Project Play

01/10/2025

I’ll never forget when I first learned this idea: our brains don’t just react, they predict. I first read it in Lisa Feldman Barrett’s Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain, and it completely shifted how I understand regulation.

Think about thirst. The moment you see a glass of water, you already start to feel relief, sometimes even before that first sip. And yet, it takes about 20 minutes for hydration to reach your body in a meaningful way. Your brain is predicting that the need will be met, and your nervous system responds.

The same happens in daily life. At a birthday party, a child isn’t only noticing balloons and singing in the moment. Their brain is pulling from past experiences, sensory input, and internal signals to predict what might happen next. Sometimes, that prediction is “This will be too much.”

Keep in mind: your brain’s number one job is to keep you safe. This predictive process is part of that protection. Understanding this can help us hold ourselves and others with more compassion and context.

🧡 Share this with someone who needs this deeper insight and mindset shift.

🌱 And if we haven’t met — hi, I’m Nikki. I’m a neurodivergent therapist who loves making complex nervous system science and stress concepts accessible. Follow along for tools and reminders that honour your pace.

29/09/2025

We talk a lot about sensory diets and sensory rooms… but being truly "sensory-friendly" goes so much further than that.

Being truly sensory-friendly is about flexibility and attunement.

Needs shift from moment to moment, and what helps one person (or even the same person on a different day) might look completely different.

It’s not about getting it perfect. It’s about being curious, paying attention, and making small shifts that support real people in real time.

✨ Save this post if you want a reminder to stay flexible in your approach, and share it with someone who’s creating sensory spaces.

24/09/2025

I’ve just launched something I’m really proud of: Rooted in Regulation — a workbook created to help families and professionals move past the endless guessing game of regulation.

This workbook isn’t a list of activities. It’s a step-by-step guide to really understand what regulation is, notice the small signs of stress or calm, and build strategies that can be woven into everyday life.

I see it as valuable in two ways:
🧡 As a standalone resource for families who don’t have access to therapy, offering a hopeful and practical starting point.
🧡 As a companion to therapy, giving families and therapists a shared structure to carry the work beyond sessions.

Inside this workbook you’ll find:
🌱 Clear explanations of regulation and the nervous system
🌱 A breakdown of each sensory system in a simple, digestible way
🌱 Beautiful visuals — from the window of tolerance to the sensory systems — designed in my style to make these ideas easier to understand and share
🌱 Guided reflection pages with space to notice patterns and apply the ideas to your own child, setting, or family
🌱 Practical, adaptable strategies to create a plan that grows with your child

I wrote this to be practical, dynamic, and affirming — the kind of resource I wish I had when I was starting out as a therapist, trying to make sense of regulation and how best to support it.

For therapists and educators, it can also be a supportive tool to share with families, helping to spark conversations and give a visual language for regulation.

Here’s the link to explore it: https://bit.ly/Rootedinregulation
Use the code EARLYBIRD for a limited-time discount.

Understand dysregulation at its roots with this sensory-aware workbook for parents, therapists & caregivers. Learn to support nervous system needs.

15/09/2025

If you’re ready for books that spark awe, expand language, and challenge your perspective, you’re in the right place.

The Books:

📖 Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain — Lisa Feldman Barrett
A book that flipped so many assumptions I held about the brain. It helped me understand prediction, perception, and emotion in a whole new way.

📖 The Orchid and the Dandelion — W. Thomas Boyce
Helped me see why some of us move through the world with more sensitivity and how that shapes not only challenge but possibility.

📖 My Stroke of Insight — Jill Bolte Taylor
Her 90-second rule is a reminder that feelings are temporary messengers and that noticing them can change the whole experience.

📖 Awe — Dacher Keltner
Showed me that awe is a biological need, not a luxury, and that it can transform how we heal and connect.

📖 The Art of Living — Thich Nhat Hanh
Gentle, steady wisdom on presence and compassion. A book I return to whenever I need grounding.

📖 Conversations with a Rattlesnake — Theo Fleury & Kim Barthel
Deeply human and compassionate. This book stretched my understanding of trauma and the healing power of safe relationship.

