Mindful Mondays With Ashley Dupuy: The Symphony of Sensitivity | Exploring Sound, Music & Vibration for the Neurodivergent Brain and Body

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Neurodivergent Experience

Mindful Mondays With Ashley Dupuy: The Symphony of Sensitivity

Exploring Sound, Music & Vibration for the Neurodivergent Brain and Body
Date: February 23, 2026
Host: Ashley Dupuy (with underlying series hosts Jordan James & Simon Scott)

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Episode Overview

In this deeply resonant Mindful Mondays episode, host Ashley Dupuy explores the unique relationship between neurodivergent sensitivity and sound—from the uplifting power of music and rhythm to the challenges of noise sensitivity, misophonia, and tinnitus. Marking World Sound Healing Day, Ashley invites neurodivergent listeners to embrace their sensitivity not as a flaw but as deep wisdom, sharing both neuroscientific insight and lived experience. The episode moves fluidly through the healing possibilities of music, singing, humming, binaural beats, and somatic movement, while also honoring the “bad and ugly” of overwhelming soundscapes and sensory overload. Practical regulation tools, notable expert insights, and a binaural-beat guided practice round out this multi-layered sonic journey.

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Table of Contents

1. The Ancient Power of Sound
2. Music as Emotional Expression
3. The Neuroscience of Music and Brain Health
4. Singing, Humming, and Somatic Vibration
5. Binaural Beats & Brainwave States
6. ASMR and Everyday Healing Sounds
7. The Dark Side: Misophonia, Overwhelm & Auditory Phenomena
8. Empowerment Through Regulation
9. Guided Theta State Sound Practice (Guided Meditation)
10. Memorable Quotes & Moments

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The Ancient Power of Sound

Timestamps: 02:20–05:00

• Marking World Sound Healing Day, Ashley reflects on how “music, rhythm, and dancing likely predate spoken language in human history” (04:15).
  • “We were making melodies and moving to it long before we had words to name what we felt.” (04:15, Hank / Mindful Mondays Host)
• For neurodivergents, especially those with alexithymia, music allows emotional processing without words:
  • “Putting emotions into words feels like trying to describe color to someone who's never seen it.” (04:48, Ashley)

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Music as Emotional Expression

Timestamps: 05:00–08:00

• Ashley shares a vulnerable moment—dancing after her autism realization:
  • “After a whole lifetime of feeling weird... Suddenly I felt celebrated, acknowledged, seen not by anyone else, but by the ancient, wordless part of me that just knew.” (06:18, Hank / Mindful Mondays Host)
• Encourages daily “kitchen disco” or mindful movement as somatic regulation:
  • “It's creative and it's somatic... using the body to regulate the nervous system.” (06:52–07:20, Hank)

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The Neuroscience of Music and Brain Health

Timestamps: 07:20–09:30

• Listening to music makes us “an instrument ourselves,” affecting heart rate, breathing, nervous system flexibility, and dopamine flow:
  • “Any music that genuinely moves you is brilliant for your brain.” (08:04, Ashley)
• Classical and even country music can “light up” the brain, offering resonance without chaos (referencing Dr. Daniel Amen).
• “Researchers are even exploring whether music might be its own form of consciousness. How cool is that?” (09:30, Ashley)

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Singing, Humming, and Somatic Vibration

Timestamps: 09:30–12:20

• Singing extends exhalation, engaging the vagus nerve and “turning on your parasympathetic rest and digest system.” (10:47, Hank)
• Humming, per James Nestor and scientific studies, increases nasal nitric oxide, “like a little pharmacy in your sinuses” (11:37, Ashley):
  • Practical: Ashley encourages listeners to hum and “feel that buzz” (11:49).
• Vibration plates also discussed as gentle movement tools for lymphatic health, especially for those with fatigue/inflammation.

