Healing Is My Special Interest: a newsletter at the intersection of late-diagnosed neurodivergence and healing from high control environments
This newsletter is where I channel all of my reading, thinking, and exploring as I am going through the process of being diagnosed autistic at the age of 38 (as well as deconverting from Christianity and coming out as non-binary late in life Christianity and my special interest has always been God and the ethics of loving your neighbor. Currently, I am realizing more and more that white evangelicalism is a form of high control religion, and that these kinds of groups can and do exploit neurodivergent people. I am in the process of deconstructing authoritarian religion, but I strive to make space for all people who are seeking to understand themselves and the world better here at this newsletter.
There are a lot of reasons why autistic women and nonbinary folks (and gender nonconforming folks of all kinds) go decades (or even their entire life) without being diagnosed and this newsletter will explore the unique ways organized religion plays into this dynamic through personal literary essays. It will also include monthly columns where we take an online diagnostic and compare results, various media reviews and recommendations, and chances to connect with other people on this journey in the comments.
My hope is that this can grow into a real community of people who are exploring neurodivergence perhaps for the first time and who also come from a faith background (and perhaps are exploring how traumatizing elements of this has been for them). My aim is for it to be a safe space for people to process, learn, and grow—and learn to unmask together.