The NeuroQueer Shadow Work Journal: Deconstructing Normativity and Reclaiming the Authentic Self - Softcover

Sterling, Lucian Merrick

 
9781764633154: The NeuroQueer Shadow Work Journal: Deconstructing Normativity and Reclaiming the Authentic Self

Synopsis

Shadow Work Journal Written for the Neuroqueer Experience

If you are neurodivergent, queer, or both, you have spent years performing a version of yourself designed for the comfort of others. The effort required to maintain this double performance, simultaneously passing as neurotypical and as heteronormative, creates a psychological shadow that is uniquely dense, deeply layered, and rarely addressed by mainstream self-help. This journal was written specifically for that shadow.

Why Generic Shadow Work Books Fall Short

Most shadow work resources were written for a neurotypical, cisgender, heterosexual reader. They do not address what it means to suppress two separate layers of identity at once, or how the autistic, ADHD, or otherwise neurodivergent experience of gender and sexuality creates its own specific shadow material. This journal does. Drawing on Carl Jung's foundational model of the shadow, the persona, and the individuation process, it applies those principles directly to the neuroqueer experience of double masking and double suppression.

A Structured Journey Through Ten Guided Chapters

Each chapter blends research-backed education, composite case studies drawn from real neuroqueer experiences, and structured shadow work exercises with clear objectives and guided reflection. You will map the architecture of your double mask, trace the shadow to its systemic and developmental origins, identify the somatic and relational dimensions of masking, confront the internalized voices of ableism and homophobia, and excavate the golden shadow, the suppressed gifts, authentic joys, and genuine expressions that were buried not because they were wrong, but because the world around them could not hold them.

For Autistic, ADHD, and AuDHD Adults Who Are Also LGBTQ+

This journal is for adults who identify as neurodivergent and queer or gender-diverse. It is for those who have received late diagnoses, who are still navigating identity, who have read self-help books that did not quite fit, and who are ready to look honestly at what has been suppressed and what is ready to return. The approach is neurodiversity-affirming, social justice-informed, and grounded in depth psychology.

What Makes This Journal Unique

No other structured shadow work journal targets this specific audience. The neuroqueer shadow work framework introduced here integrates Jungian depth psychology with neuroqueer theory, minority stress research, somatic awareness, intersectional analysis, and practical daily integration practices into one cohesive, guided process.

Begin where you are. The shadow has been waiting.

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