Intense emotions in kids with ADHD are very common, in both positive and negative situations. Kids and adults with ADHD often experience emotions so deeply that they become overwhelmed or “flooded” with emotions. They may have strong intense emotional reactions to things that seem normal to other people. It is also not unusual for kids with ADHD to also feel physically hypersensitive to texture, sounds, light, and even the tags on clothing.
A recent study that included eight double-blind clinical trials of 1,490 people, showed that up to 73 percent of the participants displayed emotional dysregulation as a symptom of ADHD. Many people with ADHD have trouble regulating their emotions, experiencing symptoms such as low frustration tolerance, impulsivity, anger outbursts, and crazy mood swings.
Intense emotions like frustration, anger, or sadness, can be very challenging for someone with ADHD and the people around them. These intense emotions cause adults and children with ADHD to react impulsively to simple events.
Did you know more than two-thirds of individuals with ADHD have at least one other coexisting condition? In fact, “pure ADHD” cases are relatively uncommon. It is likely that the symptoms of intense emotions may be related to other co-existing mental health conditions, which many people with ADHD also have.
Any mental health conditions can coexist with ADHD, but certain conditions tend to happen more frequently with ADHD. And ADHD does not cause other psychological or developmental conditions. They happen together likely because they have similar root causes.
These intense emotions in people with ADHD could also be a response to past trauma from past life experiences, and frequent exposure to negative comments and labels associated with ADHD.
Trauma does not have to be physical or violent in nature to cause emotional damage. Experiences, such as parents’ divorce, switching between parent’s homes, new parent figures in a child’s life, parents not being around due to work or deployment, foster homes, frequent moving or changing home environment, orphanage, bullying, negative comments from adult/parent figures, etc can result in a traumatic response.
During the formative years when a child is learning about their environment and who they are, any events, big or small, that change a child’s perception of the world, who they are, or threaten their existence and safety is a traumatic experience.
Adults and kids with ADHD may simply feel more sensitive to negative statements or complaints or even gentle suggestions from others because of past experiences that make them believe they’re not good enough and not worthy. People with ADHD often have low self-esteem, usually from past experience of repeated failures, feeling different from peers, and are frequently told that they are not good enough and often leads to diminished motivation.
I grew up in a strict Catholic school where I was frequently punished for talking in class. So I grew up to be quiet and avoid talking and get intense emotions when someone corrects me or someone gives me negative feedback. These trigger my childhood fear and anxiety around criticism.
It is painful to experience negative feelings so deeply and have little ability to control your emotions. What’s more, these intense emotions can often affect social interactions and relationships with family and peers because you don’t feel good enough to be loved.
Hypnotherapy is an amazing tool to help resolve intense emotions. Research has been conducted using alternative therapies including hypnotherapy for ADHD and hypnosis has been found to help people with ADHD focus, concentrate, and control stressful situations. Two recent small-scale but well-conducted studies by Maarit Virta from the University of Helsinki found that hypnosis was effective in the treatment of ADHD and a follow-up study found that treatment with hypnosis had a better outcome than CBT.
Hypnotherapy for ADHD can help with:
- Focus and concentration
- Organizing and planning
- Confidence and self-esteem
- Sleeping/Waking in the morning
- Anxiety and depression
- Regulate intense emotions
Hypnotherapy should only be performed by fully trained and certified hypnotherapists. If you are interested in trying hypnotherapy for you or your child, feel free to contact me for a brief chat or consultation to discuss your case. I work with people internationally using online conferencing platforms, so you can participate in therapy in the comfort and privacy of your own home.
I’m always happy to help. You can schedule a free consultation session to see if I can help you.
In the meantime, download this free audio to experience how hypnotherapy feels like.