📖 Atlas of the Heart — Brené Brown
Expanded my emotional vocabulary and gave me new ways to invite people into their own stories with compassion.

This is really just scratching the surface — round two is definitely coming soon!

Would you like me to share deeper reflections on these (like my biggest takeaways from Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain)?

What’s a book that’s shaped you? Share it in the comments.

Be sure to pass this post to a fellow bookworm so they can add to their list 🧡.

11/09/2025

We’re wired for connection and survival, always scanning: How can I stay safe? How can I stay in relationship?

When stressors build and our system moves beyond its window of tolerance, the body shifts into survival mode. For some of us, that’s where the fawn response comes in. People-pleasing isn’t a flaw; it’s a survival strategy your body learned long before you had words for it.

Start small: notice the cues. The shoulders that tense when you want to say no. The shaky breath when you soften your needs. The fog that lingers after you agree to something you didn’t want. These may feel minor, but dysregulation is cumulative, and tiny shifts in awareness really do matter.

✨ One practice that has supported me personally is parts work, which helps me meet the fawn response as a protective part rather than something to abolish. In conjunction with the other ways I signal safety to my nervous system (the kinds of practices I share across this account), it’s been a profound shift, moving from rejection to compassion. I can thank the part for keeping me safe and gently remind it: “I’ve got this.”

You don’t have to earn belonging by shrinking yourself.

Save this as a gentle reminder 🫶

This post is for education and reflection. It’s not medical advice and not a replacement for therapy. If fawning feels very present for you, working with a supportive professional can help you explore it more deeply.

08/09/2025

In case you need something uplifting today 🧡

This story really stayed with me. A reminder that we don’t need perfect scripts or fixing, just presence, breath, and being human together.

Share with someone who might need this reminder ✨️

01/09/2025

Comment "SAFE ENOUGH" below to grab my free guide, Feeling Safe Enough 🧡

So often, we think of regulation as calming down from a meltdown. But real support starts earlier, with small, everyday ways we can help our bodies feel steady enough to cope.

This guide introduces the 8 sensory systems and offers simple ideas you can try at home, at school, or in daily life. From movement and heavy work to sensory tweaks and interoception, you’ll find practical ways to build a personalised regulation toolbox.

It’s designed for kids, teens, and adults — a gentle, neuro-affirming resource to help you feel a little more equipped and a lot more understood. ✨️

21/08/2025

We tend to think of stress as the “big things” - deadlines, arguments, major changes. But often it’s the subtle, everyday strain that quietly wears on our nervous system.

Your body is keeping score of:
🌱 The hidden effort behind motor planning
🌱 Emotions you didn’t have time to feel
🌱 The social energy it takes to connect
🌱 Sensory input that feels a little “off”
🌱 The weight of constant decision-making

Individually, these might not seem like much. But layer them together, and it’s no wonder your capacity shifts from day to day.

🧡 This isn’t weakness.

It’s your nervous system doing its best to keep you safe in a world that doesn’t always match your needs.

If you needed a reminder today: what you most deserve isn’t fixing. It’s understanding and support.

✨ Save this as a reminder and share with someone who could use a little extra grace.

09/05/2025

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but movement isn’t just physical — it’s sensory, emotional, and relational.

The urge to spin, rock, jump, or lie completely still?
It’s not “just energy.” It’s your vestibular system signalling what it needs to feel safe and oriented.

Housed deep in the inner ear, this system helps us locate ourselves in space — but it also plays a role in how grounded and connected we feel in our bodies and relationships.

For some, vestibular input is energising and joyful.

For others, it’s disorienting or even distressing.

Sometimes, we experience both at different times.

Neither response is wrong. Both are nervous systems seeking balance.

That’s why we don’t throw sensory strategies at distress — we offer them with intention, rhythm, and relationship.

Spinning can help interrupt a stress response or support focus — if the body experiences it as safe.
Sometimes, it works best when paired with other input (like deep pressure or rhythm) to help the brain integrate the experience.

✨ The goal isn’t to get more motion.
✨ The goal is to help the body feel safe enough to be present.

