Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria & ADHD: Tame Emotional Pain

Name: Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria & ADHD: Tame Emotional Pain
Rating: 5.0 (2 reviews)

Stop Feeling Everything So Deeply — Practical Tools for RSD, Emotional Dysregulation & Rejection Sensitivity in ADHD

Role Play

Created byMelanie Du Preez

Last updated 3/2026

English

What you'll learn

Understand what Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria is and why it occurs in ADHD and AuDHD brains
Use fast-acting crisis tools to manage RSD episodes before they escalate
Apply DBT and ACT techniques to reduce the long-term intensity and frequency of RSD responses
Communicate about RSD effectively with partners, family members, and colleagues
Identify your personal RSD triggers, response patterns, and early warning signals
Build a personalised daily regulation practice that fits an ADHD nervous system

Course content

6 sections • 23 lectures • 3h 33m total length

Welcome: Why This Course Is Different5:44
Description: A no-fluff introduction to what this course is, what it isn't, and how to use it for maximum practical benefit.
Outcomes:
Understand the course structure and how to navigate it
Know what to have ready before each section
Understand why this course takes an anti-toxic-positivity approach
What IS Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria? Beyond "Just Being Sensitive"5:56
Description: A clear, jargon-free explanation of RSD — what it is, where the term comes from, and why it's still missing from the DSM.
Outcomes:
Define RSD in plain language
Explain why RSD pain is neurologically real, not dramatic
Understand why RSD is chronically misunderstood by clinicians
The Neurobiology: Why Your Brain Feels Rejection as Physical Pain7:16
Description: Accessible neuroscience explaining the dopamine, norepinephrine, and amygdala connection — why RSD is instantaneous, not a slow build like anxiety.
Outcomes:
Explain the neurological mechanism behind RSD
Understand why willpower cannot override an RSD response
Identify the difference between RSD and anxiety at a brain level
RSD vs Anxiety, Depression and BPD: Getting the Diagnosis Right8:42
Description: How RSD gets misdiagnosed as BPD, GAD, or social anxiety — and why the distinction matters enormously for treatment.
Outcomes:
Distinguish RSD from three commonly confused conditions
Identify key questions to raise with your GP or psychiatrist
Use the RSD Self-Assessment resource confidently
The AuDHD Intersection: When ADHD Meets Autistic Social Processing7:21
Description: The unique double layer of RSD in AuDHD — where ADHD emotional flooding meets autistic literalness about social rules. This lecture draws on both clinical expertise and lived AuDHD experience.
Outcomes:
Explain why AuDHD brains experience RSD differently
Identify the connection between masking and RSD-driven rejection prevention
Recognise the post-social hangover specific to AuDHD

The 4 RSD Response Patterns: Fight, Flight, Freeze and Fawn8:50
Description: How the 4F trauma response model applies specifically to RSD triggers — and how to identify which pattern dominates your responses.
Outcomes:
Identify your dominant RSD response pattern using the quiz
Explain how each pattern protects against rejection in the short term
Recognise the cost of each pattern in relationships and work
The Masks of RSD: People-Pleasing, Perfectionism and Over-Achievement7:55
Description: How RSD drives compensatory behaviours that look like virtues from the outside but are exhausting from the inside.
Outcomes:
Identify your personal RSD mask
Explain the paradox of perfectionism as rejection protection
Recognise people-pleasing as emotional labour, not kindness
RSD in Relationships: When Love Feels Conditional9:42
Description: How RSD distorts intimate relationships — the reassurance cycle, jealousy loops, and why conflict feels like abandonment.
Outcomes:
Identify RSD patterns in your closest relationships
Explain the reassurance cycle to a partner in plain language
Recognise the "too much" narrative and where it comes from
RSD at Work: Feedback, Criticism and the Impossible Boss8:49
Description: The occupational impact of RSD — performance reviews, email anxiety, and why many neurodivergent adults go self-employed.
Outcomes:
Identify your highest-risk workplace RSD triggers
Apply one immediate strategy before your next performance review
Use the Workplace RSD Action Plan resource
Receiving Critical Feedback at Work Without Shutting Down

