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This is the dedicated Padlet for this workshop. Here you can find introductions to all who will be attending, and all the event materials, added as we go. You can also add information that you want to share.

If you have any problems along the way, please email Diana at d.n.m.beljaars@swansea.ac.uk

The set up of this padlet and workshop are inspired by Mary Robson's creative facilitation work at the Institutue for Medical Humanities, Durham University.

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We are all committed to diversity, accessibility, and inclusion. Underpinning that commitment is a firm belief in the value of freely exploring competing ideas and concepts – with a fundamental respect for the rights, dignity and value of all persons.

We ask you to join us in ensuring that this workshop creates a dynamic, friendly, intellectually enriching and harassment-free environment for everyone, regardless of age, disability, race, religion and/or belief, sex or sexual orientation, gender identity, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, neurodivergence, or physical appearance.

All communication should be appropriate for an audience including people of many different backgrounds and experiences. Please be kind to others.

If you have any concerns about behaviour you have experienced or witnessed, please approach Diana Beljaars.

Thank you for helping make this a welcoming and friendly experience for all.

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Invitation document with workshop details

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Invitation document with workshop details

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Invitation to compulsion workshop 19 May 

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Contact: d.n.m.beljaars@swansea.ac.uk

I'm suspected neurodivergent with ADHD, autism, and minor OCD sensibilities but have no diagnosis. I also grew up in a strongly neurodivergent family ith Tourette's, ADHD, OCD, and autism.

I'm a researcher at Swansea University, I’m interested in spatial manifestations of compulsion and neurodiversity, as well as the knowledge formation and institutional responses to them. I’m a cultural and disability geographer, working on the intersections with the medical humanities, continental philosophy, disability studies, and compulsion-related neuropsychiatry. I wrote principles of a spatial theory of Tourettic compulsion in Compulsive Body Spaces (Routledge, 2022), and work with neurodivergent individuals, advocacy groups, the Welsh government, and medical and clinical scientists. Currenty, I'm part of a healthcare services research team at PRIME Centre Wales.

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5-minute introduction purpose of workshop and what to expect

5-minute introduction of all attendees

10-minute sense-making talk from me

3 minutes of thinking what is relatable and writing down

15 minutes: Small group discussions on what you found remarkable and what is relatable: please write on padlet

20 minutes: sharing with the group

10-minute break

3 minutes thinking about how thinking with compulsivity and environment could help gain insights into your particular set of sensibilities

25 minutes: sharing with the group + discussion

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1. Do you sometimes feel you have to do something that gives you some relief, but you would rather not do it, or find it difficult to understand why you do it? Can you describe the feeling or sensations?

2. Do you consider yourself compulsive (sometimes) and what does that mean for you?

3. Can you think of a place or space that makes you irritable or stressed just for being in it? Do you expect this to happen and do you do anything to avoid feeling

this way?

4. Do you have rituals or routines in certain spaces?

5. Have you organised spaces in certain ways to avoid doing something?

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Click this link to go to the file: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wEmERHukp0s_2-Amq0VtYf9Jp4PF5cCg/view?usp=drive_link

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Contact:

daniel.jones2@sheffield.ac.uk

I am a crip-queer scholar of disability and creative practitioner working across the fine and performing arts, with a research interest in Tourette Syndrome, impulsivity, and public space. I am multiply disabled and neurodivergent, notably being diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome and ME/CFS.

I'm a Research Associate at Sheffield University who is particularly interested in inclusive, creative research methods and in Tourette Syndrome. My current post focuses on innovating anti-ableist approaches to research culture. I have published across a variety of disciplines, and have worked in participatory ways with Tourettic community groups and charitable organisations, and am currently preparing to edit a special issue on Critical Neurodiversity Studies.

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Prompt 1: Do you sometimes feel that you have to do something that gives you some relief, but you would rather not do it, or find it difficult to understand why you do it? Can you describe the feeling or sensations?

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Prompt 1: Do you sometimes feel that you have to do something that gives you some relief, but you would rather not do it, or find it difficult to understand why you do it? Can you describe the feeling or sensations?

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Sometimes I will feel compelled to touch certain objects that might look a certain texture, or that might make a noise - this is particularly the case in quiet spaces like museums or libraries. I don't know why I want to do it, other than that it is likely linked with my ADHD. It feels different to my Tourettic tics, as these are more sudden for me - the urge to touch these objects or textures feels like a pull of sorts? It feels almost as if I'm being pulled towards the object, and sometimes it's just easier to give in to the urge and just get on with it because it will give me relief from the tension and distraction of thinking of touching the object

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2. Do you consider yourself compulsive (sometimes) and what does that mean for you? 

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2. Do you consider yourself compulsive (sometimes) and what does that mean for you? 

