Less Talk, More Praxis: How Self-Hypnosis and CBT Support Action for ADHD Minds
- Michele Thompson
- 12 minutes ago
- 4 min read
When Insight Is No Longer Enough
There comes a point in every growth journey where understanding stops being the problem.
You know why you struggle.
You understand your patterns.
You’ve read the books.
You’ve had the realizations.
And yet — action still feels inconsistent.
For those of us with ADHD combined type — both inattentive and hyperactive — this gap between insight and execution can feel especially frustrating. The mind is active, creative, and visionary, while the nervous system fluctuates between urgency and paralysis.
This is where 2026: Less Talk. More Praxis becomes more than a slogan. It becomes a necessity.
Where Am I in This Journey?
If you’re new here, this article is part of an ongoing series exploring neurodivergence, spiritual practice, and sustainable growth without burnout. You may want to begin with Choosing One Thing: The Spiritual Power of Simplification or Sacred Structure: How Ritual Creates Safety for the Neurodivergent Mind to ground this discussion.
Living With Both Sides of ADHD at Once
ADHD combined type is often misunderstood. It is not a balance of traits — it is the coexistence of extremes.
Deep focus followed by mental scattering
Bursts of productivity followed by collapse
Intense motivation paired with difficulty sustaining routine
For many high-functioning adults — especially those also identified as HFA (high-functioning autism) — this duality is both a gift and a challenge.
You can:
Run a business
Pursue advanced education
Create complex systems
Build beautiful, handcrafted work
And still feel overwhelmed, emotionally taxed, or internally disorganized.
Capability does not cancel nervous system strain.
Why Willpower Fails ADHD Minds
Most productivity advice relies on willpower, discipline, or motivation.
But ADHD is not a motivation disorder.
It is a regulatory disorder.
When executive function fluctuates, no amount of insight can override a dysregulated nervous system. This is why tools that work with the subconscious and cognitive structure — rather than against it — are essential.
This is where self-hypnosis and CBT for ADHD become powerful allies.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Re-Training the Thought-Action Loop
CBT is often misunderstood as “positive thinking.” In reality, it is a skill-based framework that helps identify and interrupt automatic patterns between thought, emotion, and behavior.
For ADHD minds, CBT supports:
Breaking all-or-nothing thinking
Reducing task avoidance
Restructuring self-critical narratives
Creating realistic behavioral experiments
CBT does not ask you to “think happy thoughts.”It asks you to observe, test, and adjust.
This makes it inherently practical — aligned with praxis.
Why CBT Alone Sometimes Isn’t Enough
Here’s the honest truth many clinicians don’t say out loud:
CBT works best when the nervous system is calm enough to engage.
For the ADHD combined type, hyperarousal (restlessness, racing thoughts) and hypoarousal (shutdown, numbness) can interfere with CBT’s effectiveness.
This is where self-hypnosis fills the gap.
Self-Hypnosis: Working With the Subconscious, Not Against It
Self-hypnosis is not stage hypnosis. It is a guided attentional state where the mind becomes more receptive to suggestion and pattern change.
For neurodivergent individuals, this state is often familiar:
Hyperfocus
Flow
Deep imaginative absorption
Self-hypnosis leverages this natural capacity rather than suppressing it.
It supports:
Nervous system regulation
Focus without force
Internal coherence
Emotional processing
In short, it creates the conditions where CBT can land.
The Power of Combining Self-Hypnosis and CBT for ADHD
Together, these tools form a top-down and bottom-up approach:
CBT works cognitively — restructuring thoughts and behaviors
Self-hypnosis works somatically and subconsciously — regulating state
This combination supports action without burnout.
You’re not trying to overpower your brain.
You’re collaborating with it.
Praxis Over Performance
This is where Less Talk. More Praxis. becomes real.
Praxis is not about doing more.
It is about doing what works consistently.
For ADHD minds, that often means:
Shorter, repeated interventions
State-based tools rather than motivation
Systems that adapt to fluctuation
CBT gives structure.
Self-hypnosis gives access.
Together, they create momentum.
A Realistic Picture of Neurodivergent Action
Living this way is not linear.
Some days feel exhilarating — ideas flow, work expands, progress accelerates. Other days feel heavy — fatigue, doubt, emotional processing.
Both are part of the same system.
Running a business.
Earning a doctorate.
Creating by hand.
Holding vision and responsibility.
This is not inconsistency.
It is capacity cycling.
The goal is not to eliminate fluctuation — it is to work with it skillfully.
Practical Starting Points (Praxis, Not Promises)
Here’s what this can look like in real life:
CBT: One small behavioral experiment per week
Self-Hypnosis: 5–10 minutes to shift state before action
Reflection: Observe what changes without judgment
No forcing.
No overhauls.
Just practice.
“Action doesn’t come from forcing focus — it comes from creating safety for momentum.” -- Michele Thompson
Closing Reflection
There is hope.
Not the kind rooted in fantasy or denial — but the kind grounded in skill, practice, and compassion.
ADHD combined type does not disqualify you from building a meaningful life. It simply requires different tools.
CBT and self-hypnosis are not cures.
They are bridges — between insight and action, intention and follow-through.
In 2026, the invitation is simple but powerful:
Less talk.
More praxis.
And tools that honor how your mind actually works.