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Binaural Beats & Brainwave States

Timestamps: 12:20–15:38

• Binaural beats allow listeners to “curate your brainwave state”; headphones required for effect:
  • “Your brain takes the difference between the two [tones] and creates a perceived beat.” (12:43, Ashley)
• Brainwave states explained:
  • Delta—deep sleep, healing (Ashley shares binaural beats helped with her chronic insomnia).
  • Theta—“the truly magical brainwave... deep focus and deep rest.” (13:23, Hank)
  • Alpha—relaxed alertness for creativity.
  • Beta—active problem-solving.
  • Gamma—peak processing and insight.
• Collaborations with composer Alexander Volusian, whose healing soundscapes underpin Mindful Mondays' guided practices.

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ASMR and Everyday Healing Sounds

Timestamps: 15:38–17:17

• ASMR triggers—gentle sounds, tapping, whispers—offer “profoundly calming” effects (not for all, especially sound sensitives).
  • “Neuroscience shows it can release oxytocin and measurably lower heart rate.” (16:26, Hank)
• Simple sounds—laughter, ocean waves—can regulate the nervous system; “pink noise” may help with intrusive thoughts/tinnitus, supporting dopamine and focus (Huberman reference).

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The Dark Side: Misophonia, Overwhelm & Auditory Phenomena

Timestamps: 17:17–26:21

Misophonia & Sensory Rage

• Common in neurodivergent circles—“chewing, breathing, pen tapping, triggering rage or panic.” (17:30, Ashley)
• Not an overreaction: “Your system is overprotecting. The best way forward: nervous system regulation.” (17:55, Hank)

Loud Noises & The Cocktail Party Effect

• Ashley describes intense startle reactions:
  • “It feels like somebody just ripped a hole into my soul.” (18:59, Hank & 19:01, Ashley)
• The “cocktail party effect” fails for neurodivergents—background noise becomes a wall; “not poor listening... your auditory processing just works differently.” (19:45, Hank)

Tinnitus & Musical Ear Syndrome

• Tinnitus: Stress can increase perceptibility; regulation and hypnotherapy can help (“I walked into my empty house... my tinnitus is gone.” 23:15, Ashley).
• Musical ear syndrome: Phantom music during hearing loss or sensory deprivation, especially in stress:
  • “I thought I was going mad. Turns out it’s quite common. The fan’s roar creates the perfect blank canvas for the brain to project tunes onto.” (24:54, Hank & Ashley)

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Empowerment Through Regulation

Timestamps: 20:10–26:21; 26:21–27:31

• Core message: The answer for sound sensitivity isn’t exposure therapy, but “regulating your baseline” (20:10, Hank).
• Tools: Headphones, noise dampening, quiet spaces, regular and creative movement with music, daily mindful ‘sound moments’ as “microdosing meaning.”
• Guidance to episodes 9–12, 19, and a 14-day mastery course for nervous system regulation.

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Guided Theta State Sound Practice (Guided Meditation)

Timestamps: 27:51–35:53

• Listeners are led into a meditation with Alexander Volusian’s theta-wave binaural beats.
• Focus: Observing sensations, breath, and emotional shifts as sound waves guide the nervous system.
• Ashley frames the experience as “collaborat[ing] with sound...regulation doesn’t always come from effort—sometimes it comes from resonance.” (35:40, Hank)

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “This is a space where your sensitivity isn't something to overcome. It's woven into your deepest wisdom.” (02:09, Hank)
• “Your life...is a symphony. It’s not one flat note, but a rich orchestra of highs and lows, discords and resolutions.” (09:52, Hank)
• “Singing is a wonderful way to express yourself, a beautiful, creative endeavor...for many neurodivergent beings, it’s a form of stimming that not only regulates but also feels good in the soul.” (10:44–11:06, Ashley & Hank)
• “ASMR is regulation gold...But for those who do [love it], it's regulation gold.” (16:36, Hank)
• “It feels like somebody just ripped a hole into my soul.” (18:59–19:01, Hank & Ashley)
• “If you are suffering with misophonia or not tolerating loud, crowded spaces...please know these aren't things for exposure therapy. Work on regulation.” (21:07, Hank)
• “Our pattern seeking brains and heightened stress responses make us prone to these kind of auditory fills. But it’s not madness. It’s the brain compensating creatively.” (25:22, Ashley)
• “Even sensitivity becomes wisdom. You feel vibrations others miss.” (26:23, Hank)

