences, reacting to the past instead of engaging fully in the present, which keeps them from moving forward.


These impacts reveal how deeply trauma shapes both the inner and outer lives of individuals, and Maté emphasizes the importance of addressing these wounds to reclaim emotional and psychological health.


This explains the importance of mindfulness and meditation in ADHD: A break from stimuli, including social media and smartphones. Time to focus on nothing and think about nothing. Think of it like your brain is a computer and you’re giving it a hard restart. Sometimes you need to shut it off for a while. All will become clear.


Positives of ADHD (I pulled many of these from “The Drummer and the Great Mountain”written by Michael Joseph Ferguson) include:

  • Creativity

  • Imagination / Spontaneity

  • Often seeing the world from a different angle (thinking differently)

  • Extremely intuitive

  • Wildly Passionate: Low tolerance for mediocrity

  • Thinks big / dreams big

  • Boundless energy

  • Hard-workers

  • Skillful at over coming obstacles by finding an innovative solution

  • Feel most “alive” when exploring new things

  • Love people and humanity but are often seen as rebels

  • Go against the grain, dare to dream, and because of wild amounts of passion and youthful tendencies and personality traits are easily labeled as out of the ordinary. Who wants to be ordinary anyway?


Not everyone can let their thoughts wander. Not everyone can look at the world from different perspectives. Blessed with ADHD, we can.


Creativity is an amazing superpower for which I am grateful. Because of my ability to daydream, I have an imagination, which takes me to fanciful places that I can dream about with my eyes open. Catching ideas that drop into my head during a day is a fun hobby of mine, as is troubleshooting because I can look at a situation from many angles. A handy superpower for both home and work.


If only I knew that my ADHD superpowers, hyperfocus, and persistence, would get me through the tough years. And we all have tough years. Yours may well be just round the corner.


Creativity and a propensity for daydreaming have shaped me into a thinker, creator, and writer - ADHD strengths, not weaknesses, and for that, I will always be grateful.


Getting started and staying focused on mundane or difficult tasks is a lifetime struggle that can’t always be fixed with a pill. Sometimes it requires outside help: A therapist or life coach. Sometimes creative or technological solutions. For me, coaching turned my life around.


ADHD persistence and resilience keep me sane, coax me forward, and stop me from ever giving up.


Although it’s a daily struggle, I’m up to the job. Because I’ve got ADHD superpowers.


Despite the name of our disorder, our ADHD brains have absolutely no problem focussing on things that interest us. This is the key detail. The key to unlocking our success. If our focus is channeled correctly, we can excel in the areas that interest us the most. We can become experts in our field. We just need to find our niche. And do what we love.


Dr Ari Tuckman wrote “Hyperfocus is a common but misunderstood symptom of ADHD. It involves the ability to focus intensely on an interesting project or activity for long periods, to the exclusion of other activities.” When we are in our hyperfocus state, we become so fully immersed and focused on what we are doing that we forget about the more mundane tasks and we become oblivious to everything else around us.


Hyperfocus is an adhd superpower that needs more attention when it comes to us neurodivergent’s. Studies exploring its impact on cognitive and neural processes are scarce. When channeled correctly hyperfocus is an amazing tool to have.


I channel my hyperfocus into my coaching, my writing, learning, and immersing myself in research, which is something I love to do. Sharing my knowledge feels productive, keeps my brain stimulated and helps me reach my goals. When my hyperfocus is channeled on something productive, that I love, I am winning.


I stay away from things like the TV and social media. Because I know that I don’t just watch one TV show and go to sleep, like other people, so I avoid it completely.


Hyperfocus, often misunderstood, is a mixed blessing. When channeled productively, it becomes a superpower, enabling us to achieve remarkable feats and immerse ourselves deeply in the subjects that ignite our passion.


We should embrace the quirks of our ADHD brains, leveraging its unique strengths while mitigating its pitfalls. The road is not always easy, but with awareness and strategy, we can navigate it with a sense of purpose, meaning, and hope.


Winston Churchill wrote “When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which never happened.” Navigating life with ADHD will keep the wind in your sails, whilst avoiding the rocks that many non-neurodivergent people just don’t see or have the capacity and perseverance to negotiate.


I never, ever run out of creative ideas for projects. Seriously, if I finished every creative project I’ve ever started, I’d be one of the world’s most prolific creators!


Remember- you are on a journey. Enjoy it and savour every step - what have you learnt from your most recent “bump on the path”?


If I decide to do something, it get’s done! I. Will. Not. Quit. if I truly want something or want something done.


Having ADHD isn’t all bad at all, as you can see. It is a difficult condition to manage, and if you think you suffer from it, you should seek medical diagnosis and treatment. You can, however, leverage the condition to experience abilities beyond neurotypical people. Enjoy!


I see you, I hear you, I see the divine in you.


Speak in such a way that others love to listen to you: Listen in such a way that others love to speak to you.


Namaste.


Sending you love, light, and blessings brothers.


Olly



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Hello,

I am delighted and enchanted to meet you. I coach men with 'Deep Coaching', 'Supercoaching', and Transformative Life Coaching (TLC). Thank you for reading this far. I very much look forward to connecting with the highest version of you, to seeing your highest possibility, and to our conversations. Please do contact me via my email for a free connection call and a free experience of coaching on Zoom or in person. 


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I have a Bachelor's degree in Natural Sciences from Trinity College, Cambridge; a Master's Degree in Philosophy from Trinity College, Cambridge; a PhD Doctorate in Scientific Research from University College London (UCL); a Medical Degree (MD/MBBS) from The Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, London and have been a doctor and reconstructive trauma and cancer surgeon in London for 20 years. I have a number of other higher qualifications in science and surgery. I have published over 50 peer reviewed PubMed cited scientific journal articles, have been an associate editor and frequent scientific faculty member, and am the author of several scientific books. I have been awarded my Diploma in Transformative Life Coaching in London, which has International Coaching Federation (ICF) Accreditation, as well as the UK Association for Coaching (AC), and the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC). I have been on my own transformative journey full time for over five years and I am ready to be your guide to you finding out who you really are and how the world works.




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