• Welcome to Autism Forums, a friendly forum to discuss Aspergers Syndrome, Autism, High Functioning Autism and related conditions.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Private Member only forums for more serious discussions that you may wish to not have guests or search engines access to.
    • Your very own blog. Write about anything you like on your own individual blog.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon! Please also check us out @ https://www.twitter.com/aspiescentral

Finally found my tribe... Been long and painful Journey

RisingPhoenix

Warrior For Yahweh
My name is Brandon. I was born with high functioning autism in a poverty ridden family household, broken home. My biological father hated the fact I was defective and would speak the truth. He abused me a lot. I wasn't diagnosed as a child but I was teased often. I didn't understand what was wrong with me
but I felt as if I wasn't on the right planet. I used my imagination all the time and kept to myself. I love God so much and would tell people about him all the time. I always had to kbow how things worked... I would take electronics apart and build things. I've always been told I was a genius but as I kept getting abandoned and thrown around from family member to family member I began to hate myself. Things only kept getting worse.

I always was extremely scared of everything inside while exhibiting tremors; however I normally always smiled all the time. I've always been so grateful for everything I ever had. People would make comments about that, even small things that normal people don't say thank you for or show appreciation, I always have.

People have always been short with me. It takes me time to answer questions. It's been painful.

I stuttered for many years until I figured out all by myself how to re-arrange my words which forced me to upgrade my vocabulary to something very sophisticated which later caused social problems as many people considered me pretentious.

My entire childhood I was a little business man with dreams of making it big so I could show the world what I am made of and use money to change the world by making it better. The system is perfectly flawed by design; however we'll come back to that.

I wheeled and dealed, I ran car washes, lemonade stands, sold bugs in hard candy and dreaming big; that one day I would create a technology company large enough to outrank Microsoft. I held onto this dream for my entire life which led me down some very heart-pounding unbelievable events that have unfolded in my life. (I have proof).

When I was 5 years old my grandmother gave me a computer, an oldschool 486 PC with DOS. I was already gifted with computer systems and electronics naturally, instinctively, as if I was preprogrammed prior to birth or my DNA Double Helix was encoded with digital skills.

I always have been extreme with everything that I have done. My grandmother once described my grandfather as having bulldog tendencies. Biting onto one task at full force. I relate greatly to this description as well.

I have always wanted to please. Seeking a stamp of approval. I've always been extremely compassionate, loving and emotional. My sensitivity to everything was off the charts. I cry all the time for very monor things.

People don't know this because I normally unless provoked do it in private or choke up and quickly wipe my tears away when people are coming.

I've been called a crybaby but I assure you that I'm a warm hearted teddy bear who just wants to cuddle with my future wife (Wherever She Is... The Yin to My Yang... My Opposite Puzzle piece.)

I was told I talk back a lot as child because I've always had to know why, to everything. That's how I learn. By asking questions and understanding, as long as the answers are logical and quite frankly the majority of the population in the community that I have encountered are very illogical causing many problems with my relationships especially since... well... here is the kicker.

Shhhhhh... [I've been hiding the fact that I'm autistic until recently.] Using movies, tv and video games to help me act like them.

When I was 16 I was introduced to marijuana (This is where things get very interesting.) I was almost able to fully hide it, or at least I believed that.



[Will continue momentarily / Post Subject to Lots of Additions Over Time. Lot's To Get Out. Going To Take Awhile.]
 
Last edited:
Hello Phoenix, I'm sure you will meet many like minded people on these forums. Welcome to our little sanctum from the NT's
 
Welcome Phoenix. I too discovered how to hide my ASD very well, so well in fact that unless I tell them, people outside of my inner circle don't know and, never guess. I've built my career because of my ability to appear and act "normal." It is a wonderful thing to be able to do but, you've got to be careful not to loose yourself to the façade. You have to find your safe place and safe people so that you have the space and the friends and loved ones you need to just be yourself.

I think you've found ways to do that, be who the world wants when that benefits you and, be yourself when you can. You may not have achieved all of your dreams and goals yet, but, I have a feeling you will one day, then you'll set a new goal, dream a new dream and, go for that too - and get there. You seem like that kind of person and, I'm glad to see you here.
 
