Alexithymia in Neurodiverse Relationships | Jodi Carlton & Mona Kay
YOUR Neurodiverse Relationship Podcast: Season 6 - Navigating Neurodiverse Love & Life - Episode 2
Have you ever felt like your emotions were wrong — or like your partner simply couldn't understand why you were upset? You might be experiencing the impact of alexithymia in your neurodiverse relationship.
In this episode of Navigating Neurodiverse Love and Life, Mona Kay and Jodi Carlton open up about their own long marriages to neurodivergent partners — and the years of unintentional hurt that came from not understanding why they felt so misunderstood.
In this episode:
What alexithymia is and why it’s so common in neurodiverse relationships
How interoception challenges affect emotional communication
Why your autistic partner may logicalize your emotions — and what they actually mean by it
The difference between not caring and not knowing
A beautiful listener story about loving an autistic partner with awareness
Whether you’re in a neurodiverse relationship, recently discovered your partner is autistic or ADHD, or are neurodivergent yourself — this conversation will help you feel less alone.
⏱ Chapters
0:00 Intro — Meet Mona & Jodi / About the Show
1:28 Episode 2 Begins — Our Neurodiverse Marriages
2:36 Mona's Story: 30 Years of Unintentional Hurt
3:03 Communication Breakdown: Logicalizing Emotions
4:21 What Is Alexithymia?
5:11 Interoception & the Body-Brain Disconnect
6:18 The Bewildering Reality of Feeling Wrong
7:34 Jodi's Story: Alexithymia Wasn't Our Issue — But...
15:20 Emotional Flooding & Communication Differences
16:45 Writing Novels He Wouldn't Read
18:13 Listener Comment: "He Was the Best Partner I've Ever Had"
19:46 Unintentional Hurt & Looking Through Different Lenses
21:30 Outro — Find Us & Closing
Navigating Neurodiverse Life and Love is a casual show about neurodiverse romantic relationships, families, and life as a neurodivergent person or parent, hosted by Mona Kay and Jodi Carlton, two leading voices in the area of neurodiverse life and love. Send your questions, comments, and stories about neurodiversity to podcast@jodicarlton.com or click below to be featured on an upcoming episode.
Visit us:
neurodiverselove.com
jodicarlton.com