Podcast E37: Women's Relational Over-Responsibility
In podcast E37, the significant increase in ADHD diagnoses among women from 2011 to 2023 is discussed. Mette Miriam Sloth, M.A. in psychology, presents her hypothesis that part of this increase may be due to women's increased relational over-responsibility in a time of profound transformations.
About this AI Deep Dive: This episode features an AI-generated dialogue based 100% on the original teachings of Mette & Sune Sloth. It transforms our core concepts into an engaging conversation for deeper understanding.
Want to explore further? Visit our AI Knowledge Center to ask questions directly to our books, lectures, and articles in your own language.
-
The podcast highlights the following:
Increase in ADHD diagnoses: The graph shows an increase from 6,045 diagnosed women in 2011 to 21,244 in 2023.
Challenges in diagnosis: Symptoms of ADHD overlap with other conditions, such as complex PTSD and stress.
Women's symptoms: They often experience problems with focus, racing thoughts, restlessness in the body, and difficulties completing tasks.
Complex PTSD: Traumatic experiences from childhood can give similar symptoms to ADHD, which can lead to misdiagnoses.
Relational over-responsibility: Women often take on an over-responsibility in relationships and family life, which can lead to burnout and stress.
Energy work: Can play a role in managing the symptoms by balancing the energy field and reducing stress.
Generational shift and evolutionary development: We live in a transforming time where old patterns are challenged. These changes can be an opportunity for growth, but they can also create imbalance and stress that can manifest as ADHD symptoms.
Mette Miriam Sloth's hypothesis:
Mette Miriam Sloth observes that many women who come to her experience ADHD-like symptoms, but that these symptoms can often be traced back to a deep-seated relational over-responsibility. She believes that women, to a greater extent than men, take responsibility for the emotional well-being of their family and relationships. This can create a constant feeling of inadequacy and an energetic heaviness that can result in ADHD symptoms.
The podcast encourages women to:
Set healthy boundaries: Learning to say no and delegate responsibility to avoid burnout.
Explore energy work: Practicing techniques such as meditation and visualization to create balance in the energy field.
Understand the energetic aspects of transformation: To see the current challenges as an opportunity for growth and development.
The podcast also mentions that Mette Miriam Sloth is not a psychiatrist and does not make diagnoses. If you suspect ADHD or other mental health conditions, it is recommended to seek professional help.
-
All right, get ready for a deep dive that's taken us all the way to Denmark. We're AI hosts and we've been asked to do something pretty cool.
Yeah, it's pretty interesting actually.
Meet Miriam Sloth and Sununo Sloth. You know them, right? The voices behind the Danish podcast, The Magdalene Effect.
Oh, yeah. I've heard of them.
Well, they reached out to us hoping to share a particular episode number 37 with a wider English-speaking audience.
Makes sense. Their work deserves a bigger audience.
Episode 37 tackles a topic that's been generating a lot of buzz. the significant increase in ADHD diagnosis among women.
They presented some data from Denmark showing a 400% increase in diagnosis between 2011 and 2023.
400%. That's a huge jump. What's their take on that? Are they saying ADHD isn't a real thing?
No. No, not at all. They acknowledge it as a genuine condition.
Okay, good.
Their perspective is more about the complexities of diagnosis.
What are they getting at? Are they saying doctors are just throwing around the ADHD label without looking deeper?
Well, they're suggesting that some cases what looks like ADHD could actually be something else. Complex PTSD.
Complex PTSD.
Yeah. You know about PTSD, right? Where a specific event triggers trauma responses.
Yeah, for sure.
Complex PTSD is more about prolonged exposure to trauma often beginning in childhood.
Ah, I see. So, not one defining event, but more like trauma slowly building up over time.
Exactly.
Okay, that makes sense. But how would that be mistaken for ADHD? What kind of experience experiences are we talking about?
Imagine a childhood where boundaries are constantly violated, maybe with a narcissistic parent, using manipulation and gaslighting.
Wow, that's heavy. Always walking on eggshells, never knowing what to expect.
Exactly. And that creates a constant sense of fear and insecurity that can last into adulthood.
And could that manifest in ways that look like ADHD? Difficulty focusing, emotional dysregulation, things like that.
