IT took Klara Sedlacek until she was in her 20s to finally connect the dots.
Growing up in Brno, Czech Republic, she struggled socially, with her peers, and academically.
"My trouble started in kindergarten when I was extremely hyperactive and temperamental," she says. Due to her behavioural issues, she was labelled a "troublemaker" and a "lazy, careless learner," early on in life.
"These formative years are formative because they leave a profound impact on you and your world," she says, explaining it took her a long time to let go of those labels.
"You grow up with a belief system that's based on your behaviour, that's not you, that's how people label you, how teachers label you, how society labels your behaviours. And then you are (an adult) and still working on these systems. (For) me, that was (the) case," says the now 33-year-old North Vancouver resident.
Sedlacek continued to be plagued by low self-esteem into her teen years, despite the fact she was recognized as an athlete and a scholar. She says she struggled with depression at times.
"I was just deep in this dark, dark hole, thinking I was a menace to the world," she says.
Nonetheless, Sedlacek persevered and went on to study molecular biology at Pensacola, Fla.'s University of West Florida and then completed a masters degree in forestry at the University of British Columbia. However, her old struggles continued to bubble up, particularly related to her self-esteem issues, managing her emotions and anxiety, prompting her to seek help from a therapist.
"That helped me to open my eyes," she says. "That provided the awareness that maybe not everything that I experienced was truly because it was my fault and also, maybe, I'm not what I think I am."
Her therapist helped her finally uncover what had been at the root of her challenges from early childhood, and four years ago helped her diagnose herself as having had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, ADHD is a term used to describe patterns of behaviour (inattentiveness, impulsiveness and hyperactivity included) that appear most often in school-aged children.
Armed with new knowledge, thanks to her therapist Sedlacek finally began to experience positive change in her life, learning how to effectively manage her diagnosis. She has continued to seek out methods of self-help, including emotional freedom technique (EFT), based on research suggesting that emotional trauma contributes to disease. The approach has proven extremely helpful in her own life.
"There's no more anxiety, there's no more depressive state. I'm just in this state of general happiness that transfers to my work life and also to my personal life," she says.
EFT uses elements of cognitive and exposure therapies, combined with acupressure, to reduce the emotional impact of memories and incidents that are believed to have triggered emotional distress. By reducing or removing the stress, healing can occur. Reaping the benefits through the use of the approach in her own life, Sedlacek decided to become a certified EFT practitioner through EFT Universe (eftuniverse.com).
Two years ago she launched a company, ADHD Kids First (adhdkidsfirst.com) and coaches children with ADHD and their parents, teaching them the technique with a goal of helping to free them from their negative opinions of themselves. Her goal is to prevent her clients from struggling the way she did.
Sedlacek coaches clients locally as well as internationally via Skype. The number of sessions with each ranges, based on each individual's particular needs. Her services are intended to complement clients' care received through the public health care system.
Interested in further giving back to the ADHD community, three months ago Sedlacek launched a not for profit community-based initiative - with the help of her husband Stan - entitled Vancouver ADDventures. The endeavour offers free programming designed to give families the tools and support to better manage their diagnosis and provide an opportunity for them to connect with one another as well as their peers.
As part of Vancouver ADDventures, Sedlacek is offering free workshops for parents of children with ADHD. The last was held yesterday and the next, this time for children with ADHD, is set for Aug 17 at John Braithwaite Community Centre. She's given it a superhero theme and hopes it proves inspiring, empowering and fun for participants, giving them an opportunity to learn about EFT and help them tackle the new school year with confidence. "I will also help them explore their internal abilities and powers," she says.
Vancouver ADDventures offers a monthly outdoor recreation-themed event for families on the second Saturday of every month. The next, a Funky Family Barbecue, is being held Saturday, July 13 at 3 p.m. at North Vancouver's Princess Park.
Sedlacek is also launching a biweekly peer-support group for parents of children with ADHD starting July 24. Meetings will be held the first and third Wednesdays of the month thereafter at 7 p.m. at John Braithwaite Community Centre. A small donation will be requested to cover the cost of the room rental.
"We're going to be practising the technique and we're going to support each other and they're going to further learn how to help their child," she says.
Sedlacek plans to continue growing Vancouver ADDventures, for example she hopes to eventually add a nature camp to her offerings. She's also in the process of co-creating an advocacy group, composed of local ADHD professionals (so far another ADHD coach and tutor have both come on board) with an interest in advocating for children with ADHD in the school system as well as at the provincial level to help B.C. families affected by the diagnosis get access to needed funding to help cover related costs. She's looking for additional ADHD professionals to join them.
Having just launched her business as well as her community initiative, Sedlacek has been overwhelmed by the degree of support and interest she's received. "It's really amazing how there truly is power of community," she says.
For more information on, or to join Vancouver ADDventures, visit meetup.com/Vancouver-ADDventures.