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Practical Takeaways

• Daily practice: 10 minutes of free, judgment-free movement to music you love (“kitchen disco, bedroom sway, gentle arm waves”). (27:11–27:31)
• Try humming and singing: Immediate nervous system benefits.
• Seek out binaural beats, soundscapes, and quiet ‘sound regulation’ experiences—Ashley’s practices can be found on Insight Timer.
• For misophonia, tinnitus, or auditory overwhelm: Focus on nervous system regulation, not exposure.

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Next Week

The next Mindful Mondays will mark six months of the series, revisiting key themes and practices. Ashley invites both new and longtime listeners to reflect and celebrate progress in self-understanding and regulation.

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For deeper dives, guided practices, and regulation tools, find Ashley Dupuy on Insight Timer.

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Summary prepared for listeners seeking the essence and actionable wisdom of this episode, with full respect for Ashley's reflective, gentle, and empowering tone.

Transcript

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[Ashley Dupuy]

Wayfare Every style Every home.

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

Welcome back to Mindful Mondays.

[Ashley Dupuy]

I'm your host, Ashley Dupuy, and this

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

is your gentle weekly pause, a place to ease the rush, tenderize what feels sharp, and step into your week with

[Ashley Dupuy]

presence and purpose right here on the neurodivergent Experience podcast. So whether you're neurodivergent, highly sensitive, or

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

just drawn to the mysteries of consciousness

[Ashley Dupuy]

and transformation, you belong here completely.

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

This is a space where your sensitivity isn't something to overcome. It's woven into your deepest wisdom. And today's episode comes in honor of

[Ashley Dupuy]

World Sound Healing Day we which we

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

marked on the 14th of February. And it got me thinking deeply about just how powerful sound really is for the neurodivergent brain and body.

[Ashley Dupuy]

The good, the bad, and the downright ugly. So we're going to explore music and

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

why melody and rhythm likely predate spoken language in human history. Rhythm and dancing as emotional expression, especially for those of us with alexithymia, binaural

[Ashley Dupuy]

beats and brainwave states, singing and humming vibrations, sound therapy and asmr. And then we'll turn toward Some of

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

the more challenging territory, misophonia, loud noises

[Ashley Dupuy]

that feel like they rip holes into your soul, tinnitus, musical ear syndrome, and the cocktail party effect. And as always, everything we talk about

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

today will be grounded in neuroscience and lived, neurodivergent experience. We'll weave in insights from Dr. Andrew Huberman's fascinating work on hearing and the brain, author James Nestor on the benefits of humming, and Dr. Daniel Allman on

[Ashley Dupuy]

music and brain health.

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

So by the end of today's episode, my hope is that you'll feel more agency around sound, not just as something that happens to you, but as tools you can use to support your nervous system, process emotions, and find moments of regulation and joy, even if you're deeply sensitive to sound, as I am.

[Ashley Dupuy]

And we'll close, as always, with a guided practice.

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

And if you're able to try and listen to today's guided practice with headphones, why?

[Ashley Dupuy]

Well, keep listening and you'll find out.

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

So let me start with something that has always fascinated me. Some of the greatest minds in neuroscience and anthropology have pieced together that music, rhythm, and dancing likely predate spoken language in human history. So we were making melodies and moving to it long before we had words to name what we felt. And this is why, for so many of us who are neurodivergent, especially those of us with alexithymia, where putting emotions

[Ashley Dupuy]

into words feels like trying to describe color to someone who's never seen it. Exploring emotions through music, rhythm, and dancing

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

is one of the most effective ways to express yourself, to process what you're carrying and to move through is the most ancient part of being human. And I want to share something deeply personal with you. I can remember the moment I first found out I was autistic. It was later on in the day,

[Ashley Dupuy]

and I had been navigating a very complex web of emotions after learning I was autistic.

