488 | Managing Big Emotions with Marcy Caldwell, Psy.D

On today’s show, Eric is joined by Marcy Caldwell, Psy.D!  Marcy is a psychologist, writer, and proud mom of 2, who has been helping adults with ADHD thrive in their work, relationships, and parenting for over 20 years.  She is a passionate advocate for adults with ADHD and is dedicated to helping them create environments that unlock the unique genius of their brains!  

Marcy is also the founder of ADDept.org, a blog and resource for adults with ADHD, and is also the owner of Rittenhouse Psychological Services, a practice specializing in adult ADHD in the Philadelphia area. In addition, Marcy is also the creator of Meltdown to Mastery! 

• Learn more about Marcy and find her masterclass, Meltdown to Mastery, at ADDept.org! (click here!)
• Are you in the Philadelphia area?  Check out Rittenhouse Psychological Services!  https://rittenhousepsychologicalassessments.com 

---

Questions/Topics: 

• [00:00:57] Introducing Marcy and how she got into the world of ADHD 

• [00:03:31] A family with ADHD and being in the messy middle 

• [00:05:50] Regulatory differences between neurotypical and ADHD brains 

• [00:07:21] Activation, stopping, and on/off switches 

• [00:08:43] Three components of an ADHD experience 

• [00:15:32] “How do we know the difference between the emotional storms and emotional regulation challenges that are so often seen with ADHD… and the emotional storms / regulation challenges that come with other disorders, such as autism, borderline personality disorder, bi-polar, etc.?” 

• [00:20:11] Why does it matter to understand that an antecedent comes externally for emotional storms with ADHD compared to other differential diagnoses? 

• [00:22:08] How much of the emotional storms that are triggered by external events are more a trauma response vs. being organically related to ADHD? 

• [00:27:32] What is Meltdown to Mastery all about? 

• [00:30:21] Can the intentional use of distraction be a tool? 

• [00:32:02] A discussion on distraction vs. avoidance

• [00:36:31] Developing an understanding of identifying the “in-between” emotions and building conscientiousness 

• [00:40:35] Closing thoughts and more about Marcy 

Resources & Honorable Mentions:

• “I believe in the power of understanding.” – Marcy 

---

🌟 Have you heard about our Adult Study Hall Community? Go to adultstudyhall.com to join our ADHD-friendly body-doubling community!

---

🌟 Interested in group coaching and want to take your ADHD management to the next level? Go to coachingrewired.com to get all the up-to-date information on the upcoming season of ADHD reWired's award-winning Coaching & Accountability groups!