The compounding effect of trauma
Why does trauma erode your resilience? Over time, trauma makes your brain more sensitive to threat, and as a result, stressors begin to...
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The Karapace Blog
Katie Whittier
Mar 75 min read
The paradox of dissociation
Sensory overload is a defining issue in autism, ADHD and other forms of neurodivergence, like high sensitivity. Sometimes, it shows up in...
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Katie Whittier
Feb 294 min read
Why you should mask less
If you’re neurodivergent, female, BIPOC or a combination thereof, it’s likely you expend a lot of energy keeping up a mask that assures...
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Katie Whittier
Jan 183 min read
Neuroplasticity and Selfhood
People who have experienced social or familial trauma have a key commonality with people who are neurodivergent: We have to some extent...
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Katie Whittier
Dec 6, 20233 min read
Processing stress in real time
Ever get halfway through your grocery list and suddenly feel the urge to sprint out of the store? If you’re like me, you push through the...
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Katie Whittier
Nov 16, 20233 min read
Stim smarter
No matter how anxiety-provoking my pacing can be, I didn’t have a better way to process emotions until I began studying applied neurology.
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Katie Whittier
Oct 26, 20234 min read
No one tells you how to unmask
Everyone masks to some extent. We mask to fit in, to seem confident, to find love or to endure the workplace. We mask to try on new...
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Katie Whittier
Oct 12, 20234 min read
Sensory overload is a nervous system issue
Autistics and highly sensitive persons (HSPs) have one major thing in common: a tendency toward sensory overload. And it’s a very big...
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Katie Whittier
Oct 5, 20234 min read
Do the rules work for you?
The rules of life aren't built with you in mind. Live on your own terms by writing your own rules.
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Katie Whittier
Sep 14, 20235 min read
We need to talk about workplace trauma
We need to talk about workplace trauma, especially in the context of neurodivergence.
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Katie Whittier
Aug 17, 20233 min read
Prevent Overwhelm
Overwhelm can be a difficult state for anyone to reach, but for autistics, it can be outright dangerous. Picture “autistic overwhelm,”...
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Katie Whittier
Aug 10, 20232 min read
Global, independent and focused
When I “came out” as autistic a few months ago, I was surprised by the warm reception I received on LinkedIn. It’s by far my most viewed...
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Katie Whittier
Jul 20, 20231 min read
From burnout to renewal: An autistic transformation
I spoke with Shelley Kenow this week about the path that led me to my midlife diagnosis of autism. Shelley’s show – #nolimits – explores...
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Katie Whittier
Jul 12, 20233 min read
Powers in unmasking
Figuring out when, how and how much to unmask is one of the most daunting questions faced after an autism diagnosis in adulthood. For me,...
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Katie Whittier
Jul 7, 20233 min read
Why I sought my diagnosis
When I decided to double-down on growing my business, I needed to fully understand where my baseline fell.
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Katie Whittier
Jun 21, 20232 min read
How over-communicating helps autistics
(And allistics too) Last month, my husband and I celebrated our anniversary on Hawaii’s Big Island, one of our favorite spots on the...
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Katie Whittier
Jun 14, 20235 min read
I am autistic
I set out early this year to reposition my business around Trust. (You’ve witnessed some of that metamorphosis already.) I assumed that...
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Katie Whittier
Apr 27, 20232 min read
I really don't like video
I need to tell you something, and after everything I've written about narratives, it shouldn't surprise you: Video overwhelms me. I can’t...
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