Why dopamine isn’t the whole story

Dopamine has become the go-to explanation for a lot of modern struggles. Podcasts, social media, and self-help books often suggest that if you’re distracted, unmotivated, or stuck in unhelpful habits, the culprit must be your dopamine.

There’s some truth in this. Dopamine is involved in how we seek reward, form habits, and stay motivated. For people with ADHD, in particular, it can offer a helpful way to make sense of experiences that once felt confusing.

But when we focus only on the chemical explanation, we risk missing something deeper. We begin to treat our struggles as technical faults, rather than human experiences that carry emotional meaning.

You are not a machine

When every feeling or behaviour gets explained through brain chemistry, it can start to feel like we’re broken systems. We start trying to regulate, optimise, or control ourselves into a better life.

But most of the time, our habits don’t come out of nowhere. They come from somewhere emotional.

We might scroll because we feel alone.

We might avoid tasks because we’re overwhelmed.

We might crave stimulation because stillness feels unsafe.

For people with ADHD, these patterns can be especially intense. There may be real challenges with focus, memory, and organisation, but they’re often layered with years of internalised shame or feeling different.

In these cases, what looks like a dopamine problem might be something else entirely. It might be sadness, fear, longing, or a story that hasn’t yet been told.

Knowing isn’t the same as feeling

Learning about how your brain works can be helpful. It can bring relief and offer a sense of understanding. For many people, it’s the first time they’ve had a name for what they’ve been feeling.

But insight on its own can only go so far.

Sometimes, focusing on the science becomes a way of avoiding the emotional reality underneath. We think in terms of function, rather than feeling. We search for strategies, rather than space to be with the discomfort.

That’s where therapy comes in. Not to offer more tools, but to create space. Not to push for solutions, but to allow something new to emerge in the presence of another person.

What therapy can help you explore

In therapy, we get curious about the emotional story behind the pattern. Instead of asking, “How do I fix this?” we ask, “What might this be trying to show me?”

You might begin to notice:

• why rest feels difficult
• why you panic when things feel out of control
• why certain emotions feel too much
• why some parts of you feel hidden or hard to access

Through this kind of exploration, change doesn’t come from forcing a new habit. It comes from understanding the one you already have. Over time, this brings not only relief, but a more compassionate way of relating to yourself.

You are more than your brain chemistry

It’s natural to want answers, especially if you’ve spent years feeling scattered or stuck. But dopamine is only part of the picture.

You are not just a brain in need of fixing.

You are a person with a history that matters.

And often, the patterns that trouble us the most began as ways of coping.

Therapy offers a space to bring these patterns into the light. Not to be judged, but to be understood. Not to be solved, but to be held with care.

If you are navigating ADHD, emotional stuckness, or habits that feel hard to change, therapy can help you slow down and make sense of it all - gently, gradually, and with respect for the complexity of your experience.