Dating on High Alert
Dating on High Alert dives into the messy reality of relationships and life, neurodivergence, trauma, masking, and survival mode - because when your nervous system has spent years trying to keep you safe, connection gets complicated.
Hosted by Ilja Abbattista - trauma-informed coach, survivor advocate, and AuDHD truth-teller - this podcast explores ADHD, autism, CPTSD, attachment, emotional overwhelm, nervous system responses, and what it actually means to build safety in love and life after survival.
For neurodivergent people, trauma survivors, partners, and couples trying to understand each other more deeply.
Because this isn’t just about dating.
It’s about learning to hear yourself again, in life and in love.
New episodes weekly.
Until next spiral.
Dating on High Alert
Dating on High Alert: When Ambiguity Feels Like Chemistry
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There was a relationship in my life that felt electric.
Not chaotic.
Not obviously toxic.
But ambiguous.
And that ambiguity felt like chemistry.
In this episode of Dating on High Alert, I’m unpacking something we don’t talk about enough:
How uncertainty creates dopamine.
How dopamine intensifies attachment.
And why trauma-shaped nervous systems can mistake activation for connection.
If you’ve ever:
* Felt hooked by mixed signals
* Over-analysed texts
* Confused anxiety with attraction
* Thought you just “had bad taste”
This episode will land.
We explore:
- Why ambiguity is not neutral
- How hyper-vigilance shows up in dating
- The dopamine loop in inconsistent dynamics
- Why steady relationships can feel underwhelming at first
- The withdrawal that happens when ambiguity ends
- How to begin separating activation from compatibility
This isn’t about blaming partners.
It’s about understanding your nervous system.
Because when you understand the pattern, you regain choice.
You’re not drawn to chaos, but you’re drawn to familiarity.
And familiarity can feel magnetic - even when it’s destabilising.
If you’re an AuDHD woman, living with cPTSD, or rebuilding your relationship patterns after trauma, this conversation is especially for you.
You don’t have to keep dating on high alert.
You’re allowed to learn a new rhythm.
Until next spiral.
Free Guide
You’re Not Too Much. You Were Just Never Met Fully.
A short guide for anyone who has ever felt too sensitive, too intense, or too much in relationships.
Download it here:
https://iljaabbattista.co.uk/youre-not-too-much-free-guide/
🎧 Subscribe, share, and spiral with me.
Dating on High Alert explores relationships, life, neurodivergence, trauma, masking, nervous systems, and what it actually means to build safety in love after survival.
For neurodivergent people, trauma survivors, partners, and couples trying to understand each other more deeply.
🖤 Explore support, coaching, and resources:
https://iljaabbattista.co.uk/resources
📩 Join the podcast mailing list:
https://iljaabbattista.co.uk/truth-led-podcast-sign-up/
🎙️ Submit a guest pitch or podcast topic:
https://iljaabbattista.co.uk/podcast-dating-on-high-alert/#submitastory
🎧 Support the podcast:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2463815/supporters/new
📱 Instagram:
@iljaabbattista
📬 Contact:
letsconnect@iljaabbattista.co.uk
Until next spiral,
Ilja x