Curious what your vestibular system is telling you? Did you learn something new today? Let me know in the comments!

Be sure to save this to come back to and share it with a friend or might find this interesting 🧡

If we haven't met yet, hey, I'm Nikki, a neurodivergent therapist who loves all things regulation, sensory health, and diversity. Follow along for more insights, tools, and gentle reminders ✨️

You don’t have to “get it right.” You just have to listen.

safety #

02/05/2025

Ever felt more grounded or at ease after lifting something heavy, chewing something crunchy, or getting a big squeeze?

That’s not just a coincidence — that’s your proprioceptive system at work.

This internal sense helps your brain know: – where your limbs are
– how much pressure you’re using
– and how your body is moving through space — all without needing to look.

It’s what lets you navigate crowded rooms, climb stairs, type without watching your hands… and it also plays a huge role in nervous system regulation.

This is why we talk about heavy work — activities that activate muscles, joints, and tendons to give the brain grounding, organising input.

For some, this input happens quietly in the background.
For others (especially neurodivergent bodies), it’s not always as smooth — which can show up as: 

– bumping into things
– using too much or too little force
– feeling “off” in your body
– needing more movement to feel ease.

But the good news?
Proprioceptive input is almost never overstimulating.
Which means you can use it proactively — not just in moments of dysregulation, but woven gently through your day.

Here are a few easy ways to add it in: 

– Carrying or lifting heavy items
– Chewing crunchy snacks or gum
– Pushing through doorways or into walls
– Stretching or doing yoga
– Brushing teeth or squeezing putty
– Big bear hugs, blanket rolls, or resistance play

These aren’t “fixes” — they’re supports.
Accessible, regulating inputs that can help you (or your loved one) feel more anchored, especially when the world feels too much.

⬇️ Let me know in the comments — which ones do you already use? Which ones will you try?

🧡 Save this post to come back to later or send it to someone who might need it.

Tools like these can offer powerful day-to-day support — but they’re just one part of the picture. Real nervous system care is layered, personal, and ongoing. It’s not about quick fixes — it’s about building safety, piece by piece, in ways that actually work for you ✨️

28/04/2025

You’ve probably heard of the five senses...
But what about the ones working inside your body?

Yes, there are actually 8 sensory systems!

That gut feeling.
The butterflies before a big moment.
The sudden urge to run to the loo.
The tightness in your chest when you're anxious.

That’s interoception — one of your body's internal sensory systems, helping you notice and make sense of your internal states.

For some people, these body signals are clear and easy to recognise.

For others, they’re too quiet, too big, or they don’t always match the situation — and that can feel confusing or overwhelming.

When interoception is out of sync, it’s not a personal failure.

It’s simply the body communicating in ways we might not have learnt to understand yet.

The goal isn’t “fixing” anyone. It’s building sensory awareness, connection, and compassion — at a pace that feels safe.

Swipe through to learn more about interoception, why it matters, and how you can start supporting it today.

And remember: there’s no one “right” way to feel or process.

Save this one to refer back to later, and share with a friend who would love more gentle sensory science in their life!

I’d love to hear in the comments: Have you ever felt something before your brain caught up?

15/04/2025

Your nervous system shouldn’t have to earn support by reaching a breaking point.

It deserves care in the quiet moments too.

In the steady moments—when you support yourself because you can, not just because you have to.

In the everyday transitions, tasks, and routines we so often power through.

✨ This is what proactive regulation can look like.

Not big, dramatic interventions—
But small, intentional shifts that help your body feel more grounded, steady, and supported—on your terms.

It might look like:
→ A cosy hoodie
→ Dimmer lighting
→ A favourite fidget
→ Movement between meetings (or during! I am a big fan of bilateral tapping under the desk!)
→ A texture that just feels right

Sensory support isn’t about fixing anything.
It’s about tuning in, getting curious, and making aligned choices that honour your body as it is.

Let’s stop waiting until we’re overstimulated to offer ourselves what we needed hours ago.

Want more ideas like these? Drop a 🧡 or share your current go-to sensory strategy!

✨ Save this for the moments you feel “off” and can’t quite name why.
Your body might already know.