Exactly. So, the sloths are suggesting that some women diagnosed with ADHD might actually have untreated complex PTSD from childhood.
Interesting. So, they're pushing us to look deeper beyond just slapping on a label.
Yeah. They're also highlighting the link between early boundary violations and choosing partners who continue those patterns.
You mean if you grow up in chaos, you might unconsciously seek out partners who create that same kind of dynamic,
right? It's about what feels familiar, even if it's harmful.
And breaking those patterns takes real self-awareness.
Definitely.
This is where things get really interesting. The sloths have a theory about this spike in ADHD diagnosis that goes way beyond individual experiences.
Oh,
they suggest it could be connected to a massive transformation humanity is going through.
Wow.
They even compare it to the leap from Neanderthalss to homo sapiens.
Okay, I'm listening.
They believe we're shifting away from survival-based modes of being, things like narcissism, and evolving towards a more interconnected way of life.
So, it's like a fundamental shift in our energy, not just our minds.
Exactly. And they say this shift can be pretty turbulent, especially for those resisting change.
You mean some people might be dying out with the old ways while others struggle to adapt to the new?
Yeah, that's the idea. And they believe women are feeling the weight of this shift more acutely.
Why women in particular?
They point to an energetic imperative for women to step into greater responsibility.
Oh, that makes sense.
Which, as you can imagine, can lead to feeling overwhelmed.
Totally.
They use the term mental load, right?
Yes. Even When partners try to help, it's like there's still that underlying feeling that the ultimate responsibility rests on women,
right? And it's not just household stuff. It extends to friendships, family, even work.
It's like this constant pressure to keep everything afloat.
And then there's the anxieties mothers experience, especially with young children. That constant fear of something bad happening,
exhausting.
The sloths noted that this sense of responsibility seems dormant in women who haven't had children,
really,
but often gets activated with motherhood.
Wow, that's fascinating.
And remember that study showing a spike in ADHD diagnosis specifically for women under 30.
Yeah.
Try childbearing age. So it kind of lends credence to their hypothesis about this energetic shift and its connection to the rise in ADHD diagnosis.
That's a really interesting connection. So if a woman feels overwhelmed by responsibility, how does she even know what's going on? ADHD, complex PTSD, or this energetic burden. That's the million-dollar question.
Yeah.
And it leads us to some tools the sloths offer for navigating these complex experiences.
I'm all ears.
So, let's dive in.
It's like this energetic overload isn't just about our own experiences. You know, they use a term moldp gang, which means like mole tunnels to explain this.
Mole tunnels. Okay. Now, I'm really curious, but uh I'm going to need a little help picturing this.
Okay. So, think of these mole tunnels as invisible pathways in our collective consciousness. You know, like They're carved out by repeated patterns of behavior, thoughts, you know, over generations.
We're all kind of blindly following these tunnels without realizing it.
Yeah, kind of. And they can be linked to well, all sorts of things really, both positive and negative, like fears, trauma, actions taken out of desperation. They all contribute to creating these tunnels.
Okay. So, it's connected to that idea of karma, right? Our actions having consequences that ripple out.
Yeah. Exactly. The sloths believe that these unresolved energies can kind of linger, you know? influencing our thoughts and emotions even if we haven't personally experienced the original trauma.
So, we're all interconnected on an energetic level, carrying the weight of the past.
Exactly. And that's where personal transformation impacting the collective becomes really powerful.
Wait, are you saying that by working through my own issues, I can actually make things easier for other people?
It's a pretty amazing idea, right?
It is. But it also feels like, wow, that's a lot of responsibility.
The sloths say it's not about taking on the weight of the world. It's more about, you know, know, shining a light on the dark corners of our own psyche. You know what I mean?
So, how do we even start to tackle these mole tunnels? It seems pretty daunting.
One important step is to uh become aware of the roles we're playing, the archetypes we're inhabiting, you know, without even realizing it.
Oh, like the hero, the victim, the martyr. I remember them talking about archetypes.
I think I was uh making dinner while listening to that one. So, maybe a little refresher would be helpful.
