royinpink
Well-Known Member
I came across this video from Donna Williams called "Autism and Dissociation," and it is really eye-opening about a lot of the anxieties that myself and my undiagnosed friends have experienced.
For me, I relate to the 'the more I want to do something, the more I avoid or divert attention from or retaliate against doing it.'
For my former roommate, she experiences the dissociative states where her body seems to be moving outside of her control, like a movie, as well as daydreaming and fantasy.
For my ex (of sorts), I always have to hedge around any social or emotional issues and give him lots of space and time, or else face the same 'avoidance, distractions, or retaliation'...and the retaliation can get ugly.
For my students, I definitely see them taking on roles and accents, sometimes shifting between fantasy and reality in disturbing ways (e.g. going seamlessly from talking about a cartoon to talking about personal experience of being stalked and harrassed--as if it were part of the cartoon--and then back into fantasy).
It's a bit of a long video, but it really goes into lots of detail and separates out comorbids (PTSD, OCD, etc.) and possible causes (both 'nature and nurture') for different symptoms/behaviors, as well as separating these anxiety coping mechanisms from meltdowns and panic attacks.
I think it's valuable just as information, but please feel free to share what parts you yourself relate to or find interesting/problematic/insightful.
For me, I relate to the 'the more I want to do something, the more I avoid or divert attention from or retaliate against doing it.'
For my former roommate, she experiences the dissociative states where her body seems to be moving outside of her control, like a movie, as well as daydreaming and fantasy.
For my ex (of sorts), I always have to hedge around any social or emotional issues and give him lots of space and time, or else face the same 'avoidance, distractions, or retaliation'...and the retaliation can get ugly.
For my students, I definitely see them taking on roles and accents, sometimes shifting between fantasy and reality in disturbing ways (e.g. going seamlessly from talking about a cartoon to talking about personal experience of being stalked and harrassed--as if it were part of the cartoon--and then back into fantasy).
It's a bit of a long video, but it really goes into lots of detail and separates out comorbids (PTSD, OCD, etc.) and possible causes (both 'nature and nurture') for different symptoms/behaviors, as well as separating these anxiety coping mechanisms from meltdowns and panic attacks.
I think it's valuable just as information, but please feel free to share what parts you yourself relate to or find interesting/problematic/insightful.
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