Neurotypical vs Neurodivergent Brain: Embracing Divergence as Our Evolutionary Path

As conformity becomes more prevalent in our society, the extraordinary talents of neurodivergent people suggest that our evolutionary future may lie in the differences between a neurotypical vs neurodivergent brain. Neurodivergent individuals bring unique perspectives and innovative solutions to complex issues, challenging societal norms and opening doors to new possibilities. In a world that frequently values uniformity, embracing and nurturing these neurodivergent strengths could be essential for our survival and advancement as a species. Could nature be nudging us toward a more inclusive and varied evolutionary path, one where cognitive differences are not just accepted but celebrated?

The Rise of Neurodivergence

In today's rapidly evolving world, the concept of neurodivergence is gaining significant recognition. Neurodivergence encompasses the diverse ways in which human brains can function and process information, challenging traditional definitions of "normal" brain activity. Society is awakening to the dangers of conformity, recognizing that the unique talents of neurodivergent individuals hold incredible potential. These thinkers challenge the status quo, suggesting that our evolutionary path may be rooted in the neurotypical vs neurodivergent brain distinction, potentially paving the way for a richer tapestry of human experience.

Understanding What Neurodivergent Means and Dispelling Misconceptions

While society’s understanding of neurodivergence is growing, several misconceptions still linger. Many people mistakenly view neurodivergent individuals as eccentric or overly challenged, overlooking the valuable insights they bring. This misunderstanding can lead to stigma and underestimation of their potential. Recognizing what neurodivergent means requires seeing beyond stereotypes to appreciate the strengths neurodivergent individuals offer.

The Challenges Faced by Neurodivergent Individuals in a Neurotypical Society

In a world primarily designed for neurotypical ways of thinking, neurodivergent individuals often face significant challenges. These individuals may struggle within conventional educational systems, work environments, and social structures that are not tailored to their unique processing styles. These hurdles can lead to isolation or feelings of inadequacy, despite the extraordinary capabilities many neurodivergent people possess. By addressing these misconceptions and challenges, we can begin to understand the critical role that neurodivergent individuals play in society's evolution, highlighting the contrast between the neurotypical vs neurodivergent brain.

The Neuroscience of Imagination and Practice: Neurotypical vs Neurodivergent Brain Adaptability

In the early 2000’s, there was an experiment conducted by a neuroscientist called Alvaro Pascual-Leone. He had 2 groups of people practice a fingering exercise on the piano. One group physically practiced the exercise, while the other group only imagined practicing it. After 5 days it was found that both groups experienced almost the same level of neural development, with the group who physically practiced only being able to play the exercise slightly better than the group who only imagined playing it.

On the surface, the study highlighted the brain’s remarkable ability to rewire itself through mental practice, demonstrating that mental rehearsal can be nearly as effective as physical practice in enhancing motor skills. However, what they failed to realize with the experiment was that the group who physically practiced the exercise, had to first imagine they were striking the relevant piano key before they actually physically did so. Each group achieved the same level of neural development through their imagining of striking the relevant piano keys. The actual physical striking of the keys only contributed to the slightly better performance displayed by the group that physically practiced. The physical practicing only acted as a reinforcement to the neural development that the imagining had already created.

How Our Thoughts Shape Neural Development: Neurotypical vs Neurodivergent Brain Structures

Our every thought is creating our neural structure. With each original thought we have, we create a new neural pathway.  Neural growth, or neuroplasticity, tends to occur in specific areas of the brain depending on the type of task being practiced. For example, the hippocampus is a key area involved in learning and memory. Activities that challenge these functions can lead to neural growth in this region. Practicing motor skills, such as playing a musical instrument or sports, can lead to changes in the motor cortex. Learning a new language can stimulate growth in areas of the brain associated with language processing, such as Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas. Activities that involve sensory processing, like playing video games, can enhance neural connections in regions related to visual and spatial navigation.

Every thought we have can influence our neural structure. When we think, neurons in our brain fire and create electrical impulses. These impulses travel along specific pathways and release neurotransmitters, which help strengthen these pathways. This process is often summarized by the phrase "neurons that fire together, wire together".

Repeated thoughts and behaviors can lead to the formation and strengthening of neural networks, essentially shaping our brain’s structure over time. This is a key aspect of neuroplasticity, which allows our brains to adapt, and change based on our experiences and thoughts.

Exploring Neural Divergence and the Neurotypical Core Structures

Everybody experiences neural divergence to some degree throughout various times of their lives, including neurotypicals. When one person plays the guitar and the other plays the piano, they experience a degree of neural divergence from each other as the different practices create different neural pathways. This example is just minor neural divergence and represents the vast neural diversity in the world population. However, the population that is considered neurotypical have a core neural structure that is common to each due to the shared socialization process they participate in.

