SOMATIC EF FOR ND GRAD STUDENTS
“You can write a 40-page lit review but can’t answer a two-sentence email.”
THE TRUTH ABOUT ND GRAD SCHOOL
Let’s name what grad students already know:
Academia is a trauma factory disguised as a career path.
ND grad students don’t struggle because they’re unprepared.
They struggle because grad school demands:
executive functioning that academia never teaches
masking in front of advisors
constant uncertainty
zero structure
endless cognitive load
emotional labor with faculty
sensory overload in labs/offices
perfectionism with no feedback
invisible deadlines
pressure to perform like a machine
Add ADHD, autism, trauma, anxiety, or any combination?
Shutdown becomes a lifestyle.
WHO THIS IS FOR
ND grad students (MA, MS, MFA, PhD, EdD) who:
freeze when they sit down to write
panic when advisors email “Can we meet?”
drown in unstructured research time
alternate between hyperfocus and dissociation
can teach or research but can’t manage life tasks
feel like everyone else is “adulting” correctly
procrastinate until it hurts
avoid reading because the anxiety is too loud
mask until they collapse
feel like they’re secretly terrible at all of this
want to finish their program without losing their mind
This is for the students who are:
brilliant
exhausted
terrified
masking
and living in constant EF crisis
THE SOMATIC EF DIFFERENCE
(GRAD EDITION)
Grad students don’t need:
better productivity tools
writing planners
apps
academic bootcamps
“pomodoro but make it traumatic”
unrealistic timelines
shame-based “accountability”
They need:
nervous-system regulation
perfectionism deconstruction
shutdown mapping
somatic writing protocols
pacing strategies for research brains
sensory + schedule audits
emotional safety around faculty
real-world EF scaffolding
We don’t make you more productive.
We make you less overwhelmed so you can actually function.
WHAT WE ACTUALLY DO
Regulate → THEN Work
Writing while dysregulated = staring at a screen for 3 hours and hating yourself.
We fix that.
Build a Somatic EF Map
We identify academic triggers, emotional load, sensory overwhelm, and shutdown cycles.
Create a Research Rhythm
Not a schedule, a nervous-system-friendly rhythm.
Triage Your Academic Load
Because your advisor sure won’t.
Address Perfectionism as a Trauma Response
Not a personality trait.
Build Daily-Life Scaffolding
Meals, hygiene, meds, cleaning, laundry; the invisible casualties of grad school.
Train Emotional Boundaries
Especially for ND students stuck in fawn mode.
WHAT GRAD STUDENTS LEARN
✦ How to start writing without spiraling
✦ How to break perfectionism → paralysis
✦ How to manage inconsistent energy
✦ How to plan research without imploding
✦ How to handle faculty communication without terror
✦ How to stop hiding during shutdown cycles
✦ How to repair after burnout
✦ How to build systems that hold under stress
✦ How to stop self-blame and start self-support
✦ How to integrate EF with mental health care
This is EF for adulthood, academia, and real life. Not undergrad-level “study skills.”
HOW YOU FEEL AFTER
less terrified of writing
less avoidant
less ashamed
more capable
calmer
less dissociated
more consistent
better able to communicate with faculty
more in control of time (finally)
able to do school and life
no longer living meltdown-to-meltdown
And the big one:
You stop feeling like an impostor.
For many ND grad students, this is the first time their brain feels like an ally, not an enemy.
You are not failing grad school.
Grad school is failing to support your nervous system.
Let’s fix that so you can finish without collapsing.
WHAT’S INCLUDED (PACKAGE STRUCTURE)
Length:
12 weeks
Weekly Sessions:
One 90-minute session/week
Blend: EF + somatic work + task breakdown + accountability without shame.
Between-Session Support:
Weekly check-ins
Personalized Notion EF Research Hub
Writing initiation scripts
“Academic triage” support
Crisis pause/reset protocols
Deliverables:
Personalized Somatic EF Map
Academic Overwhelm Compression Plan
Writing Rhythm Framework
Research Pacing Plan
Advisor communication scripts
Perfectionism interrupt pattern
Daily-life structure templates
Shutdown recovery sequence
Not Included:
Editing your papers
Doing your research
Acting as a supervisor
24/7 messaging
SOMATIC COMPONENTS
✦ Somatic Intake (academic + emotional + sensory)
✦ Midpoint Nervous System Map
✦ Research Overwhelm Audit
✦ Sensory + Schedule Audit
✦ Freeze → Function Protocol
✦ Writing Initiation Somatic Protocol
✦ Panic-Proof Meeting Plan for Advisor Interactions
✦ Shutdown Signature Mapping
✦ Academic Recovery Template
✦ Daily-Life Rebuild Plan
Green Bottle Equity Pricing
Because advocacy, regulation, and nervous system safety should never be reserved only for those with disposable income.
Many neurodivergent families and founders carry disproportionate financial, medical, and emotional burdens. Our pricing model honors that reality without gatekeeping, shame, or means testing.
You Choose Your Tier
There is no application.
No financial proof.
No justification.
You choose the tier that matches your family’s current financial reality and capacity.
Ask yourself:
“At what rate can I say yes to this support without putting my family in crisis and while honoring the value of the transformation I am stepping into?”