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

And I remember I was alone at home, and suddenly I felt this overwhelming need to move my body. There was a song playing, and the melody and rhythm of it just grabbed me. And I turned the volume up really loud, and I began to dance in

[Ashley Dupuy]

my living room, moving my arms and hands in ways that I didn't even

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

know what I was doing. But I could feel it, this complex wave of relief and joy and celebration pouring out of me. I felt ecstatic to finally express myself in this amazing way.

[Ashley Dupuy]

And it would have looked weird if anyone had been watching. Flailing arms and unusual movements.

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

And yet, after a whole lifetime of

[Ashley Dupuy]

feeling weird, of being the one who didn't fit.

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

Suddenly I felt celebrated, acknowledged, seen not by anyone else, but by the ancient, wordless part of me that just knew. And this is something I invite my clients to do all the time. If you don't have a creative outlet already, I encourage you to listen to your favorite music and even better, move your body to it.

[Ashley Dupuy]

And even better still, do it daily. Have kitchen discos in the morning or

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

at the end of the day, take yourself to your bedroom, light a candle, put on a favorite song, and let your body move however it wants to move. This is your moment to connect to the most ancient parts of the human experience. It's creative and it's somatic. Somatic work is using the body to regulate the nervous system to signal safety and allowing your body to move how it wants to to. Rhythm does exactly that. So what actually happens to our bodies and brains when we listen to music? Well, it's absolutely incredible. We basically become an instrument ourselves. Sound waves enter through the ears and the brain processes them, and we start to vibrate internally and our heart rate variability increases. And that's a good thing. It means more flexibility and resilience in your nervous system. And breathing patterns shift and deepen. We feel connected. It's a full body, full brain experience. And what type of music? Well, anything you love. Any music that genuinely moves you is brilliant for your brain. Now that said, Dr. Daniel Aman, who is an expert on healthy brains and also an expert on adhd. He points to research showing that country

[Ashley Dupuy]

music often lights up the brain in particularly helpful ways.

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

Steady patterns, emotional resonance without chaos.

[Ashley Dupuy]

But don't worry if country isn't your thing.

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

Just listening to music that you love works beautifully. Your dopamine flows and your focus steadies. And when I'm working with a client carrying really deep and dark, complex emotions, this could be grief or ptsd. I often recommend finding pieces of classical music that resonate. Classical music is such a journey. There's darkness and light and everything in between. And certain tones and chord changes can convey really nuanced emotions that language just can't do. It's like the music holds space for what words can't name. And here's something that really blows my mind. Researchers are even exploring whether music might be its own form of consciousness.

[Ashley Dupuy]

How cool is that?

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

And I love to imagine the different notes that make up a melody as

[Ashley Dupuy]

the different hormones and neurochemicals and neuromodulators

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

flowing through our bodies and brains.

[Ashley Dupuy]

Dopamine lifting a crescendo. Serotonin steadying the Baseline and oxytocin weaving through the harmonies.

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

Your life, it is a symphony. It's not one flat note, but a rich orchestra of highs and lows, discords and resolutions. And all those parts of you, the intensity, the sensitivity, the neurodivergent wiring that feels everything so deeply. They're not flaws, they're the instruments, beautifully tuned, creating the symphony of your life. And for neurodivergent nervous systems especially, music reminds us we contain multitudes. And that's not chaos, it's music. And singing is also incredibly healthy for us. When we sing, we're extending our out breath, which is a direct signal of

[Ashley Dupuy]

safety to the nervous system.

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

And the vibrations in your mouth, they help to activate the vagus nerve, turning on your parasympathetic rest and digest system. Singing is a wonderful way to express yourself, a beautiful, creative endeavor.

[Ashley Dupuy]

And for many neurodivergent beings, it's a

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

form of stimming that not only regulates but also feels good in the soul.

[Ashley Dupuy]

And humming. Humming is amazing for the body.

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

Research shows that humming increases nitric oxide in the nasal passages by up to 15 times. And author James Nestor talks about this beautifully in his work on breath. Nitric oxide opens up your airways, supports circulation and fights inflammation.

[Ashley Dupuy]

It's like a little pharmacy in your sinuses.

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

And you can try it now if you like. Inhale gently through your nose and do a hum on the exhale.

[Ashley Dupuy]

Mmm,

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

feel that buzz. And speaking of vibrations, tools like vibration plates can help move your lymphatic system.

[Ashley Dupuy]

That's your body's cellular waste disposal, which

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

has no pump and relies entirely on movement. And for those with chronic fatigue or inflammation, this can be a gentle way to support detox and overall health.

[Ashley Dupuy]

And then we have binaural beats, which are absolutely amazing.

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

Now, to experience the magic of binaural beats, you need to be wearing headphones, because one slightly different beat frequency is played in each ear and your brain takes the difference between the two and creates a 3 3rd perceived beat.

[Ashley Dupuy]

You are essentially curating your brainwave state.

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

So there are different brainwave states depending on your level of alertness. And the different types of binaural beats can help you achieve these brainwave states. So let's take a look at the different states. First, we have delta. This is for deep sleep and healing. And this was a game changer for me when I had chronic insomnia. Delta binaural beats were one of the very first things that actually began to shift my sleep after years of struggling.

[Ashley Dupuy]

Then we have theta, the truly magical brainwave State.

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

This is where we land in hypnosis and yoga nidra, and deep meditation. It's this beautiful paradox of deep focus and deep rest, and those two states

[Ashley Dupuy]

don't normally go together. Normally deep rest means we're drifting towards

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

sleep, but in theta we stay awake. And it's here that our brains are most plastic and new neural pathways can take root. Then we have alpha. This is where we are relaxed but alert, perfect for learning and creativity. Then there's beta. This is active focus and problem solving. And then there is gamma. This is peak cognition, insight, and complex processing. And I am so grateful to call

[Ashley Dupuy]

Alexander Volusian of Healing Meditation Music a friend.

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

He is the composer behind all the

[Ashley Dupuy]

music you hear on Mindful Mondays during our guided practices.

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

He runs his studio out of Slovenia, creating binaural beats and other healing soundscapes, and we did a fascinating episode together on my other podcast, Tenacious Bee, which is relaunching soon, and I can't wait to share more about that soon. But in our episode together, Alexander explained binaural beats and their healing potential far

[Ashley Dupuy]

better than I ever could and and he also weaves in solfiago frequencies.

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

Those are ancient tunings from much earlier in human history.

[Ashley Dupuy]

Make sure to search Healing Meditation music. His work is extraordinary, and like myself, you can also find Alexander's healing soundscapes on Insight Timer. All of my guided practices and courses

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

on Insight Timer feature Alexander's music, and

[Ashley Dupuy]

occasionally we collaborate together live on Insight Timer, with him playing from his studio in Slovenia and me in my studio here on the Isle of Man, taking people through guided meditations and yoga nidras.

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

And it's always a really special event. Make sure to check Insight Timer regularly

[Ashley Dupuy]

for these live events that happen throughout the year. And of course, if we're talking about sound and healing, we have to mention asmr. Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. ASMR is a relatively recent phenomenon as something we seek out and consume, but it's always been part of the human experience.

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

It's that tingling, deeply relaxing response some people get from specific sounds, like whispers and gentle tapping, page turning, tap, tap, tap.

[Ashley Dupuy]

Did you feel a tingle down your spine or your scalp? That is asmr, and neuroscience shows it

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

can release oxytocin and measurably lower heart rate.

[Ashley Dupuy]

Profoundly calming for many. Not everyone loves it, and that's fine,

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

especially if you're sound sensitive. But for those who do, it's regulation gold. And let's not overlook some of the simpler sounds in life.

