What Does It Mean to Be “Neurospicy”? (And Why Neurodiversity Affirming Therapy Matters)

If you’ve spent time in queer, neurodivergent, or meme-heavy corners of the internet, you’ve probably heard the word “neurospicy.”

It’s not an official diagnosis. 

It’s a community-grown nickname for brains that don’t run on “factory settings.” 

ADHD? Autism? Dyslexia? Sensory processing differences? A mashup of all of the above? 

That’s neurospicy. 

It’s a playful, validating way to say: My brain is different, and that’s not a flaw, it’s flavor.

For so many of us (hi, fellow geeks, artists, and overthinkers), clinical terms can feel cold and pathologizing. Even if we like having a medical definition for why things aren’t working, it can be difficult and often is no one’s business. 

Neurodivergent is a blanket term that covers everything – AuDHD, depression, mood and psychotic spectrum disorders, traumatic brain injury, anything that makes a brain different from the standard in development and functioning – but it can feel just as clinical as a diagnosis.

But calling yourself neurospicy?

That carries pride, humor, self-acceptance and maybe a little chaos energy. It’s a wink across the room to someone else who gets it.

Neurospicy says:

• • Yes, my executive dysfunction means laundry can live unfolded for two weeks.
•  
  • And yes, I have a brain that makes life complicated and vibrant.
  • 
    Yes, I hyperfocus so hard I forget to eat.

It’s in-community slang, but it’s also identity work.

Here’s the problem: not every therapist knows what to do with neurospicy clients. Too often, therapy centers on “fixing” behaviors without affirming the human underneath.

In neurodiversity affirming therapy, the focus isn’t on “fixing” you. It’s on understanding your brain and building a life that works with it, not against it.

That might sound like:

Swapping “I just need more discipline” with “My brain is wired differently, so let’s find systems that actually work for me.”

Replacing “I should just blend in better” with “Masking is exhausting; how do I navigate the need for safety while finding ways to unmask and be fully myself?”

Moving from “I just need to try harder” to “I’ve been trying harder my whole life, what if we tried smarter, with compassion?”

As a trans, neurodivergent therapist in Georgia, I don’t sit behind a clipboard giving you homework you’ll never touch.

My clients are often queer, AuDHD, perfectionistic, and tired of being misunderstood.

With me, therapy looks like:

• • • Radical honesty (sometimes with dark humor).
    • Talking to you like a person, not a diagnosis.
    • Geeking out over the tools that actually work for brains like ours.
    • Holding you accountable—because spicy brains deserve real growth, not pity.

If you’re any flavor of neurodivergent, you’re not broken.

You’re just running the programs of life on a different operating system. And you deserve therapy that honors that.

Neurodiversity affirming therapy isn’t about sanding down your edges. It’s about helping you build a life where your edges have space to breathe.

Book your free 15-minute consultation and let us make space for you.