126: Emotional Distress Syndrome with James Ochoa

These clients of his suffered from the exact same thing:

• Chronic breakdowns

• Lack of self-worth

• They felt bullied

• They were all misunderstood

He determined that for these people he would have to rebuild their internal sense of self.

EDS is manageable and treatable thanks to the work James is doing.

Coaching Session

James has difficulty being consistent with singular systems. He tries many things such as post-it notes, phone apps, etc. He prefers to write things down. Currently has four systems and he is not able to follow through with any of them. He finds himself not having enough time. Eric has James scrounge up a pen and paper to write the following:

• A Accountability: 

  • Who are you accountable to?

• T Timers:

  • Timing tasks makes you more accountable and keep you focused

  • Make predictions as to how long a task will take

• R Reminders

  • Include the why with the what

• I Inputs

  • To do lists, calendar, email, voice mail, pile#1 Pile#2….

• P Planning/Process/Processes

  • Streamline and improve. Evaluate what works and what does not work

James was excited and eager to begin using this system when he left the show.

About James Ochoa

James Ochoa is on a mission. In a way he always has been. He was born the seventh of eight children in Houston, Texas and almost immediately began to feel the faint hum that all ADHD sufferers feel. It would be safe to say that his journey to find answers for his issues began as early as is humanly possible.

Then, at the age of four, he had a traumatic accident that would alter his life forever. While playing on his parent’s car, he fell, hitting his head on the concrete. After the doctors examined him they were not hopeful, and everyone prepared for the worst. While in the hospital, James had what he describes as his first spiritual experience, one that he can still recall with great clarity and emotion. His father had been in Vietnam working a construction job, and he took a leave from his contract to come visit James in the pediatric ward of their local hospital. As his father walked toward him, James remembers seeing a blue orb-like structure above his bed. In his mind, this was a sign and he knew it immediately. His father didn’t see the blue orb, of course, but James remembers that he was stunned to hear James announce, “Dad, I’m not gonna die. I’m here for a reason.” As it turned out, many decades would pass before James truly understood what that moment and that proclamation meant.

In fact, it mostly eluded him until the summer of 1989 when he was working at an ADHD summer program for kids. “It was total chaos,” he says. “But the lights and intrigue that these kids came to the table with was like…Oh my God, they’re brilliant and we’re not seeing it.” He immediately recognized his calling and resolved to spend his life trying to find answers for himself and others. For almost two decades, now, he has done just that.

His work with patients and extensive personal study of the neuroscience of ADHD has allowed him to find answers that work. His new book Focused Forward: Navigating the Storms of Adult ADHD is just the latest mile on a many-long miles journey he is on. His discoveries and success in his own life and with his patients have made him a much in demand speaker these days.

James lives in Austin, Texas with his wife, Edie. They have two sons, Gabe, 25, and Jules, 20.

How to Reach James

• Web: http://www.tlec.info/
• Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TheLifeEmpowermentCenter/?fref=ts
• Twitter: @adhdinsights

Audio books mentioned in the show.