Introduction
The title of this blog was inspired by someone I saw recently wearing a t-shirt with the slogan:
“Undiagnosed But Something is Definitely Wrong, ”
I felt I could identify with this. Does anyone else feel the same way? There has been a lot of media coverage recently on the topic of neurodiversity and “diagnosis” and “over diagnosis” as well as reports of people having to wait years on waiting lists to have a “diagnosis.” Let alone those who report they have a ” diagnosis,” but it has not made a difference, or those who don’t even want a diagnosis. In contrast to this sentiment, the practice of mindfulness offers us a transformative solution, that “Everything is Definitely Right.”
Many of us will know the feeling when we are trying to read something in tiny print and can’t find a pair of glasses we’ve mislaid somewhere, squinting and struggling to read, finding immediate relief once the specs are on. Or searching for a comfy cushion to rest our head or sit on! I think the aid of a diagnosis can help identify what our struggle maybe and what adjustments can be made to enhance our experience. Being aware, can help us gain insights on how we can work with ourselves and others in a fruitful and positive way.
As part of my research at the University of Aberdeen in Studies in Mindfulness and Inclusion, I was drawn to a recent presentation at a membership weekend run by the Mindfulness Association. Elanor Kortland, presented a session on “Teaching neuro-curious mindfulness practice.” Ellie offered a wealth of helpful information and explained some very technical and complex issues in a user-friendly way. For example, non-medical conditions, which I had never heard of before, and could impact on access to mindfulness practices, include: aphantasia, the inability to voluntarily visualize mental images; the opposite of the visual imagery spectrum is hyperphantasia, where people can imagine things at an extremely high level of detail and alexithymia, literally translating to “no words for emotion”, in other words identifying, describing and processing emotions do not take place with ease.
Personal Experience
As a long-time meditator and mindfulness practitioner, when I first started guided practices with Ellie, at least on more than one occasion, I found that at the end of a 20 minute or so, guided practice, without counting or visual prompts, a feeling of “blankness”, slightly “bewildered,” a feeling of “nothingness”, neither a positive, negative or neutral experience. I questioned myself. ‘What was this all that about?’ and ‘What a waste of time that was?’ However, I did not give up. This experience really challenged me; with continued practice with Ellie and patience with myself, I was able to deepen my own practice. Saying yes to whatever is present, in the moment and accepting that I could do things differently. Did it enhance my practice? Yes, why shouldn’t it? Learning from one another is an essential part of daily living and this was an experience I felt very deeply and subtly at the same time. Crucially, inclusion is not simply about adapting teaching for students. It involves listening to their experiences, recognising their agency and questioning assumptions about how mindfulness should be practised. Working with neurodivergent learners, rather than making assumptions about them, can help create more equitable learning environments.
Commodification
The growing popularity of secular mindfulness also raises critical questions about neoliberalism and the commodification of contemplative practices. When mindfulness is marketed primarily as a means of improving productivity, managing stress or developing individual resilience, responsibility for wellbeing can shift from institutions to individuals, leaving the structural causes of distress insufficiently examined (Chachignon, 2024; Lee, 2024). This raises an important question for neurodiversity and inclusion. If students are taught to regulate their attention, manage their responses and adapt to demanding learning environments, are they being supported-or are they being expected to accommodate environments that may themselves be exclusionary?
Mindfulness should not become another demand placed on students to make themselves more productive or compliant. Nor should it imply that distress arising from inaccessible teaching, sensory barriers or discriminatory institutional practices can be resolved through individual practice alone. Brito (2021) challenges instrumental approaches that reduce mindfulness in education to individual wellbeing and performance, arguing for a more holistic understanding of its educational potential. Applied to neurodiversity, this perspective invites teachers to consider not only how mindfulness might support individual learners, but also how teaching practices and institutional environments could change. An inclusive approach would therefore combine accessible, flexible mindfulness practices with critical reflection on power, participation and whose needs are prioritised.
What Might this Mean for Mindfulness?
These questions have particular significance for secular mindfulness teaching. Practices involving stillness, silence, sustained attention to the breath or awareness of bodily sensations may be meaningful and beneficial for some participants. Others may find some exercises uncomfortable, inaccessible or difficult to engage with. A neurodiversity-informed approach might offer choice, such as, movement, walking meditation, eyes-open practice, clear instructions or alternative objects of attention. A critical approach goes further by asking why one form of practice has become the assumed standard and whose experiences have informed the design of the learning environment. This is not about suggesting that mindfulness is inherently exclusionary, nor that all neurodivergent people experience it in the same way. It is about recognising variation, remaining curious about individual experience and allowing teaching practices to be questioned and reshaped.
