Meditation for ADHD works best when you stop trying to clear your mind, says meditation teacher Thom Walters. He tells Jeremy Van Wert, who has ADHD himself, why guided and active practices can help if you cannot sit still, why pushing thoughts away makes them louder, and how a pause before reacting can ease worry.
ᛉKey takeaways
- Thom says guided meditations and active practices such as tai chi or walking can suit people with ADHD who find stillness hard.
- He teaches that meditation is not about clearing the mind but about noticing thoughts and returning your attention to one focus.
- Thom describes a gap between stimulus and response that meditation can widen, so you can respond instead of reacting.
- He says that with regular practice, the inner critic gets quieter, and he calls the calmer voice your higher self.
- Thom's brain claims, such as a shrinking amygdala, are his account of the research, not medical advice.
ᛃ Moments in this one
ᚠMeditation for ADHD: start with guidance, not silence
Jeremy says his ADHD brain finds it hard to stop the chatter on his own, and that a guiding voice helps, especially a live one. Thom agrees that this is the first thing he would recommend. He describes two broad categories: guided meditation, where a facilitator leads you through, and open awareness, where you simply notice what is there without judging it.
For people who struggle to sit still, Thom adds active meditations such as tai chi, qigong and walking meditation. They can bring about a meditative state without sitting in silence.
If you want help building a practice that fits an ADHD mind, Jeremy offers ADHD coaching for high achievers.
ᚢRacing thoughts: why pushing them away backfires
Thom says that when you try to push a thought away, it comes back stronger. Instead, he suggests you say, "I'm thinking," acknowledge the thought and bring your attention to your breath, a mantra, a chant or the sounds around you.
He believes a mind can only process one thought at a time, and that it only feels like many because it jumps so fast. In his view, acknowledging a thought takes some of its power without eradicating it.
Thom calls it one of the biggest misperceptions that meditation is about clearing the mind. He says a teacher who starts with "clear your mind" sets people up to fail. His own definition is training the mind to hold one thought exclusively.
ᚦThe gap between stimulus and response
Thom talks with his students about widening the gap between stimulus and response. If someone insults you, he says, a gap lets you register that they said it, consider whether it is true and respond, instead of getting ramped up.
He gives an example of anxious thinking: a boss emails asking to talk for ten minutes, and a worried mind jumps to being fired. With a wider gap, he says, you can ask whether the thought is real or one you created, and if you created it you can set it down. Thom describes this as how meditation diminishes worry.
On depression, he says meditation creates a feeling of connection that counters the sense of being alone, though he is describing his experience as a teacher and not offering treatment.
ᚨWhat meditation may do to the brain
Thom points to neuroplasticity, the idea that the brain keeps changing at any age. He says that after about two weeks of steady practice of roughly 20 minutes, the amygdala, which handles stress and reactions, begins to shrink while the prefrontal cortex grows.
Jeremy asks whether a steady practice can change how an ADHD mind works, noting that many people say they just need medication. Thom answers with the brain research and says it could help people with ADHD, but he does not say meditation should replace anything. These are Thom's statements of what he understands, not medical claims.
Anyone considering changes to treatment should talk with their own licensed provider.
ᚱScrolling, comparison and the inner critic
Jeremy calls scrolling "like cocaine for your attention span." Thom says that over the last four years more people have come to him hoping a meditation practice will help them step away from social media. He believes turning inward, not outward, is how you become more empowered.
He also says many people tell him they avoid meditating because they do not want to be alone with their thoughts. The inner dialogue gets loud fast, so they reach for a screen or another distraction. Thom says meditation lets you ask where that voice comes from and who taught it to you.
In his view, there are two voices: the inner critic and the higher self, which says you are safe and right where you should be. With practice, he says, the critic gets softer and the other voice louder.
If you want conversation and learning alongside others, the Mindful Mutiny community offers live Fireside Chats and a course library.
ᚲThom's story: learning from his mother and leaving corporate life
Thom started meditating in 1982 at age 18. His mother and two other teachers taught meditation in their home on Tuesdays, and he listened at the door for about half a year before she invited him in. He recalls early practice that needed total quiet, and says he later realized he could meditate any time.
While working at a financial firm one Sunday, he says he heard his guide, Bart, tell him he was done there. He wrote his resignation that afternoon. Thom describes the feeling as certain, not frightening, and became a personal trainer before teaching meditation. He says a client who could not sleep and felt stressed asked to learn after he guided her through one session.
Thom also describes spiritual experiences in his practice, including sensing time as nonlinear and speaking with his late mother. Those are his own experiences, shared as such.
If you are rethinking your own direction after a story like this, Jeremy offers a short private conversation.
ᚷA short guided beach meditation
Near the end, Thom leads a guided meditation. He starts with breath and body awareness, then a breathing count of four in, seven held and eight out, before guiding listeners to an imagined beach. Jeremy says he found it powerful and could picture changing landscapes and a bird.
Thom also teaches men who are incarcerated and says they were attentive and eager to share what they experienced. His mission is to teach meditation to at least one million people, because he believes personal peace can grow into something larger.
If you are not sure whether guided practice, therapy or coaching suits you, Jeremy offers a straight read on whether his work is a fit.
Meditation is discussed as the guest's experience and teaching and isn't a substitute for medical or mental health care. Do not change any medication without talking to your provider. If you are struggling, please reach out to a licensed mental health professional or your local emergency services.
ᚨ Questions people ask
Can you meditate if you have ADHD?
Thom says yes, and recommends guided meditation or active practices such as tai chi, qigong and walking for people who find stillness hard. Jeremy, who has ADHD, agrees that a guiding voice helps him.
Is meditation about clearing your mind?
Not according to Thom. He says the goal is to notice thoughts, acknowledge them and return your attention to one focus, because pushing thoughts away makes them come back stronger.
What is the gap between stimulus and response?
Thom uses the phrase for the pause between something happening and how you react. He says meditation can widen that pause, so you can respond instead of getting ramped up.
Can meditation help with anxiety and racing thoughts?
Thom says it can diminish worry by giving you a moment to ask whether a thought is real or one you created. This is his experience as a teacher and is not medical advice.
What is the difference between guided and open-awareness meditation?
In a guided meditation, a facilitator leads you through the whole practice. In an open-awareness meditation, Thom says you take a few deep breaths and notice where you are without judging or pushing anything away.