Dr. Shawn Horn, PsyD

12/01/2025

Audible version of “Thrive Socially with Adult ADHD” is now LIVE!

Check out this great listen on Audible.com. 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'.....

11/29/2025

Check out this episode!

Ever wonder if you might have ADHD but dismissed it because you did well in school? Or maybe you're exhausted from working three times as hard as everyone el...

11/25/2025

Please send me your pic with my book, “Thrive Socially with Adult ADHD,” if you would like to be included on a post!

Also, send your questions for an upcoming Q &A!

Don’t forget to write an Amazon review! They all help with getting the message out!

I’m so excited for you to read it and hear what your thoughts are about the content!

💜Dr. Shawn

11/21/2025

How’s your patience today? 😅

🧠 Emotion regulation and inhibition are actual executive functions—not a moral issue, not a willpower issue.
Some days we’re steady… and some days one tiny inconvenience takes us OUT.

When you’re sleep-deprived, juggling too many balls, hungry, overstimulated, or your working memory keeps getting interrupted, your brain has fewer resources available for self-control.

So when you or your kids “lose it,” remember:
It’s not a character flaw—
It’s a capacity issue. 💛

Remember education is the first step to intervention and when we know the neuroscience behind our experiences it helps us transform the shame-based personal narratives to a shame-free nervous system narrative.

➡️ To learn more about your nervous system regulation and executive functioning check out my new book:

💫 Thrive Socially with Adult ADHD 💫

available now where ever books are sold.

💜 Dr. Shawn

🎥➡️ with

11/16/2025

To all the Unicorns in a Donkey world….I celebrate YOU today!!!

💜 Dr. Shawn






🎥

11/15/2025

Attending the International Conference on ADHD 2025 here in Kansas City, hosted by ACO, ADDA, and CHADD.

The theme—Connect, Learn, THRIVE—captures exactly what this weekend has been.

There’s nothing like being in a completely neuroaffirming space with others who share the same passion:

✨ empowering the ADHD community
✨ advocating for better understanding
✨ connecting with compassion
✨ educating with evidence-based hope

Grateful for the conversations, the learning, the laughter, and the sense of belonging.

💜 Dr. Shawn

10/24/2025

Ever notice that people with ADHD tend to sprinkle emojis everywhere? It’s not just a “quirky texting habit.” There’s actually psychology behind it.

💬 1. We feel big.
ADHD brains experience emotions intensely and fast. Emojis help us match that energy—words alone can feel too slow or flat.

⚡️ 2. We want to be understood.
Text can sound cold or abrupt, and ADHDers often worry about tone. Emojis act like emotional punctuation marks that say, “Hey, I’m friendly! I care!”

🧠 3. We think in pictures.
When your working memory is juggling a million tabs, a quick visual cue is easier than crafting the perfect sentence. Emojis = cognitive shortcuts.

🎨 4. Dopamine loves color.
Bright, expressive icons keep our brains engaged. A tiny burst of novelty can make digital conversation feel more alive and rewarding.

🤝 5. We value connection.
At the core, emojis are about belonging. They help our nervous system feel safe and seen in the social world—one smiley face at a time 🙂💛

So if you’re an emoji-overuser, don’t sweat it. You’re not “too much”—you’re just communicating in HD. 🌈

❓Now tell me—Do you relate?

💜 Dr. Shawn

10/24/2025

If you’ve ever heard “just eat right” — and felt that wave of frustration or shame — you’re not alone.

🧠 You see, for a neurotypical brain, “eating right” might sound simple.

But for an ADHD brain? It’s a full-blown executive-function triathlon.

First, you have to remember you even need groceries.

Then you have to make a list — prioritizing what you actually need vs. what your dopamine wants.

Then schedule time to go, manage transitions, and drive there without getting distracted by five other errands…

…then comes emotion regulation when someone cuts you off in traffic.

Nervous system regulation when the music’s too loud or a toddler’s melting down in aisle three.

Impulse control when the cookies are on sale.

And working memory to recall what’s in your fridge and how much money’s in your account.

So no — it’s not just about knowing what to do, willpower or motivation. It’s about doing what we know.

It’s about executive functioning — the brain’s management system — and that system is working overtime just to get food on the table.

Next time someone says “just eat right,” remember:
for ADHDers, doing the thing before the thing takes more effort than the thing itself. Because it’s not that we’re lazy, unmotivated, or [fill in the blank] our nervous system and executive functions are simply working overtime.

⚡️When we understand the brain story behind our struggles, we can rewrite the shame story.

⚡️ Let’s stop shaming and start understanding — that’s the Shame-Buster way!

❓Who relates to this?

❓What’s the hardest part of “eating right” for your ADHD brain?

Share with someone who needs to know the brain story behind why it’s not that simple.

💜 Dr. Shawn

10/23/2025

Can you relate?

Check out Dr. Shawn’s video.

10/02/2025

This music is engineered to move back and forth between your ears, creating an immersive 3D sound that feels like it’s flowing through your head. To feel it:

👉 Place your phone right in front of your chin

👉 Press play & close your eyes

👉 Notice how the sound bounces ear to ear

Many people describe it as soothing, grounding, or even calming — like a little nervous system reset. Everyone’s experience is unique, but it’s a fun way to give your brain a mini break. 🧠✨

💬 Try it and let me know in the comments what you felt!

📲 Share this with a friend who would enjoy a little brain mini break.

💜 Dr. Shawn

📸 FYI, this photo is from my trip to Maui. The sunsets are amazing!

10/02/2025

Well, to be fair, they do look similar…🤪

Who relates??

Happy ADHD Awareness Month!

🧡 Dr. Shawn

09/27/2025

It’s time to talk about one of the most painful and misunderstood ADHD struggles: emotion regulation and our social lives.

Do you ever…

✔️ Interrupt, “talk too much,” or overshare—then replay what you said on a loop, full of regret and shame?

✔️ Feel like you know what to do socially but can’t access it in the moment?

✔️ Struggle to regulate your emotions, especially around others?

You’re not alone. Many ADHDers live with a painful gap between what we know and what we actually do.

And most of the “solutions” we’ve been given? Just more “should” and formulas that don’t work for our brains.

That’s why I wrote “Thrive Socially with Adult ADHD!”

This book addresses the critical missing links: emotion + nervous system regulation and the social executive functioning (SEF) skills that empower emotion regulation and make social success possible.

In this book, I introduce the Social Executive Functioning model, Polyvagal Theory—the neurophysiological foundations of emotions, attachment, communication, and self regulation— combined with latest research in ADHD —all in a strength-based approach that honors ADHD brains.

Inside, you’ll learn how to:

✅ Build a shame-free growth mindset and lasting resilience

✅ Transform your personal shame story into a nervous system story

✅ Map, navigate, and regulate your states

✅ Use SEF skills to empower social skills

✅ Discern safe vs unsafe people, healthy vs. unhealthy boundaries, and foster self-leadership.

No more shame. No more guessing games. Just real tools for thriving— socially, and emotionally!

📖 “Thrive Socially with Adult ADHD” releases Dec 1.

👉 Want to be one of the first to preorder → Comment THRIVE and I’ll DM you the link!