My therapist told me to speak to my inner child about ADHD. I thought she was joking – but it changed everything

‘As I spoke to my young self, my present self changed. Fear became acceptance. Resentment became forgiveness. Anger became love.’ Photograph: undrey/Getty Images/iStockphoto

I have a memory of being six years old and reading all the books for the school year in one day. I was stoked. I’d inhaled them, engrossed in fantastical lands and magical beings and moralistic endings. When I was done I ran to my teacher. I was full of words, eager for him to recognise how clever I’d been, how good at reading, how conscientious. As I chatted about the characters I’d met and the places I’d been, he slammed his hand on the table.

“Just sit down!” he bellowed.