Socialization and Its Impact on Neurotypical vs Neurodivergent Brain Structures

The socialization process begins within the womb. The fetus feels what the mother feels and through its link to her it begins to learn about the outer world. The socialization process is essential for individuals to learn how to function within their society, as it encompasses various key aspects. Language acquisition is a fundamental component, enabling effective communication. Through socialization, individuals also learn the values and beliefs that are important in their culture, which helps to shape their understanding of the world. Furthermore, socialization teaches people the expected norms and behaviors within their society, guiding them on how to act and interact with others. A crucial aspect of this process is understanding different social roles and responsibilities, which helps individuals navigate their social environments. Additionally, through socialization, individuals develop a sense of self and their place within the social structure, contributing to their overall self-identity. These elements help individuals navigate their social world and contribute to the continuity and functioning of society.

Another important factor taught through the socialization process is empathy. Socialization helps individuals learn to understand and respond to the emotions and experiences of others. This process begins early in life, with parents, caregivers, and educators playing a crucial role in teaching children to recognize and empathize with others’ feelings. Empathy is a key component of social and emotional learning, and it is fostered through various interactions and experiences. For example, children learn empathy by observing and imitating empathetic behavior from adults, engaging in cooperative play, and being encouraged to consider others’ perspectives. Developing empathy is essential for building strong social connections and promoting prosocial behaviors, such as helping, sharing, and cooperating.

At its core, fundamentally the socialization process is the same across all cultures. Even though there are differences in values and beliefs, norms and behaviors and roles and responsibilities differ from culture to culture, the categories of information shared during the process are largely the same. Because our every thought creates our neural structure, this sharing of the fundamentals of socialization across all cultures creates the base neural structure of the population that is identified as being neurotypical. Even though the differences in values and beliefs, norms and behaviors and roles and responsibilities will create neural diversity between the cultures, at their core their neural structures are the same.

The Concepts of Neurodiversity and Neurodivergent: What Does Being Neurodivergent Mean?

The terms neurodiversity and neurodivergent are related but have distinct meanings. Neurodiversity refers to the natural variation in human brains and minds. It encompasses all neurological differences, including those of neurotypical individuals, those without neurological conditions, and those with conditions such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and more. The concept of neurodiversity emphasizes that these differences are a natural and valuable part of human diversity.

The term Neurodivergent is used to describe individuals whose neurological development and functioning differ from what is considered "neurotypical. Neurodivergent individuals may have one or more conditions such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, etc. The term highlights the unique perspectives and strengths that come with these differences. Neurodiversity refers to the broader concept of neurological variation within the human population, while neurodivergent specifically describes individuals with atypical neurological development.

Acquired Neurodivergence: How Brain Injuries Can Lead to a Neurodivergent Brain

Neural divergence resulting from brain injuries, such as accidents or strokes, is often referred to as acquired neurodivergence. These injuries can lead to significant changes in brain function and structure, resulting in various cognitive, emotional, and physical challenges. For example: Traumatic Brain Injury or (TBI): This can cause a wide range of symptoms, including memory loss, difficulty concentrating, mood swings, and physical impairments. With a Stroke, depending on the area of the brain affected, a stroke can lead to impairments in speech, movement, and cognitive functions.

The Role of Rehabilitation Therapies

In these cases where parts of the brain are irreparably damaged, the brain can designate other parts of itself to take over control of any lost functions. This process is known as neuroplasticity, where the brain can reorganize itself by forming new neural connections. After a stroke, rehabilitation therapies can help individuals retrain their brains to use other parts to take over the functions that were impaired. For example, speech therapy, helps individuals regain communication skills by stimulating different areas of the brain involved in language processing. Physical Therapy focuses on improving movement and strength, encouraging the brain to form new pathways to control muscles. Occupational Therapy aims to help individuals relearn daily living skills and adapt to their new abilities.

Radical Thinking Changes from Life-Altering Events: Neurotypical vs Neurodivergent Brain Perspectives

As we see with acquired neurodivergence, an event causes the individual to have to think differently about the world due to their drastically changed experience of it. Radical changes in experience cause radical changes in thought which in turn causes radical changes to neural pathways created. However, even in the case of a neurotypical person who experiences acquired neurodivergence through a dramatically life changing experience, at the core their neural structure still remains neurotypical.

Acquired neurodivergence can also be seen to happen to individual who experiences a life changing event that does not actually cause them physical harm. Many of us know that person who after a particular event, completely changed their whole outlook on life. The event caused them to think drastically different thoughts about their world which created drastically different neural pathways within them. However, they too still have a neurotypical neural structure at their core.

Extreme Neural Divergence and Autism: Rethinking Neurodivergent and Autism Connections

The neurodivergence associated with those with conditions such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, etcetera is what I call extreme neural divergence. In the case of autism, as with acquired neurodivergence, I believe that an event occurs that causes the brain to have to divert in response to a normal developmental path that has become blocked to it. I do not believe in the theory that autism is genetically caused. I believe that it is a result of Acquired extreme neurodivergence because of an adverse environmental event.

