The Surrender Paradox: Why Letting Go Is Key for Neurodivergent Manifestors

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Letting go is one of the biggest challenges in manifestation—especially for neurodivergent minds. If you’ve ever felt like “surrendering” just means forgetting about your desire entirely (thanks, object impermanence), or you find yourself hyperfixating to the point of burnout, this episode is for you.

In today’s deep dive, I’m breaking down:
🔹 The difference between letting go and giving up (because they are NOT the same)
🔹 Why neurodivergent brains struggle with detachment—and how to work with your wiring instead of against it
🔹 Bashar’s formula for following your highest excitement and how it rewires your manifestation process
🔹 A personal story about how I had to let go of just writing paranormal fantasy—and why that led me to my most neurodivergent romcom yet!

PLUS: Stick around for the Manifest Differently Minute, where I give you a simple shift that will change how you approach letting go for good.

🎧 Listen now and learn how to let go—without losing sight of what you want!

📢 Resources & Links:
👉 Carissa Knight’s Patreon – Dirty Developments is live!
👉 Follow me on TikTok for more neurodivergent manifestation tips
👉 Leave a review if this episode helped shift your perspective!

🔮 Until next time, stay weird, stay wonderful, and keep manifesting differently!

What if manifestation wasn’t about hustle or high vibes only — but about working with your neurodivergent brain, not against it? Enter Write Your Reality — a quantum, nervous-system-friendly guide (written for authors but 🔥 for ND creators and entrepreneurs, too). We’re launching it through Kickstarter April 14–May 11.
👑 Back it (or bookmark it): https://authorrevolution.org/kickstarter

Traditional manifestation advice wasn’t made for neurodivergent minds. Inside Manifest Differently on Substack, I share exclusive insights, nonlinear success strategies, and deep-dive content designed for ND thinkers. Plus, get access to Manifest Differently: The Deep End, my private podcast for paid subscribers. Follow now: 👉 manifestdifferently.com/substack

Thank you so much for tuning in to this episode of the Manifest Differently Podcast. I hope today’s story inspired you to trust the process and manifest in a way that feels aligned with your unique energy.

If you’re ready to dive deeper into neurodivergent-friendly manifestation techniques, head over to ManifestDifferently.com for resources, tools, and more. Want even more insights? Subscribe to my Substack at manifestdifferently.substack.com/subscribe for weekly inspiration straight to your inbox.

And let’s connect on TikTok! Follow me at @ManifestDifferently for behind-the-scenes tips, quick mindset shifts, and so much more.

Until next time, remember: you have the power to manifest differently—and the universe is waiting to conspire in your favor. See you next week!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:08):
Welcome to Manifest Differently, the podcast for
neurodivergent thinkers andanyone looking to approach
manifestation in a way thattruly works for them.
I'm your host, carissa Andrews,here to explore the science,
energy and strategies that willhelp you create the life you
love.
Let's dive in and ManifestDifferently.
Hey, beautiful manifesters,welcome back to Manifest

(00:37):
Differently, the podcast wherewe take all that manifestation
fluff and rework it to actuallymake sense for our
neurodivergent minds.
I'm your host, carissa Andrews,and today we're diving into
something that literally makesor breaks manifestation for us
the science of letting go.
Now, I don't know about you,but when people tell me to just

(00:58):
let go, my brain completely goesinto a full-blown what in the
actual mode, because what doesthat even mean?
Are we just forgetting about it?
Are we pretending that we don'treally want it?
Are we throwing it into amental storage unit and hoping
that the universe pulls it backout before we do?
Yeah, no, that doesn't work forus, and if you've ever

(01:19):
struggled with letting go,there's a reason for it.
Neurodivergent brains processthings differently.
We know that right, and todaywe're going to break it all down
why it's hard for us, whatsurrender actually looks like,
and even how we can use Bashar'sformula for following our
excitement as our guide to theart of receiving.
Oh, and stick around, becauseI'll be giving you a manifest,

(01:42):
differently minute tip at thevery end that will shift the way
you approach this whole lettinggo thing for good.
Let's get into it Now.
All right, before I blow yourminds with this episode, let's
take a quick reset.
I want you to take a deepbreath, in through the nose and

(02:02):
out through the mouth.
Now, if your brain has beenclenching onto any idea, a
desire maybe, or that oneawkward text conversation from
five years ago, because sameimagine that thought drifting

(02:22):
into a little balloon andfloating off.
You don't need to pop it, youdon't need to erase it, just let
it hang out up there.
It's yours, but you just don'thave to hold it so damn tightly.
Feel better.
Good, let's keep going.
All right, let's talk about whyletting go is an actual

(02:43):
nightmare for neurodivergentminds like ours.
Number one object impermanenceequals manifestation sabotage.
You know how toddlers freak outwhen you play peekaboo, because
they think you actuallydisappear.
Yeah, welcome to our brains.
Object impermanence means ifsomething isn't right in front
of us, it kind of stops existing.

