When High Performance Hides Deep Pain: Understanding PTSD in High-Achieving Individuals

Paulina Treanor, Integrative Psychotherapist

Burnout is more than exhaustion. At its core, burnout represents erasure – of one’s needs, identity, and capacity not merely to work, but to fully engage with life itself. For neurodivergent individuals, this erasure can be chronic, invisible, and profoundly misunderstood.

In my role as an integrative psychotherapist specialising in neurodiversity, I frequently encounter neurodivergent adults who are not simply tired; they are deeply depleted from years of adapting to societal expectations that rarely align with their natural ways of being. This constant adaptation often results in masking; a practice familiar to many individuals with Autism, ADHD, and other neurodiverse conditions. Masking involves concealing one’s sensory sensitivities, natural social interaction styles, and cognitive processes to meet external expectations. While masking can help neurodivergent people navigate social and professional settings temporarily, it frequently exacts a severe emotional and physical toll.

The experience of masking can lead to profound identity struggles. Over time, individuals who constantly adapt or conceal their true selves may experience what feels like a gradual loss of identity. The subtle yet significant energy expenditure required to sustain this adaptive behaviour often leads to chronic fatigue, emotional exhaustion, and even physical health symptoms such as disrupted sleep, digestive issues, or chronic tension.

The subtlety of neurodivergent burnout contributes significantly to its misunderstanding. Because it doesn’t necessarily present in stereotypical ways associated with traditional burnout – such as clear exhaustion from long working hours – symptoms are often dismissed as general stress or misunderstood as personality traits. Neurodivergent burnout symptoms frequently include decreased ability to cope with sensory input, social withdrawal, increased anxiety, irritability, and a profound sense of disconnection from self and environment. Recognising these symptoms is crucial in preventing further distress and initiating timely support.

Moreover, neurodivergent burnout isn’t just a result of “doing too much.” It occurs because of continuously having to be someone else. Neurotypical burnout typically arises from external stressors such as workload or organisational pressures, whereas neurodivergent burnout stems fundamentally from the ongoing internal effort to fit into neurotypical norms – an invisible emotional and cognitive labour.

Understanding this difference is essential in creating appropriate support mechanisms. Traditional burnout recovery methods, often centred on time management, workload adjustment, or cognitive-behavioural strategies alone, may not be sufficient or even appropriate for neurodivergent individuals. Instead, a more integrative therapy for neurodivergence is required. This approach acknowledges and respects the differences in sensory processing, social interaction, and emotional regulation, providing pathways for genuine recovery.

At Harbor, we have developed a specialised neuroburnout treatment programme that is specifically tailored for neurodivergent clients. These programmes go beyond conventional stress management techniques, addressing burnout at a nervous system level to facilitate sustained and lasting healing. Grounded in a holistic therapeutic model, we place equal emphasis on body and mind, understanding that recovery from burnout involves more than just cognitive strategies.

Effective recovery from neurodivergent burnout requires reconnecting individuals with their bodies, helping them safely complete stress cycles, and creating environments in which they feel safe to remove their masks and authentically engage with their neurodivergent identities. Within our discreet, private, and personalised settings, clients find spaces designed specifically to honour their unique experiences and ways of interacting with the world.

This holistic approach reframes rest, resilience, and recovery to ensure they validate and honour neurodivergent experiences rather than pathologise them. In doing so, our clients can begin to rebuild their energy, redefine their identities on their terms, and learn sustainable, life-enhancing ways of managing their daily lives.

Ultimately, addressing neurodivergent burnout requires shifting societal and clinical perspectives from managing symptoms to fostering genuine acceptance and integration of neurodivergent ways of being. Only then can we move beyond mere coping, creating spaces where neurodivergent individuals don’t simply survive – they thrive.

How Harbor Can Help

Harbor’s neuroburnout treatment programme offers discreet, highly personalised support tailored specifically to the needs of neurodivergent individuals experiencing burnout. Through our unique one-client-at-a-time approach, clients benefit from integrative care that blends physical, psychological, and emotional support.

Reach out to our specialist team today to discover more about our neuroburnout treatment programme and start the journey toward sustainable recovery and authentic self-acceptance.