Rethinking Autism: Genetic Myths and Environmental Influences

With current research evidence all that can honestly be said about genetics in regard to autism, is that the identified genes may play a role in contributing to or increasing the likelihood of autism when they are present, but they are not a required component for autism to occur. Many people will flat out argue that autism is genetically caused but with a quick visit to the National Institute of Mental Health website, which is a subdepartment of the National institute of health, which is the largest medical research group in the world, you will find that the NIMH emphatically state that researchers do not know the cause of autism and that research only indicates that certain identified genes may interact with the environment in ways that may cause autism. Genetics as a cause of autism is still just an unproven theory.

Emotional Expression and the Socialization Process

It is my view that an event occurs, either in the womb or in early infancy that causes a disruption to the emotional system which inhibits the ability to freely and naturally express emotion. The free and natural expression of emotion is essential for successful participation in the socialization process. Emotions play a crucial role in helping individuals connect with others, understand social cues, and build meaningful relationships. Through emotional expression, people can communicate their needs, feelings, and intentions, which is vital for effective social interactions.

Moreover, the socialization process involves learning how to regulate and express emotions in culturally appropriate ways. This helps individuals develop emotional competence, which is important for navigating social situations and maintaining healthy relationships. If a person becomes partially or completely blocked from the socialization process due to severe emotional disruption, then a predominantly empathizing cognitive style cannot develop, which is the cognitive style of those considered to be neurotypical.

Cognitive Styles: Empathizing versus Systemizing

The psychologist Simon Barron Cohen, who created the online Autism quotient test, theorized that there were two cognitive styles, the empathizing and the systemizing and that everybody has a mixture of the two at different ratios. Strong participation in the socialization process creates a predominantly empathizing cognitive style where the individual learns to navigate their way through life based upon emotion and empathy. When a person is blocked from the socialization process, they cannot learn how to navigate through life with emotion and empathy and must find an alternative way of navigation.

Because the world of empathy and emotion seems to be so out of control and lacking any kind of structure or sensibility to it, these people latch onto patterns that they recognize in the hope that these patterns will help them somehow make sense of the world. Patterns also offer a sense of stability through their predictability. As the individual encounters more patterns, these are incorporated into their internal hybrid type navigation system.

Because these individuals are partially or completely excluded from the socialization process and therefore do not have access to a made for them system, of information transfer from other like individuals, the internal guidance system they create is unique to them, because it depends upon the patterns they naturally encounter and recognize in life and the systems that these lead to that they choose to adopt.

Although these individuals end up developing an extreme predominant systemizing cognitive style, many still have a certain percentage of empathizing cognitive style. This means that in some limited situations they may be able to navigate through emotion but in most situations, they must use patterns and systems. Because these individuals begin having to look at the world so drastically differently from the general population, their every drastically different thought creates drastically different changes to their base neural structure.

It is during our early developmental years, including our time in the womb, that our core neural structure is created. Any event that causes disruption to the natural developmental process, which relies heavily upon the socialization process, will cause major neural divergence. In the case of autism, the neural divergence is so extreme because of being blocked from the socialization process, which is the primary engineer of the neurotypical core neural structure.

Autism: Evolutionary Divergence, Not Disorder

Autism is classified as a mental disorder, but in fact it is an evolutionary divergence in response to an adverse event. If autism is some sort of disorder, how do you explain the exceptional abilities that many autistics display. Let’s consider physical disorders. “I have terminal cancer, but I tell you what, it comes with such amazing abilities” said nobody ever. “I am dying from heart disease, but it has given me these amazing talents” said nobody ever. Simple logic and reasoning tell you that autism is not a disorder.

Realizing Potential: Exceptional Abilities in Neurodivergent People

Autistic people are not inherently disabled, they are disabled by a world that was not built for a predominantly systemizing cognitive style. The challenges experienced by autistics are not because they are somehow broken inside, they are due to either the PTS from the initial traumatic event they experienced or from the pts due to all the accumulated traumatic events they experience trying to function in a world that does not understand them. Being blocked from the socialization process causes them to not develop the skills necessary for successful social exchange. This just leads to more traumatizing events and more pts. Once all the PTS is cleared through techniques such as faster eft and my Ultimate Divergence Superconscious Clearing technique then the potentially untapped exceptional abilities within extreme neural divergents can be allowed to flourish.

Embracing Cognitive Diversity: The Future of Human Evolution

It’s my belief that once Extreme neural divergents become identified for their strengths rather than their challenges and are no longer considered as having a disorder and being somehow broken inside, a new door to human evolution will open. The exceptional abilities that many autistics display are a direct result of their need to think outside of the box of mainstream thinking to be able to survive in a world not built for them. There is a major push towards conformity throughout the world at the moment and I believe part of the startling rise in autism rates at present is nature's way of telling us that divergence and individuality is the way rather than conformity and the collective.

We have not even really begun to explore the possibilities of the human mind. What if neural divergence is the gateway to exceptional abilities such as psychic and extra sensory abilities? Rather than extreme neural divergence, just being a result of an unconscious evolutionary reaction to an adverse event, imagine the possibilities if we took conscious control of the process within ourselves and took every opportunity to think outside of the confines of mainstream thought. What if we could release ourselves completely from the chains of popular belief and exist at the frontiers of thought, where our every original thought was creating new neural pathways into as yet unexplored areas of the mind.

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