(03:04):
And when someone tells us tolet go of a manifestation.
Our brain translates that asforget about it forever.
This is why vision boards,reminders and anchoring
techniques are also crucial forus.
If we don't keep our desires inour energetic periphery, we
risk completely disconnectingfrom them, not in the good
surrendered way, but in the well.

(03:30):
I guess that's not happeningbecause I don't even think about
it anymore, kind of way.
Number two hyperfixation mode.
When we want something, we wantit hard.
We think about it, we researchit, talk about it to anyone who
will listen, and even some whowon't.
Our brains thrive on deep dives, novelty and an unrelenting
search for answers.
But what starts as excitementcan quickly turn into

(03:52):
suffocation if we're not careful.
The moment we start obsessingover how something will happen,
we shift into desperation mode,and desperation.
It's like trying to hug a catthat does not want to be hugged.
The more you chase, the harderit runs.
When we hyperfixate, we don'tleave space for the magic of the
universe.
We micromanage instead andlet's be real, that never ends

(04:16):
well.
So how do we balance this?
By giving our brains asecondary hyperfixation A
creative project, a new routine,something that lights us up but
doesn't own us.
That way our energy stays openand we stay receptive.
Number three is the differencebetween letting go and giving up

(04:37):
.
Neurotypicals often say let goand mean detach.
We hear let go and assume thatmeans quit caring about it.
And because many of us haverejection, sensitivity,
dysphoria, rsd, the thought ofgiving up on a dream feels like
self-betrayal.
But here's the thing Letting gois not the same as giving up.

(04:57):
Letting go is about releasingattachment to the how and often
the when, and not throwing awaythe whole damn dream.
Right, it's about shifting froman energy of clutching and
desperation and oh my God,when's it going to happen To an
energy of flow and ease.
And of course, it's going tocome.
Now.
Imagine you're holding sand inyour hands.
If you squeeze too tightly, itspills out, but if you relax, it

(05:22):
settles perfectly into yourpalm.
That's what we're doing hereTrusting that our desires are
already on the way, withoutcrushing them under the weight
of our expectations.
Now story time.
Here I want to tell you alittle story about how I had to
let go of something massive, andthat was my identity as a
paranormal and urban fantasyauthor.
Now I've been writing since2010, but back in 2022, I felt

(05:48):
this pull.
It was like a deep, undeniablecalling to write something
completely different.
And the funny thing is I hadthis idea about six years prior.
Like this idea popped in myhead.
I had no idea why because I'm aparanormal urban fantasy author
.
Why am I thinking of thisromance setting and situation?
And I couldn't explain it.

(06:08):
And honestly, like I said, Iresisted it at first.
Because when you've built acareer on a certain kind of
storytelling, shifting gearsfeels like betrayal, too Failure
.
Failure even, like you'regiving up on what you originally
set out to do.
Right.
But here's the kicker thatresistance was actually what was
keeping me stuck in a lot ofways, the more I fought the

(06:29):
desire to write somethingdifferent and break out of the
norms of what I I guess I'velearned about my craft and what
I wanted to say, the moredrained and misaligned I felt.
So finally, I did the scarything I let go of my old
expectations and leaned intowhat excited me most.
And guess what?
I was writing rom-coms usingthis idea that popped into my

(06:53):
head, like eight years ago now.
Craziness, but not just anyrom-coms either.
These are not just that.
They're ones that dive deepinto emotional growth, empathy
and there's loads ofneurodivergent goodness, because
I like to read stories withthat.
I like to read characters whohave depth and who have quirks,

(07:15):
I guess.
And now I'm so thrilled to saythat, even this past weekend, I
just finished writing my 23rdbook overall.
So Dirty Developments is thethird in my rom-com pen name,
carissa Knight, and honestly,it's the most neurodivergent
book I've written yet, and Iabsolutely adore it.
It's up on my Carissa KnightPatreon right now.
And oh, did I mention that themain male character is a rock

(07:36):
star?
Yep, this book even has twosongs that I've written the
lyrics to and have created themusic for.
So, because music is so woveninto the heart of this story,
and I'll share more about thatsoon, but for right now, I just
want you to know that leaninginto my highest excitement and
letting go of the shoulds reallyjust led me to some of my best

(07:57):
creative work yet, and I felt soawesome being in that place,
right, okay?
So how do we, when we're tryingto be conscious creators of our
life, how do we actually let gowithout losing our minds?
Well, to me it's been veryinteresting, because I follow
Abraham Hicks, I follow AmandaFrancis, denise Duffield, thomas

(08:19):
and obviously, bashar.
Now, I like Bashar's formulafor following your highest
excitement, because I feel likeit's the thing that can allow us
to let go not only of our fearof forgetting, but it helps us
to let go enough to the pointwhere we can then trust
ourselves, trust that this getsto be our best and highest

(08:42):
timeline, right?
So, number one, this is how theformula works.
Okay, follow your greatestexcitement in any given moment.
No, really, this is the key,literally the key.
Whatever feels most aligned,exciting or naturally pulling
you in that direction, do that.
And yes, I understand sometimesyou're having to do certain
things with work, so there aresome choices that might feel as

(09:06):
though they're out of yourcontrol.
Your job is to really be inalignment with those things, to
shift your energy around themenough where you can still make
that thing fun.
So think about what in that jobyou could do right now that
feels the most exciting oralluring, because your present
moment is where it all happens,right, and even if it seems like
completely unrelated to yourmanifestation.

(09:28):
The key of following thatexcitement is how you shift the
energy and what magnetizes youto the thing that you actually
want, because the magnetization,the law of attraction aspect of
it, it's not necessarily being100% magnet for that one
specific thing.
It's about raising andelevating your vibration to be

(09:50):
the person who receives all ofthe things that you want.
Do you see the difference?
I think a lot of us kind ofhyper fixate on just the one
manifestation, to the pointwhere we forget we have
multiples, we have lots ofthings we want to call in, and
so then we're not allowing therest of them to come in because
we're so spiraling around allthe stuff.

(10:13):
So step two is take yourexcitement as far as you can,
with no insistence on theoutcome.
It's crazy to think about.
Right, this is the part thatreally messes people up, because
you don't force anything, youjust follow the energy until it
naturally stops, and then youpivot to the next thing that
excites you, on and on and onand on.
Like as your day goes, theentire time you're focusing on

(10:35):
whatever lights you up the most,the thing that excites you the
most, and when you're doing that, you're putting your energetic
system, your nervous system, inflow rather than in resistance.
So step three, then, is totrust the process.
Oh, that's the hardest part,right, trusting the process.
But when we do trust that,excitement equals alignment.

(10:58):
We don't have to force anythinginto place, we just keep
following the breadcrumbs.
And when we trust in ourability to manifest and we trust
in our ability to trigger theuniverse to help us, we don't
have to micromanage it.
The universe, like when we makea decision on something we want
, the universe knows that.
Abraham Hicks talks about thisa lot.
Where it's the vortex, right,we put all of these things into

(11:22):
the vortex and our job then isto just get into that high
vibrational frequency whereyou're feeling tapped in, tuned
in, turned on, and when you'rein that state, when you're in
that place, all of yourmanifestations can flow with
ease.
And the way you get into thattapped in, tuned in, turned on
place is by following yourexcitement, by following and

(11:43):
trusting and knowing that all ofthose things will guide you.
So the only thing you have toremember then is to follow your
excitement.
So number four is you let theuniverse then handle those
details.
You don't have to do it allalone.
You're not here to force and toeffort.
Manifestation is never aboutobsessing over how it will

(12:05):
happen, even though that's whatwe like to do, but it's just
your inner control, freaktalking, and it's okay because
we all have one and it's okay.
But when we can allow and notobsess over it, it happens so
much faster because theresistance that we would have by
holding that thought, byholding on to it so hard, feeds,

(12:27):
feeds away, and we're able tojust chill out and allow that's
such a key word that allow.
So when we're letting go, whatwe're doing in essence, it's not
just letting go, it's not justsurrendering to the moment and
hoping that it's going to change.
It's opening up our energy sothat we can actually allow what

(12:47):
we want in energy.
So that we can actually allowwhat we want in.
Does that make sense?
Here's your quick and powerfulshift for today, our manifest
differently minute, so to speak.
Instead of asking yourself howdo I let go, ask yourself what's
the next thing that excites me?
If your manifestation wasalready guaranteed to show up,

(13:08):
what would you be doing in themeantime?
That is where your focus needsto go.
When we put our energy onto thenext thing that excites us, we
naturally step into thevibration of receiving the best
part.
It keeps us from falling intothe hyper fixation trap.
Letting go isn't about pushingsomething away.
It's about moving toward whatlights us up now.
So, my fellow neurodivergentmanifestors, let's recap quick

(13:32):
Letting go is not aboutforgetting or quitting.
It's about releasing attachmentto how it happens, to when it
happens, so that we can allowthings to come in.
Our brains struggle with objectimpermanence, so we can freak
out a little bit when we arenumber one, trying to let go,

(13:52):
but also when we're trying to beintentional about staying in
that energy of trust.
Right, we also have Bashar'sformula, which is a game changer
, I think, for us, because whenwe follow our excitement which I
think most of us want to bedoing, that's how we're wired
and we take action from thatplace, without attachment.

(14:12):
We get to trust that it'sunfolding exactly as it should.
So there isn't so much that wehave to hold on to the decision
or to the intentional aspect ofit.
We get to trust that theuniverse has already done that
for us, right?
So then we have life withoutobsessing being the key.

(14:34):
And yeah, we still do itsometimes because our brains
love to latch on to things.
But if we can give ourselvessome grace and remember that
we're always allowed to pivot,always allowed to change our
minds, always allowed to followthat enjoyment and excitement
into a new area.
We keep the energy moving inour favor.

(14:54):
So the bottom line is let go,follow what excites you and let
the magic unfold.
If this episode resonated withyou, share it with someone who
needs this as a reminder, and ifyou're loving Manifest
Differently so far, leave areview.
It helps more neurodivergentmanifestors like you find their

(15:14):
way here.
Until next time, stay weird,stay wonderful and keep
manifesting differently.