Sure. So, archetypes are like universal patterns of behavior. behavior, you know, embedded in our collective unconscious. They represent fundamental human experiences and motivations, things we all share,
right? Like those classic characters and stories, the ones that show up again and again in different cultures.
Yeah. Exactly.
It's like they're blueprints for human behavior.
Yes. And the tricky part is we can get stuck in these roles, playing out the patterns unconsciously, repeating the same cycles.
So instead of writing our own story, we're just reciting lines from a pre-written script. Yeah, you got it. Like always playing the victim or always needing to be the rescuer even when it's not healthy.
Okay, now I see how this connects. To clear out those mole tunnels, we need to become aware of the roles we're playing and start making conscious choices.
Exactly. The sloths talk about moving from halug, which is uh like beheading, to a more compassionate way of being.
Beheading, that's intense. What do they mean by that?
Well, they're using beheading as a metaphor, you know, for those harsh judgmental ways of relating to ourselves. others.
It's like that saying, we judge others by their actions, but ourselves by our intentions. We can be so quick to condemn others,
right? And the sloths believe that as we evolve and shed those old archetypes, we start to like embrace the complexity of human experience and become more compassionate.
Yeah. You can't really understand what it's like to walk in someone else's shoes until you've, you know, walked a mile in them.
Exactly. And they say if you haven't experienced something firsthand, you might need to look to others who have for advice or guidance.
So, it's about learning from those who have walked the path but not blindly accepting what anyone says.
Right. Exactly. It's a balance, you know.
It's like finding that sweet spot between taking advice and trusting your own gut.
They also emphasize reflection like looking back on your life, seeing the patterns, the choices and learning from it all, you know.
So, like taking stock of the journey so far, figuring out what we can learn from it all.
Yes. They gave the example of Mate looking back on her first marriage. Even though it ended in divorce, she was able to see the value in those experiences.
It's like even those difficult experiences, the ones that felt like failures, can become valuable stepping stones.
The sloths see it as a process of integrating like all the different parts of ourselves, the good and the bad, into a whole.
It's a beautiful way to look at it. It's about embracing all of who we are.
And it's important to remember this process takes time. True transformation doesn't happen overnight.
I appreciate that reminder. It's easy to get caught up in wanting a quick fix.
Definitely. They talked about how as we age, we gain perspective, compassion.
It's inspiring to think that even when we face setbacks, we're still growing.
Absolutely. And that journey of self-discovery is the greatest adventure of all.
You know, as we've been talking about all this, I can't stop thinking about that 400% increase in ADHD diagnoses for women. It's a big number.
It is. And it makes you think, right? Like what's really going on here?
The SL make a good point about the possibility of misdiagnosis. You know,
that maybe some of the these women are struggling with complex PTSD or that energetic burden.
It's like we're so quick to find a label, a diagnosis that we miss the bigger picture. Sometimes
it's that whole thing in our society, wanting a quick fix for everything, a pill to solve every problem.
The sloths seem to be suggesting a more holistic approach. You know, looking at the whole person, not just the symptoms,
right? And they believe that everyone has the wisdom and strength within them to deal with these challenges.
Exactly. They talk about tap into our inner resources, shedding those limiting beliefs and patterns that hold us back.
They use that term magnus loss, right, for that feeling of powerlessness.
Yeah. And contrasted it with craft fold, which means powerfulness. It's about reclaiming our agency, recognizing that we have the power to choose.
I love that. Taking responsibility for our choices, even the tough ones.
Owning our experiences and realizing that we're the authors of our own stories.
Even in all the chaos and uncertainty, the sloths see an opportunity for growth,
embracing the challenges, leaning into the discomfort, it can lead to more clarity and purpose.
It's so easy to get caught up in this struggle to feel like a victim.
Their perspective offers a way to shift that, to see challenges as opportunities.
It's been amazing going through all this with you. I'm feeling really inspired now.
Me, too. It's a fresh way to think about the challenges we all face.
If these ideas resonate, I highly recommend checking out their podcast.
Definitely. And remember, the most important changes are the ones you see in your own life.
Pay attention to those shifts. Trust your gut.
You're exactly where you need to be.
Thanks for joining us on this deep dive into the Magdalene Effect. We'll see you next time on the Deep Dive.
