Building Your Inner Witness: Neuroinclusive Pathways to Awareness
The capacity to observe our own thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations with a degree of detached curiosity is a cornerstone of psychological health and resilience. This ability, often called the internal witness or observing self, allows us to navigate our internal landscape without being completely swept away by its storms. Cultivating this function is profoundly beneficial for everyone, yet the path to building it must honor the diverse architectures of our nervous systems. For both neurodivergent and neurotypical individuals, the practice is not about achieving a state of blank detachment, but about developing a gentle, friendly awareness that can hold our entire experience with more space and less judgment.
For neurotypical individuals, traditional mindfulness practices often serve as a direct route. Sitting in quiet meditation and focusing on the breath can effectively train the mind to notice its own activity. The key here is consistency and compassion. When the mind wanders into planning or rumination, as it naturally will, the simple act of noticing that shift and returning attention to the anchor is the very muscle of the witness being strengthened. It is the repetition of this gentle return that builds the capacity.
However, it is crucial to understand that this standard approach can be inaccessible or even dysregulating for some neurodivergent people. For those with ADHD, autism, trauma, or other neurodivergences, an internal focus can sometimes amplify distress or feel impossible amidst a busy mind or sensitive body. This does not mean the witness is out of reach. It means the pathway must be adapted, often moving from the inside out.
Neurodivergent individuals may find a more accessible entry point through somatic, or body based, pathways and external anchors. Instead of starting with internal focus, one might begin by intently noticing the sensory details of the external environment. This could involve consciously feeling the texture of a chair, listening to the layered sounds in a room, or visually tracing the outlines of objects. This practice of external noticing can create a stabilizing point of awareness from which one can later gently include internal sensations.
Another powerful pathway is through movement. Rhythmic activities like walking, swaying, or tapping can provide a regulatory base that then allows for a broader awareness to emerge. The witness here is not found in stillness but in the dynamic flow of sensation. For all individuals, but especially where interoception (internal body sense) is confusing or overwhelming, beginning with the tangible and the concrete is a valid and effective strategy.
The ultimate goal is integration. A mature witness function allows us to say, “I am noticing that I am feeling anxious,” rather than solely being the anxiety itself. This slight separation creates room for choice and regulation. It allows the neurotypical person to observe a reactive thought without immediately believing it. It allows the autistic person to notice a building sensory overload as data, perhaps creating a crucial window to seek quieter space. It allows the person with ADHD to observe their distractibility with humor rather than self criticism.
To cultivate this, we must abandon a one size fits all approach and instead practice radical curiosity about what form of attention feels safest and most accessible for our unique neurology. The witness grows not through force but through repeated, kind invitations to simply notice what is, exactly as it is, in this moment.
