Thrive Socially with Adult ADHD - by Shawn Horn (Paperback)

About the Book

For adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), building and maintaining healthy relationships can be incredibly challenging. Ineffective communication skills may lead to impulsive actions, interruptions in conversation, or difficulty regulating emotions. Packed with strategies for cultivating lasting connections, this neurodiversity-affirming guide offers practical skills to boost self-confidence and improve communication and social interactions.

Book Synopsis

A neurodiversity-affirming guide to communicating with confidence as an ADHDer.

If you have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), you may have trouble building and maintaining relationships. Social pressures may send you spiraling into fits of chaotic thought and speech, or feelings of shame and low self-esteem. You aren't alone, and it's not your fault. Many adult ADHDers just like you struggle with communication and social interactions as well. The good news is there are skills you can easily learn to help you cultivate meaningful connections and thrive. This empowering guide can help you get started.

Packed neurodiversity-affirming strategies, Thrive Socially with Adult ADHD translates the neuroscience behind ADHD into practical skills for improving your communication and building better relationships. You'll gain crucial insight into how your brain works, and--most importantly--how it differs from a neurotypical brain. You'll also develop new social executive functioning skills, giving you the ability to appropriately process and respond to social information, smoothly navigate complex relationships, and improve interpersonal interactions.

From enhancing self-awareness to staying cool under pressure, this is your guide to genuine, authentic connection with yourself and others. If you're ready to overcome the obstacles of ADHD and take your conversations, relationships, and confidence to another level, pick up this book on your way to a life full of promise.

Review Quotes

"Thrive Socially with Adult ADHD offers a groundbreaking framework for transforming shame, rejection sensitivity, and emotional flooding into self-understanding and connection. Rooted in executive functioning science and polyvagal theory, this book introduces social executive functioning (SEF) to help adults with ADHD navigate relationships with more confidence and compassion. A must-read for anyone ready to rewrite their 'personal failing' story into a nervous system story--and to finally feel seen, understood, and empowered."
--Lara Honos-Webb, PhD, author of Brain Hacks and cofounder of ADHD startup, Bonding Health

--Lara Honos-Webb, PhD,

"Although this book is intended to be a vital source of support for people with ADHD, it is actually a universal lifeline for all of us. Shawn Horn has tackled the most difficult topic in the world to write about--shame. It is the only emotion that does not seek expression. Even though everyone experiences shame, it is so primal and fundamental that it defies words. Horn has broken that barrier. She writes with beautiful clarity about the sources of shame and the personal experience of shame, and offers accessible and successful guidance about how to contend with feelings that we have never disclosed to another living soul. Be ready to be understood and helped in a way you never thought possible."
--William W. Dodson, MD, psychiatrist and internationally recognized ADHD expert

--William W. Dodson, MD

"For many with ADHD, the most painful part isn't the distractibility and forgetfulness--it's the way it affects friendships and relationships. Just like with paying bills on time, ADHD makes it harder to do what you know in social situations. It also makes it easier for your emotions to get hijacked. Fortunately, Thrive Socially with ADHD offers you the tools to manage it all better. Your social life will improve, and so will your self-esteem."
--Ari Tuckman, PsyD, international presenter, ADHD thought leader, and author of The ADHD Productivity Manual

--Ari Tuckman, PsyD

"Living with ADHD often brings feelings of shame, but it doesn't have to be this way. In Thrive Socially with Adult ADHD, discover how to transform your perspective, building self-compassion, acceptance, and interpersonal skills in ways that make life more manageable and fulfilling. This caring and practical guide offers invaluable support for anyone navigating the challenges of ADHD, empowering you to live better and feel like your best self."
--Mark Bertin, MD, developmental pediatrician, author of Mindful Parenting for ADHD, and coauthor of Mindfulness and Self Compassion for Teen ADHD

--Mark Bertin, MD

"Shawn Horn's book merges research on the brain and the nervous system with behavioral strategies to boost the social worlds of adults with ADHD. Themes of acceptance underscore practical, mindful strategies for managing symptoms. Readers will add this knowledge to their personal toolbox, while combating the negative self-talk and shame that can insidiously accompany ADHD."
--Roberto Olivardia, PhD, clinical psychologist and lecturer in the department of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School

--Roberto Olivardia, PhD

"Shawn Horn's book, Thrive Socially with Adult ADHD, offers an up-to-date, neurobiologically based understanding of the emotional experience of living with ADHD, matched only by a master clinician's ability to bring the ideas and skills to life for readers to use. Horn's wisdom and compassion shine through as she guides adults with ADHD toward a new and better relationship with their emotions."
--J. Russell Ramsay, PhD, ABPP, psychologist in independent practice, author of Rethinking Adult ADHD and The Adult ADHD and Anxiety Workbook, and coauthor of The Adult ADHD Toolkit

--J. Russell Ramsay, PhD, ABPP

"There's a painful void of books available to help adults with ADHD learn--in simple, clear ways--how our brain works and how it affects all aspects of our lives. Shawn Horn covers a lot of important ground, from taming shame to managing self-regulation and more. This engaging, sensitive guide combines science with practical, concrete, doable strategies. You'll walk away understanding more about your brain, your nervous system, and managing social situations (like how to remember people's names!)."
--Terry Matlen, LMSW, psychotherapist, author of The Queen of Distraction, and founder and director of ADDconsults

--Terry Matlen, LMSW

About the Author

Shawn Horn, PsyD, is a licensed clinical psychologist, keynote and TEDx speaker, and author with over three decades of experience in the mental health field. She specializes in providing psychotherapy for adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), with a focus on shame resilience, polyvagal-informed nervous system regulation, and emotion regulation.

In addition to her private practice, Horn has served as adjunct faculty at Gonzaga University and Moody Bible Seminary, and as a psychotherapy supervisor for the University of Washington and Washington State-affiliated psychiatric residency program in Spokane, WA. Known as the "Shame-Busting Psychologist" on social media, she reaches thousands with her honest and informative content on adult ADHD, rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD), and mental health education. She is also the host of the Inspired Living podcast and blog, where she brings her expertise and encouragement to a wider audience.

Foreword writer Stephanie Moulton Sarkis, PhD, is a psychotherapist specializing in ADHD, anxiety, and narcissistic abuse. She is author of eight books and three workbooks, including Gaslighting: Recognize Manipulative and Emotionally Abusive People--and Break Free and Healing from Toxic Relationships. Sarkis has been in private practice for more than twenty-five years, and hosts the Talking Brains podcast. She is based in Tampa, FL. Learn more at www.stephaniesarkis.com.