[Ashley Dupuy]

The sound of laughter bubbling up spontaneously,

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

a babbling brook, ocean waves rolling in. Dr. Andrew Huberman talks about how pink noise, like gentle waves or rain, can act as a sort of sound blanket for the brain. Drowning, intrusive thoughts or tinnitus while supporting dopamine and focus. These are nervous system soothers available to all of us.

[Ashley Dupuy]

Okay, so now we've talked about the good. Now let's look at some of the bad.

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

Misophonia is incredibly common in the neurodivergent landscape. And to those who haven't experienced it,

[Ashley Dupuy]

it can sound like something funny. Chewing, breathing, pen tapping, triggering rage or panic.

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

But I assure you, it is anything but funny to those living with can completely destabilize you. And like so many things, misophonia gets worse. The more dysregulated we are, the more activated your nervous system, the more your threat detection ramps up and your hearing literally changes. You perceive volume and pitch differently. Sounds feel louder, more piercing. That's not overreacting. Your system is overprotecting. The best way forward. Nervous system regulation. Make sure to check out episodes 9 through 12 and our January deep dive in episode 19 for more on how to regulate your nervous system. When you're more grounded, these triggers lose some of the power. And you can also find more regulating practices over on Insight Timer as well.

[Ashley Dupuy]

Okay, so we've looked at the good and the bad. How about the ugly?

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

Loud noises, crowded restaurants, fireworks, car backfires, horns honking. They can make you jump right out of your skin.

[Ashley Dupuy]

Now, I've always been very jumpy with loud noises, and I've described it like this.

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

It feels like somebody just ripped a

[Ashley Dupuy]

hole into my soul.

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

It doesn't just hurt your ears, it hurts your whole body. It is so destabilizing. And there's another layer to this. In loud places like restaurants, the cocktail party effect. Most people can magically tune into one conversation amid clinking glasses and laughter and chatter. Their brains filter the noise, zeroing in on a single voice.

[Ashley Dupuy]

It's selective auditory attention at its finest.

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

But for many of us who are neurodivergent or highly sensitive, that filtering fails. Conversations blur into a wall of sound, you catch fragments and miss the thread,

[Ashley Dupuy]

and suddenly you're nodding along, lost and exhausted.

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

And this isn't poor listening. Your auditory processing and pattern separation just

[Ashley Dupuy]

work differently, especially when already sensory loaded. And I experience this personally all the time. Happy hours become overwhelming puzzles. The good news regulation helps here too.

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

Headphones or earplugs with targeted noise cancellation or just choosing quieter spots. Honor your wiring without shame. It's not A flaw. It's your brain prioritizing signal over noise in its own way. And it's important to mention here, the answer is not exposure therapy. It's regulating your baseline. The more present and regulated you are, the less jumpy you will feel.

[Ashley Dupuy]

And I've been working diligently on my

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

nervous system for over seven years now and I've improved immensely and continue to improve, even with dips along the way,

[Ashley Dupuy]

still headed in the right direction. But I will be honest, I am still quite jumpy. Not just with jump scares, but everyday loudness.

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

That said, I am much better than I used to be. It no longer feels like a hole

[Ashley Dupuy]

ripped into the very fabric of my being.

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

So if you are suffering with this misophonia or not tolerating loud, crowded spaces, please know these aren't things for exposure therapy. Work on regulation. Episodes 9 through 12 and episode 19 are your starting place. You'll begin to feel more grounded and more stable. And I also have a 14 day regulation mastery course over on Insight Timer which will give you all the tools you need to start learning how to become a master at regulating your own state. And if we're talking about sound, of course we need to talk about tinnitus. It's a really interesting phenomenon I've dealt with personally for a very long time. And, and there are different types. There is tinnitus due to hearing loss, which has fewer options for change. But if yours is stress related or otherwise functional, your chances of improvement increase dramatically. And again, the best way to help with tinnitus is nervous system regulation. Remember, high alert changes our hearing. We notice tones and pitches we wouldn't otherwise. And this is where the raz from

[Ashley Dupuy]

last week's episode comes in.