The Research
Tamara Russell on ‘Body in Mind Training ‘ (BMT) offers a complementary perspective. By using mindful movement as a focus for attention, her approach provides an alternative to practices that rely primarily on sitting still (Russell & Tatton-Ramos, 2014). Movement can offer another way to engage with mindfulness, although individual preferences and needs will vary. The mindfulness teacher and researcher Sue Hutton advocates for accessible, neurodiversity-affirming approaches that respond to individual needs. Her work highlights the importance of adapting practices collaboratively with autistic people rather than assuming that conventional mindfulness techniques are suitable for everyone. (Wozniak & Hutton, 2025). Research on mindfulness-based interventions for autistic people suggests that these approaches may be beneficial for some, but the evidence base has limitations, and further research is needed (Lunsky et al., 2025). A helpful resource by Liezl Laidlaw and Christoph Spiessens can be found on the British Association of Mindfulness Based Approaches (BAMBA) website from their Neuro‑Affirming Mindfulness Teaching Session (22 JAN 26).
https://bamba.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Neurodiversity_resource.pdf
Liezl Laidlaw also runs training courses and the monthly neurodiversity group with the MA and works closely with Ellie, who currently leads monthly peer sessions for the MA for people who identify as neurodivergent or are exploring whether a neurodivergent profile is relevant to them.
More than Awareness: Towards Transformation
Perhaps the most important question is whether we are prepared to change the environments in which inclusion is expected to happen. Neurodiversity invites us to move beyond awareness towards a more searching examination of social expectations, institutional power and the production of knowledge. It asks whether people can participate on meaningful terms, whether their experiences are recognised, and whether they have a voice in shaping the practices that affect them. In this sense, neurodiversity is not simply about making room for difference within existing structures. It can also be an invitation to imagine and create different structures.
Fundamentally, inclusion involves more than accommodating individual differences. It requires teachers to question assumptions about how a mindful person should behave, whose experiences are recognised and who has a voice in shaping practice. Offering flexibility, explaining activities clearly and inviting feedback can help create more inclusive mindfulness learning environments. By embracing neurodiversity, mindfulness teachers can help create learning environments in which difference is respected, choice is meaningful and students feel heard and valued.
Further, according to Ellie,
“Developing a neurodiversity-informed approach is not about adding complexity it is about refining the fundamentals of good teaching. When we broaden our understanding of how people experience mindfulness practice, we naturally become more responsive, more flexible, and more attuned. In doing so, we can create conditions in which more participants can engage, stay and benefit – regardless of whether they identify as neurodivergent or not.”
To find out more, Ellie is running a continuous professional development (CPD) course for mindfulness teachers from November 20-22nd more details maybe found here.
Please do get in touch if you would like to learn more about my research or have any comments about the blog or just want to share your experiences. s.gonsalves.22@abdn.ac.uk
Many thanks,
Shirley Gonsalves
References
Brito, R., Joseph, S. and Sellman, E. (2021) ‘Exploring mindfulness in/as education from a Heideggerian perspective’, Journal of Philosophy of Education, 55(2), pp. 302–313. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9752.12553. OUP Academic
Chachignon, P., Le Barbenchon, E. and Dany, L. (2024) ‘Mindfulness research and applications in the context of neoliberalism: A narrative and critical review’, Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 18(2), e12936. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12936. Compass Hub
Lee, W., McCaw, C.T. and Van Dam, N.T. (2024) ‘Mindfulness in education: Critical debates and pragmatic considerations’, British Educational Research Journal, 50(4), pp. 2111–2130. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.3998. ERIC
Lunsky, Y., Carter, M., Hutton, S., Wozniak, J., Chen, S., & Weiss, J. (2025). Virtual group–based mindfulness for autistic adults: A randomized controlled trial. Autism, 29(10), 2489-2500. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613251340101
Pellicano, E. and den Houting, J. (2022) ‘Annual Research Review: Shifting from “normal science” to neurodiversity in autism science’, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 63(4), pp. 381–396. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13534. PubMed
Wozniak, J.A. and Hutton, S. (2025) ‘Autism-informed mindfulness’, Canadian Journal of Autism Equity, 5(1), pp. 80–94. Available at: https://doi.org/10.15173/cjae.v5i1.5902. AutiHub