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I do! I think of myself as compulsive when it comes to ADHD and also ME/CFS. The ways I interact with that compulsivity is different relating to specific diagnoses though.

With ME/CFS, I feel compelled to push through fatigue and burnout out of frustration and possibly stubborness. If I give into the compulsion of wanting to be as active and engaged in social events as I used to be prior to the onset of ME/CFS, I will be paying the price for a long time afterwards. It's a compulsion that I do not have the privilege of giving in to, as the stakes are a lot higher

With ADHD, I might feel compelled to touch objects as per my answer for prompt 1

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I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety in 2018 following a change in work environment. A year later, I began experiencing compulsive behaviours indicative of OCD, which severely disrupted my daily life. I underwent psychiatric treatment and psychological counselling in until 2023. During that period, I briefly relied on substances to cope, which worsened my condition. Mindfulness practices gradually helped. Since moving to the UK in 2023, my symptoms have improved significantly. I am eager to share my lived experience to contribute to a richer understanding of compulsion and mental health complexities.

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Response to prompt 1: Doing compulsive things for relief

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Response to prompt 1: Doing compulsive things for relief

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During the worst periods, I felt compelled to clean and tidy my apartment in a strict routine and order. I experienced an overwhelming sense of discomfort and uncleanliness until the tasks were completed, sometimes multiple times a day and even in the early hours. If the process was not done correctly, I became extremely agitated and unable to focus on anything else. I could not leave the house or begin daily tasks until the compulsion was fulfilled. The feeling was urgent, heavy, and intrusive, leaving no room for flexibility.

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Response to prompt 2: Perceiving compulsion

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Response to prompt 2: Perceiving compulsion

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Yes, I consider myself compulsive. In addition to compulsive cleaning, I have experienced compulsive purchasing. It gives me a false sense of security, as if having more than I need or over-preparing helps me feel safer. When I resist these urges, I feel deeply unsafe and vulnerable. These actions are not driven by logic but by an intense need to ease internal distress.

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Response to prompt 3: Irritating place or space

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Response to prompt 3: Irritating place or space

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Bedtime is a particularly stressful space and time for me. I often feel anxious about not being able to fall asleep, and the mental effort of preparing for bed feels overwhelming. Sharing a bed with my partner adds pressure, as I sometimes feel watched or judged for not going to bed at the same time. Although I know this is likely not the case, the feeling can trigger intense irritation and anger. This anxiety has lessened since moving to the UK, but it remains a recurring challenge.

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Response to prompt 4: Ritual and routine

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Response to prompt 4: Ritual and routine

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I follow strict routines for household chores, especially in the kitchen. Dishes must be pre-cleaned in a specific order and placed precisely in the dishwasher. These actions are not always about hygiene but about achieving a sense of mental relief. If I am too tired to complete the process or if it is interrupted, I am unable to continue with other tasks and often abandon the entire routine. When my partner steps in, I feel unsettled if he does not follow my procedures and will silently redo everything the next day, even if it is already clean.

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I am not certain if my way of organising space is to avoid doing something, but I feel a strong need for everything to be in its rightful place. In the kitchen, if someone uses it and leaves things out of order, I become very irritated. I also feel compelled to keep all countertops, especially in the bathroom, completely dry. Even a single droplet of water feels unbearable. On several occasions, I returned home just to check if the sink was dry. At its worst, this occurred multiple times a day and became unmanageable.

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3. Can you think of a place of space that makes you irritable or stressed just for being in it? Do you expect this to happen and do you do anything to avoid feeling this way?

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3. Can you think of a place of space that makes you irritable or stressed just for being in it? Do you expect this to happen and do you do anything to avoid feeling this way?

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Loud and crowded spaces - there's not much I can do, so I end up just avoiding them. Also, spaces where people have responded particularly negatively to my disabilities/neurodivergences/chronic illnesses in the past - that space remains somewhere that makes me irritable and stressed, even just thinking about being in the space

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I have always been in low mood and anxiety for years but not officially diagnosed until last year, and I have suspected ADHD. I don't have any specific OCD but have some compulsive behaviors (unconsciously biting nails, picking skins until it hurts) that I'm curious to explore if it's related to my anxiety.

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I always unconsciously biting nails and picking skins, biting my lips, and only stops when it hurts or bleeds, at that point I gain my consciousness and stop. Sometimes IK pause in between (when I gain consciousness already) but then ignore then sensation and keep doing that.

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Yes, I consider it compulsive when I'm doing things unconsciously and sometimes consciously.

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Recent years, I have been avoiding crowds in a confined space which is noisy and I can't hear someone else speaking (pubs, busy restaurant, etc.). I don't have problems with loud music or places like stadiums, which mean noise is not a problem to me. Also, I tend to be more 'compulsive' when I sit down.

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not really, but it seems I have to do many things in certain steps so I don't forget to do it, or feel comfortable after