Welcome aboard :)
image.jpg
 
Beverly. Thank you for sharing and taking the time to writing that to me. I'm very grateful. I just recently was prescribed Prendisone and something miraculous has happened. I no longer need to self medicate with cannabis to have any varying degree of quality of life. God is teaching me so much however in this short time I notice that I have moments when I'm realizing I act or do stuff at different times that show ASD and then other times... I feel as if I am not. Creating almost split personalities that come and go persay. Almost a Bipolar effect and different triggers, music and thought processes bring about different levels of me. Different ages of me. I love when I'm the little kid because of how kind and humble I am, especially towards God. But when it comes to fending for myself and being a responsible Adult... I have many strengths but much more weaknesses that bring out a different me... This is usually brought on after overwhelming thought processes trying to fix my life which take me into a thought frenzy and I snap which in the past has led to meltdowns. The final one which led me to my first and last 14 day stay at motel lockup. Scariest place ever. However I learned so much and believe I was able to help others. I also met someone who I believe is also very ASD like and I'm wanting to be with her, if I can woo her. But I need to get my life together and so far I'm doing quite awesome Thanks to God and my hard work and self awareness. I'm struggling to forgive myself for so many things I have done, so many relationships I've destroyed and so many broken promises I've made to so many people. I've been trying to figure out how to perfectly in the right order fix my mistakes. And when looking at the big picture I get very overwhlmed which brings on negative thinking. This is all so new. 31 years suffering with "intense fear of everything / feeling bombarded with thoughts ... mainly negative. It's been a beyond tiring choar that lasted from when I wokeup to when I fell asleep ... either by sleep exhaustion or by major intoxication (blackouts). This is my first time 100% sober since I was 16 years old (when a MAJOR trauma happened... I will explain all of this in my opening post as I get more time and work through this now that I able to function with ASD without drugs and alcohol. Psych drugs did not work for me. They were incredibly horrifying either excaturbating my intense fears or zombifying me to the point where my gifted mind was wasted and I was the walking dead. Thank you God and thank you Aspie Tribe. I love you all.
 
Last edited:
RisingPhoenix You sound so much like me, psych drugs, at least the four I tried before deciding I wasn't taking number five, had horrifying results for me too. I've done some horrible things destroyed relationships and lives in the process, lied, stolen, cheated, ran instead of facing the consequences. Nothing criminal but still, not good either. Young me was a mess and, with a psychotic father and very detached mother, growing ups as no walk in the park.

I was fortunate, my life turned around at 18, it began to a year before that but, that was when I actually left home for the last time and, joined my first band. Still wasn't easy, but even though money was a struggle, life was good, it's all good memories. Lots of challenges, a lot of learning but, all good.

It's through my career in music that I've learned to use a façade that hides my ASD. I didn't even figure it out until I was in my mid 30's so, I'd already had a lot of help teaching me how to act properly in public. Then when I did put it all together, my manager decided that it was best if the public never knew. For a while, I thought I was failing when I lost the façade and acted ASD in private but once I understood what my problem was, and after talking with other Aspies in the business I learned that that isn't failing at all, it's recharging and processing all the crap I don't have time nor energy to process when the façade is up.

The key is having a safe environment, with safe people you can turn to if you need them but, who know the leave you alone if that's what you need, people who know and understand that you can't change how your mind is wired and, that you have to deal with it the way it wants to be dealt with. That might be just alone time, might be venting to them, might be a shut down or even an all out melt down but, you've got to let your mind and body have the release it needs. The more often, ideally at the end of every day, you can do that, the healthier and happier your mind will be. I can't always let down every day but, I won't push beyond 4 days straight without taking my recharge time, I have ONCE and that resulted in a meltdown I nor my bandmates and crew will never forget, and cost us several thousand dollars in damaged equipment and a damaged tour bus.

And yes, if you were wondering, those uncontrollable fight or flight time that more often result in violent action than running, but sometimes you run, or a little of both are meltdowns, you have no control over them, it's just our hard wired response to total overload. Yes it's ugly, thing and sometimes people get hurt when it happens but, the best we can do is to find time to process, recharge, escape, do what we must before that happens and know that no matter how hard you try, you will have a meltdown again, someday, sometime, somewhere. That's where having your inner circle of safe people that know and have had it all explained to them comes in. You won't loose them or even anger them, they get it and, it's okay.

Everyone has something negative they do that is beyond their control or willpower to stop or change, just our meltdowns are more demonstrative than most other things people might do but, once those closest to you understand it in that light, other than anything you might break, it isn't a big deal when it happen and, that makes recovering a lot easier on us. No ore damaged relationships and confused friends to try to patch things up with, no more being embarrassed because your friends witnessed a meltdown - those friends already get it and, they're okay, and probably asking you if you're okay or if you need anything. :)

I've had a lot of people ask me how I manage to stay so positive, well that up there ^ is a big part of staying positive.
 
Whoah! Thank you Rocco. Did you paint that? What does it mean?
Yes I did paint this :)
I thought of this one when I saw your introduction/avatar/name/etc. and thought it might fit.
As for the meaning, I can't explain it. It is for your interpretation. When I paint 99% of the time, I have no idea what it will be or look like when finished. I tend to spread the colors into something that resembles how I feel or what I hear. Out of about 200 paintings, I can only explain less than five of them.
Only one comes to mind, an entirely intentional piece made for the members here at Aspiescentral. It's the way I see Us in the world.
I'll quote the original description
"I usually don't explain, preferring to hear what others see. But this on is for The Members of Aspiescentral. It's our common bond in a troubled world. Each of us a bright spot in a storm. Or something."

It's called "All Of Us"
image.jpg


It can be found here in my gallery, Acrylic Colors, In the media section on this site (Aspiescentral)
https://www.aspiescentral.com/media/albums/acrylic-colors-by-rocco.291/
 
Welcome. Hope you have a lot of fun here and meet a lot of new people. We are friendly, so don't be shy. Speak up and we will speak back.
 
Always wanted to check it out. Never left the north american continent yet. One day I hope. Looking forward to seeing the world. Much different than this place. From everything I've heard, read and watched.
 

New Threads

Top Bottom