Synopsis
You married a whole person. The spontaneity, the creativity, the aliveness — and yes, the forgotten appointments and the missed recitals too. But learning to love a whole person — both their virtues and their vices — is the real work of marriage.
When neurodivergence is part of the picture, it's easy to get lost in what your partner isn't doing, or to lean on a diagnosis to justify your impact on the other. But a real partnership requires taking full responsibility for the gifts and burdens of the mind and body you were born with.
In this episode, Dr. Finlayson-Fife joins Kamden Hainsworth of the Busy Brained Saint podcast to talk about what it looks like for both partners in a neurodiverse marriage to show up as whole people — owning what is theirs, releasing what isn't, and finding more freedom than they expected on the other side.
Listen to learn more about:
- What it means to take full responsibility for the gifts and burdens of the mind and body you were born with — for both partners
- How a diagnosis can build genuine compassion — or quietly become a way to avoid growth
- The one-up/one-down dynamic that takes over neurodiverse marriages — and how both partners sustain it
- Why releasing the need to change or manage your spouse is what actually opens the door to real intimacy
- How truth — not false hope — is what gives couples the clarity to choose each other well
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Join us for a FREE Q&A about Neurodiversity in relationships, click HERE for details!
Join us for Date Night in Dallas, ticket information HERE (details for Austin coming soon!)
The advice offered through Dr. Finlayson-Fife’s Podcast Archive is educational and informational in nature and is provided only as general information. It is not meant to establish a therapist-patient relationship or offer therapeutic advice, opinion, diagnosis treatment or to establish a standard of care. Although Dr. Finlayson-Fife is a trained psychotherapist, she is not functioning in the role of a licensed therapist during these sessions, but rather using her training to inform these sessions. Thus, the content is not intended to replace independent professional judgment. The content is not intended to solicit clients or patients; and should not be relied upon as medical or psychological advice of any kind or nature whatsoever. The information provided through the Content should not be used for diagnosing or treating a mental health problem or disease. The information contained in these communications is not comprehensive and does not include all the potential information regarding the subject matter, but is merely intended to serve as one resource for general and educational purposes.