Why Insight Doesn't Help In the Moment7:27
Description: Why knowing you're in RSD doesn't stop RSD — and why this section is completely different from psychoeducation.
Outcomes:
Explain the amygdala hijack in plain language
Distinguish between in-crisis tools and between-crisis tools
Understand why the 30-minute communication rule exists
The 5-Minute RSD Emergency Protocol10:28
Description: A step-by-step, demonstrated protocol for the moment RSD hits — including a live walkthrough on screen.
Outcomes:
Apply the 5-step emergency protocol in a real RSD moment
Use the 90-second neurological pause effectively
Print and use the Emergency RSD Response Card before the next section
TIPP Skills from DBT: Fast-Acting Emotional Regulation11:25
Description: The four TIPP skills from Dialectical Behaviour Therapy adapted specifically for RSD — with ADHD-friendly modifications for each.
Outcomes:
Apply Temperature, Intense Exercise, Paced Breathing, and Progressive Relaxation
Select the right TIPP skill for your body's specific stress response
Build a personal TIPP sequence using the reference card
The Reality Check Protocol: Separating Story from Fact9:30
Description: A practical 4-question tool to separate what actually happened from the RSD narrative your brain is running.
Outcomes:
Apply the 4 Reality Check questions after an RSD episode
Identify the difference between facts and interpretations in the moment
Use the 24-hour evidence test before responding

ACT Defusion: Unhooking from Rejection Stories11:16
Description: Five ADHD-friendly defusion techniques to create distance from the rejection stories your mind replays — demonstrated live.
Outcomes:
Apply at least two defusion techniques to a personal RSD thought
Explain the difference between fusing with and defusing from a thought
Use the ACT Defusion Worksheet independently
Building Your Wise Mind About Relationships11:25
Description: DBT's Wise Mind concept applied specifically to RSD — how to access it when your emotional mind has taken over.
Outcomes:
Distinguish Emotion Mind from Wise Mind in an RSD moment
Apply three practical techniques to access Wise Mind under pressure
Rewrite one RSD narrative from a Wise Mind perspective
Values Clarification: What Matters More Than Approval8:57
Description: ACT values work as the antidote to approval-seeking — identifying your core values and using them as a compass when RSD pulls you toward people-pleasing.
Outcomes:
Identify your top 5 personal values using the Values Compass
Distinguish values from goals
Apply the values compass in one real RSD-triggering situation
Interpersonal Effectiveness: Asking For What You Need Without Fear13:24
Description: DBT's DEAR MAN and GIVE skills adapted for RSD — with a practical low-stakes practice ladder to build tolerance gradually.
Outcomes:
Apply DEAR MAN to one real request you've been avoiding
Use GIVE skills to preserve a relationship during a difficult conversation
Identify your first low-stakes practice opportunity this week
Asking Your Manager for Written Feedback in Advance

Having the RSD Conversation with Loved Ones13:22
Description: Script-based coaching for disclosing RSD to partners and family — including how to time it, what to say, and how to respond to common reactions.
Outcomes:
Use the three-part disclosure framework with a loved one
Respond to three common partner reactions without shutting down
Share the Partner and Family Guide directly with someone in your life
Setting Limits Without Abandonment Terror13:51
Description: Why standard "boundary" advice fails RSD brains — and a reframed, practical approach that starts with the lowest-stakes limit possible.
Outcomes:
Identify one small limit to practise this week
Use template phrases to ask for time after an RSD episode
Explain why explicit verbal reassurance is a neurological need, not neediness
Repair After RSD Episodes10:42
Description: The shame spiral, the self-compassion script, and the 3-part repair conversation — how to recover faster and cause less collateral damage.
Outcomes:
Apply the 3-part repair conversation after an episode
Use the self-compassion script to interrupt the shame spiral
Know when to seek couples therapy versus individual therapy for RSD
Telling Your Partner About RSD for the First Time
Asking for Space After an Argument Without It Feeling Like Abandonment

