Self-Gaslighting After Neurodivergent Late Diagnosis: Why You Don’t Believe Yourself

You’ve never needed anyone else to talk you out of your own experience. You’ve been doing it yourself for years. “It’s not that loud in here.” “What's wrong with me?! Everyone else handles this fine.” “Maybe I just fooled the person who did my assessment.” If those scripts sound familiar, you may be dealing with self-gaslighting: dismissing your own perceptions, feelings, and needs so thoroughly that nobody else has to. Dr. Regina McMenomy, Ph.D. explores why self-gaslighting runs so deep for late-diagnosed and late-identified neurodivergent adults. Without language describing your neurotype, the only explanations available were character flaws. Mix in masking, quieter interoceptive signals, and internalized ableism, and doubting yourself starts to feel like the safest option. Sign up for N.E.R.D. Notes (https://drreginaphd.myflodesk.com/ner...) and get weekly nerdy neurodivergent insights! Chat with Regina on Instagram @drreginaphd (  / drreginaphd  ) Book a Make it Make Sense Call (https://drreginaphd.myflodesk.com/cla...) with Regina About Dr. Regina McMenomy, PhD Regina is a neurodivergent coach and educator who helps late-diagnosed adults unmask, heal from burnout, and build lives aligned with how their brains work. She founded Divergent Paths Consulting (https://www.divergentpathsconsulting....) to provide the type of coaching and support that late-diagnosed nerdy neurodivergent folks need after receiving their late diagnoses.