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

Your brain filters reality, showing more of what you focus on. Think of being back in school and you're taking a test and there's a clock ticking in the room. Tick, tick, tick. And once you're fully engrossed in the test, you don't hear it anymore. This is your brain deleting and distorting reality, highlighting just a tiny snippet. And this is why hypnotherapy can work wonders for tinnitus.

[Ashley Dupuy]

And I have an amazing story about this.

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

I mentioned Phil Quirk last week, my NLP and hypnotherapy trainer. And during my Master Practitioner course he did a demo of hypnotherapy on me in front of the other students. And I hadn't mentioned my tinnitus to him, he just did a generic hypnotherapy asking my unconscious to sort anything it was ready to fix. And that evening, I walked into my empty house. No radio, no voices, just silence. And silence is where tinnitus usually screams loudest. And it hit me. Oh, my gosh, my tinnitus is gone.

[Ashley Dupuy]

I hadn't told him about the tinnitus. We hadn't discussed it, but my unconscious

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

had just handled it. And it blew my mind. And I have since helped numerous clients with their tinnitus. And speaking of the raz and how

[Ashley Dupuy]

our brains fill in gaps with sound,

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

there's another fascinating phenomenon called musical ear syndrome. And this isn't something wrong with your brain. It is tied to hearing loss, where the auditory cortex gets hypersensitive and starts generating phantom music or voices to fill the sensory gaps. And it tends to happen most when you are A, stressed and activated and B, around white noise at higher volumes. Like a loud fan, the brain tries to make connections that aren't there. And suddenly you're hearing faint recorded music playing in the distance at a very, very low level. And I experienced this myself during a time of ongoing relational trauma.

[Ashley Dupuy]

This was before I ever knew that musical ear syndrome was a thing.

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

I could hear what I thought was

[Ashley Dupuy]

a radio station coming from my fan

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

heater, clear as day, but impossible. And I thought I was going mad. Turns out it's quite common. The fan's roar creates the perfect blank canvas for the brain to project tunes onto. And for neurodivergent beings, this can feel extra alarming. Our pattern seeking brains and heightened stress responses make us prone to these kind of auditory fills. But it's not madness.

[Ashley Dupuy]

It's the brain compensating creatively.

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

Often when hearing input is low or threat is high and regulation helps here too, lowering activation quiets the phantom orchestra. Fascinating how the ras once again shows us more of what we're tuned into. And Dr. Andrew Huberman has some fascinating episodes on sound on his Huberman Lab podcast. Hearing is one of our most sensitive, fastest systems to tightly linked to alertness, balance, and learning. A sudden loud blast is a pure threat cue wired deep in the brainstem, which is why they hit neurodivergent nervous system so hard, because we're often closer to activation already. But here's the empowerment. Sound is a lever. Music can help you dance through your alexithymia. Binaural beats can guide brainwaves.

[Ashley Dupuy]

Humming opens airways.

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

Even sensitivity becomes wisdom. You feel vibrations others miss. So my hope is that you'll explore

[Ashley Dupuy]

sound with curiosity, even if you're sensitive to it. Like Me.

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

Keep that curiosity, focus on regulation and start with some gentle experimentation with the wonder of sound and vibrations. And if you're doing the six week Gratitude challenge we started last episode, two New Gratitude Points Daily to retrain your raz, consider adding a sound moment and notice how this gently widens the filter of your lived experience.

[Ashley Dupuy]

And before we ease into today's guided

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

practice, here's your microdosing meaning invitation.

[Ashley Dupuy]

Can you make a commitment to take

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

just 10 minutes each day and to intentionally listen to music you love and let your body move however it wants to?

[Ashley Dupuy]

No choreography, no judgment. Kitchen disco, bedroom sway, gentle arm waves, whatever emerges.

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

It might seem simple, almost too easy, but this ancient practice, older than words, can help you process and move through emotions in ways you didn't even know you needed. That is microdosing, meaning a tiny daily

[Ashley Dupuy]

ritual that reminds your nervous system you

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

know how to feel, you know how to flow. And if you are currently driving or operating heavy machinery, please ensure to pause the recording now until you can safely come back into stillness. And if you are able to put on your headphones or earbuds now so that you can truly experience the wonder of binaural beads, Just find a comfortable position, either seated or lying down, ensuring you are nice and warm and fully supported. Whenever you're ready, feel free to gently close your eyes and take a deep breath in through your nose and hum on the way out. Good. That's right. And again, deep breath in and hum on the way out. You are currently listening to binaural beats from Alexander Volishan of Healing Meditation Music. Today's track is one of my favorites of his called God Frequency Theta Waves. This track is designed to gently support your brain in entering a theta state, that beautiful space between wakefulness and joy dreaming. A place where insight softens in where the nervous system begins to reorganize itself, where healing often happens quietly without effort. You don't need to do anything, just allow. Let the sound move through you. And notice the chord changes, how certain tones create a sense of longing, anticipation, subtle tension. And then notice the melody of release, of resolution, a soft landing. And pay attention to what happens in your body. Does your breath change? Does your chest soften? Does your jaw unclench? Does something inside you feel remembered? You might notice yearning, You might notice emotion. You might notice nothing at all. And all of that is welcome. This is not about achieving a state. It's about observing what unfolds when you let sound guide the nervous system. And notice how the waves of sound mirror the waves of your own Internal world rising and falling, expanding and settling. And your mind may drift. That's natural and theta. Just. Just gently return to the sound. Let it carry you. Let it recalibrate you. Let it remind your beautifully sensitive brain that regulation doesn't always come from effort. Sometimes it comes from resonance. And as we begin to draw today's practice to a close, notice where you are now compared to when we began. Is there more space, more softness, more complex coherence? And gently deepen your breath. And begin to bring small movements into your fingers and toes. And when you're ready, not a moment

[Ashley Dupuy]

before,

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

feel free to gently open your eyes. You've just given your nervous system something ancient and intelligent. You have collaborated with sound. And as we come to the end of today's episode, I just want to thank you so much for spending this time with me. In a world that is loud, fast, and often overwhelming. Especially for sensitive and neurodivergent nervous systems, choosing to pause and explore something as subtle and powerful as sound is no small thing. So whether you dance in your kitchen this week, experiment with humming, explore binaural beats, or simply listen with a little more curiosity,

[Ashley Dupuy]

you're already beginning to shift your relationship with sound.

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

And that shift matters. And if you'd like to go deeper

[Ashley Dupuy]

into these practices, you can find more of my meditations and nervous system work.

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

Over on Insight Timer. Just search for Ashley Dupuy.

[Ashley Dupuy]

That's D U P U Y. There you will find longer theta journeys, breathwork sessions, and gentle regulation practices you can return to anytime you need steadiness. And next week is a special one we'll be marking six months of mindful Mondays, half a year of pausing together, exploring the neuroscience of neurodivergence, and learning

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

how to work with our beautifully complex minds rather than against them.

[Ashley Dupuy]

And I'll be sharing some of the most powerful moments and insights from these past six months. Months. The themes that resonated most, the practices that landed deeply, and the threads that have quietly woven this series together. If you've been here from the beginning, it's a chance to reflect.

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

And if you're newer, it's a beautiful way to catch the essence of what we've been building. Until then, be gentle with your nervous system and be curious about what you're tuning into. And remember, we are all just walking each other home.

[Ashley Dupuy]

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[Boost Mobile Customer]

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[Boost Mobile Customer]

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[Sal]

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[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

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[Sal]

Hey, Sal.

[Hank / Mindful Mondays Host]

Hank.

[Sal]

What's going on? We haven't worked a case in years. I just bought my car at Carvana and it was so easy. Too easy. Think something's up? You tell me. They got thousands of options, found a great car at a great price, and it got delivered the next day. It sounds like Carvana just makes it easy to buy your car, Hank. Yeah, you're right. Case closed.

[Ashley Dupuy]

Buy your car today on Carvana. Delivery fees may apply.