Neuroqueer theory and the Self

When considering our potential, we often think in finite terms. Normativity has dictated that which a human can be. We are also bound, in principle, by the finite nature of our mortality. Thus, we are limited by both cultural and biological variables. However, the limits of what a human, a person, can be are not what we were taught as children.

By consistently queering ourselves, we break down the walls that neuronormative society has built around it’s definition of humanness. To be authentically neurodivergent and neuroqueer to boot, we create infinite potentialities of our person(s).

To be neurologically queer, is to cast off the chains that are used to bind the Self to cultural standards and normative society. This is the first step towards a neurocosmopolitan society. When we realise that the Self can be more than divergent, we open ourselves up to endless possibilities.

The entelechy of my Self is one of growth and change. I speak often of the transitions I have been through; child to adult, innocence to trauma, addiction to recovery, recovery to psychotic. To queer the Self, one must look inwardly at the experiences that have shaped us, and then to the outward expression of those experiences. To freely express the Self is to have the loudest hands in the most quiet room.

Let us queer society and unlock infinite potential.

I am my Self, I am human, and we all have infinite potential within us.

Author

  • David Gray-Hammond

    David Gray-Hammond is an Autistic consultant and trainer, educating on the topics of Autistic experience, mental health, and drug and alcohol use. He has several years experience in this area as well as personal lived experience. He is the author of "The New Normal" and "A Treatise on Chaos" that consider how we might evolve and grow as a society and individuals. You can find out more about his consultancy services at http://www.dghneurodivergentconsultancy.co.uk