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  1. May says:

    Hey Kina, when I read that you had been diagnosed with ADHD, I immediately called to mind the podcast I had just listened to from Gospel Partners Media, from their Transformed Biblical counseling podcast with Dr. Greg Gifford. I really think you’d be blessed if you gave it a listen! Praying for you! https://transformed.org/podcast/adhd-or-just-misunderstood/

    • Kina TenHaken says:

      Hi May!

      Wow, thank you so much for sharing! I really appreciate you taking the time to comment and share this with me!

      May I ask if “May” is your real name or a pen name? Just wondering if I have met you in real life before or not. 🙂

      I listened to this today and I honestly actually thought it was really problematic. XD I don’t want to dump all my thoughts on you because you are not responsible for what he said. The bones I have to pick are with him, not you.

      For clarity’s sake, what he basically said was this though:

      “Good news! There actually is no such thing as ADHD, it’s just all in peoples’ heads and really it’s just a character flaw in young boys who can’t discipline themselves enough to do things that are hard. It’s true that society was not built for humans in general and it forces us to be much more rigid than we are meant to be, but if you’re hyperactive because of that just take it as a gift and use it for God’s Kingdom, but reject the idea that there is such a thing as mental illness, because there is no such thing. There is only mental weakness.”

      (Paraphrased obviously.)

      ADHD is a genetic (though it can also be caused by some other injuries to the brain such as head injuries, childhood trauma, nicotine and drugs, etc. and it also doesn’t mean it can’t be reversed – I believe it can be) maldevelopment in the brain, usually the prefrontal cortex and/or basal ganglia and or anterior cingulate cortex. The neural pathways between these regions of the brain are damaged and so they cannot communicate with each other like regular brains do. This is what causes ADHD. It is not a character flaw like he claims, and saying so is not only not accurate, I find it unfair and unkind to those who struggle against this battle every single day and wish with all their heart that they could be rid of it. It’s like telling someone with long covid that they’re just being selfish and to get their act together. I find it very bold of this guy to give so much advice about something he doesn’t seem to know very much about since he got his scientific information incorrect. Honestly, a biblical counselor should know better than that.

      I typed out a lot of thoughts as to why this stems from bad theology and how harmful this ideology can actually be to the church, but I will spare you unless you really want to hear them. It’s really just a secondary or tertiary issue. 🙂

      I will give him the benefit of the doubt that he is not anti-science, as he claims, too.

  2. Kina TenHaken says:

    But again I thank you for taking the time to think of me and share this with me. I find that super duper sweet and a huge honor. And like I said, my poignant thoughts about what he said has absolutely nothing to do with you so let them roll right past you. :))

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