Creating Your Personal RSD Profile12:21
Description: A guided synthesis activity pulling together everything from the course into one personalised document you'll actually use. Outcomes:
Complete your Personal RSD Profile using Resource 10
Identify your top 5 triggers and early warning signs
Have your crisis toolkit sequenced and ready
Your Daily Regulation Practice: 10 Minutes That Change Everything2:28
Description: A practical daily system designed for ADHD — short, stackable micro-practices attached to existing daily anchors.
Outcomes:
Build a morning, midday, and evening micro-practice using habit stacking
Apply the Daily RSD Practice Planner for the next 4 weeks
Identify one existing daily anchor for each practice
When to Seek Professional Support and Course Close6:59
Description: Clear signposting for when this course isn't enough — medication, trauma, and finding a therapist who actually understands ADHD. Plus a personal close from Dr. Melanie.
Outcomes:
Know when to discuss medication options with a psychiatrist
Identify three questions to ask a therapist in a first session
Have crisis resources saved and accessible

Requirements

No prior knowledge of psychology or neuroscience required
An open mind and willingness to reflect on your own emotional patterns
Access to a printer is helpful for the downloadable resources (not essential)

Description

Do you feel rejection like a punch to the chest — even when you know, rationally, that you're overreacting? If you have ADHD, AuDHD, or suspect you're neurodivergent, you may be living with Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) — the most painful and least-talked-about symptom of emotional dysregulation in ADHD adults.

Here's the thing — most people with ADHD have spent their entire lives being told they're "too sensitive," "too intense," or "too much." What nobody told them is that their brain is literally wired to experience rejection as physical pain. That's not weakness. That's neurology. And it has a name.

What you'll learn in this course:

The neuroscience of why ADHD and AuDHD brains feel rejection differently — and why willpower will never fix it
How to tell the difference between RSD, anxiety, depression, and BPD (because misdiagnosis costs years)
The 4 RSD response patterns — fight, flight, freeze, and fawn — and which one is running your life
A 5-minute emergency protocol you can use the next time RSD hits before you say or do something you'll regret
DBT skills (TIPP, Wise Mind, interpersonal effectiveness) adapted specifically for ADHD brains
ACT defusion techniques to unhook from the rejection stories your mind keeps replaying
How to talk about RSD with your partner, family, and employer — with actual scripts
How to build a personalised, sustainable RSD management system that works with your brain, not against it

This course is for you if:

You have ADHD, autism, AuDHD, or suspect you might
One critical comment can derail your entire day — or week
You people-please, over-explain, or over-apologise to prevent rejection before it happens
You avoid opportunities — jobs, relationships, creative work — because the risk of rejection feels unbearable
You're exhausted from feeling everything so intensely
You want real tools, not toxic positivity

Who I am and why this is different:

I'm Dr. Melanie du Preez — clinical psychologist with 26 years of experience, one of fewer than five Maudsley/FBT-certified therapists in South Africa, and someone diagnosed with AuDHD at 53. I don't teach RSD from a textbook. I teach it from the inside. I know what it feels like when a three-word email from your boss ruins your entire afternoon. I know the shame spiral after an RSD episode wrecks a relationship you care about. I know the exhaustion of masking, people-pleasing, and working twice as hard as everyone else just to feel half as safe.

Everything in this course is evidence-based and lived. No oversimplified solutions. No "just reframe your thinking." Just honest, practical tools for real neurodivergent brains.

What's included:

More than 3 hours of video content across 6 focused sections
10 downloadable resources including self-assessments, crisis tools, and worksheet templates
Emergency RSD Response Card (print and keep in your wallet)
Partner and Family Guide to RSD — share directly with loved ones
DBT and ACT skills reference cards
Lifetime access and all future updates
30-day money-back guarantee

Who this course is for:

Adults with ADHD, AuDHD, or suspected neurodivergence who experience intense emotional responses to real or perceived rejection, criticism, or failure. This course is also for people who have been told they are too sensitive, too intense, or too reactive — and who want practical, evidence-based tools rather than generic advice.

Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria & ADHD: Tame Emotional Pain

What you'll learn

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Course content

What Is RSD? Naming What Nobody Named For You5 lectures • 35min

How RSD Shows Up In Your Life5 lectures • 35min

Crisis Tools — When RSD Hits RIGHT NOW4 lectures • 39min

Rewiring Long-Term — DBT and ACT Approaches5 lectures • 45min

Relationships and Communication5 lectures • 38min

Building Your Personal RSD Management System3 lectures • 22min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: