Practical Guides

Practical Guides: The Tools for the Rebellion

We've explored the philosophy of our rebellion, the science that fuels it, and the clinical model that drives it. But none of that means a damn thing if it doesn't change your real, lived, everyday experience.

An "aha!" moment is the spark, not the fire. The fire is built with the small, consistent, and courageous actions you take day after day. This is where we get tactical.

This collection of guides is designed to be your field manual. It's for the moments you're standing in the trenches of your own life wondering, "Okay, but what the f*ck do I do now?" These are not abstract theories; they are practical, actionable tools for navigating a world that was not built for you.

Our Core Field Manuals

This is the machinery of change. Each of these guides is a deep, powerful tool designed to give you a new framework and a practical plan for some of the most profound challenges of a neurodivergent life.

• A Guide to Masking: Our deep dive into the single most costly survival strategy employed by neurodivergent people. We deconstruct what masking is, the devastating cognitive and physiological price it exacts, and provide a compassionate, step-by-step guide for how to begin to unmask safely and reclaim your authentic self.

• A Guide to Burnout: This guide reframes burnout not as a personal failure, but as a predictable consequence of autonomic nervous system overload. We give you the tools to identify the specific sensory, social, and executive function drains in your life and create a practical, sustainable plan for managing your energy.

• How We Use Assessment Tools (The Enlitens Way): A series of guides on how to transform pathologizing tests into instruments of empowerment. We show you how to use tools like the Brown EF/A Scales and the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile not to generate a score, but as a collaborative framework for inquiry and self-discovery.

• Why We Don't Use the ADOS-2: A guide to informed dissent. To be an effective self-advocate, you need to know not just what to ask for, but what to say "no" to. This guide arms you with the scientific and ethical arguments against outdated, dehumanizing "gold standard" tests.

An "aha!" moment is the spark, not the fire. The fire is built with the small, consistent, and courageous actions you take day after day.

Explore the Practical Guides

This is where theory becomes practice. Choose a guide below to equip yourself with the tools you need to thrive.

Learn the Models

The Engine of Our Practice

A Guide to Masking

The invisible, crushing, full-time job of performing "normalcy." This is our deep dive into the neuroscience of masking, its devastating costs, and the safe, compassionate path toward reclaiming your authentic self.

A Guide to Burnout

Burnout is not a personal failure; it is a state of nervous system collapse. We deconstruct the science of burnout and offer a real path to sustainable recovery.

How We Use the Brown EF/A Scales

We use this tool not as a test, but as a flashlight. A deep dive into how we use this nuanced, real-world measure of executive function to illuminate the specific points of friction in a person's daily life.

How We Use the Sensory Profile

A guide to understanding how we map a person's unique sensory landscape. This is the first step in deconstructing meltdowns, shutdowns, and burnout by honoring the body's reality.

Part of: The Science Hub | Explore the Full Enlitens Interview Model

No. While this model was architected from the ground up to meet the complex needs of neurodivergent individuals who have been failed by the traditional system, its core principles are universally human. It is, at its heart, a trauma-informed, strengths-based, and neurobiologically-grounded approach. It is profoundly effective for anyone with a history of complex trauma, anyone who has felt chronically misunderstood, or anyone who is simply tired of the pathologizing bulls*hit of the mainstream mental health world. It's a human-affirming model, period.

The full Enlitens Interview, from start to finish, is typically conducted over two or three sessions, which is standard for most comprehensive psychological assessments. The beauty of the modular design, however, is its flexibility. You don't always need to run the entire protocol. A skilled clinician can pull out a single module—like the "Social Debrief" or the "Cognitive Walk-Through"—to use as a powerful, targeted intervention within a standard 50-minute therapy session. The full interview is a deep dive; the individual modules are tactical tools for everyday use.

Fuck no. The names, the science, the theory—that's all for you, the clinician. It's the essential knowledge you need to understand the "why" behind what you're doing. For the client, the language should be simple, human, and collaborative. You'd never say, "Now I'm going to conduct a phenomenological inquiry." You'd say, "Let's set aside the story for a second. What was that feeling like in your body?" The model gives you the expert foundation; your own humanity provides the delivery.

Knowledge Is the Ammunition. Action Is Pulling the Trigger.

These guides are your first step toward building a new toolkit. The next step is learning how to use them with a guide who gets it.