Is Therapy for Neurotypicals?

[JuniperBug]

Hey all!

So I've been going to therapy for depression, anxiety, childhood trauma, and general mental health for years.

But I've never really found it super effective. I've felt like, because I'm very self aware, I'm very self aware and I felt the therapists were never able to uncover anything I couldn't figure out my own. As for the relief of sharing your secrets, I don't really have secrets. I'm an open book. My emotions, thoughts, and fears aren't locked away, they're right on the surface.

So I was thinking, therapy is based in psychological techniques that study the mind. But aren't they studying allistic minds?

So I have a theory that most traditional therapy might be more effective for neurotypical people compared to autistic people.

What do you think of this idea?

Have you ever felt like therapy didn't quite work for you? And why not?

 

[ksheehan88]

I did a course of CBT late last year and I don't feel it did anything.

Everything she was saying about needing to change your behaviours and negative thought patterns etc is stuff I try anyway and doesn't work. Its frustrating, people are like, "It will work if you try hard enough" - well, I did try, and it did nothing. You can't just WILL yourself to stop negative thinking...

The only good thing that came out of it was my therapist putting in a referral to assess me for AS.

 

[Judge]

I did a course of CBT late last year and I don't feel it did anything.

Everything she was saying about needing to change your behaviours and negative thought patterns etc is stuff I try anyway and doesn't work. Its frustrating, people are like, "It will work if you try hard enough" - well, I did try, and it did nothing. You can't just WILL yourself to stop negative thinking...

The only good thing that came out of it was my therapist putting in a referral to assess me for AS.

Seems logical that if one's behaviors and/or traits appear "hard-wired" to pursue that whatever motivates them may well be neurological in origin rather than psychological. Small wonder that your therapist eventually referred you for an assessment of autism.

"Can't means won't" may be a reality for NTs. However for those of us on the spectrum, we may be powerless to address certain traits and behaviors no matter how badly we may want to the contrary.

 

[WereBear]

"Can't means won't" may be a reality for NTs. However for those of us on the spectrum, we may be powerless to address certain traits and behaviors no matter how badly we may want to the contrary.

I found therapy to be useful for some "bad programming" I got from my upbringing. But true: it cannot change my hard-wired traits.

What I think is more NTs need it!

Since so many of our "problems" aren't because of the way we are. They are because of the way too many NTs react.

 

[xudo]

I found CBT useful for OCD.

 

[the_tortoise]

I have found a lot of therapy to be unhelpful and confusing.

I do benefit from just ranting about things to someone when I need to be understood, and possibly the whole processing of trying to put whatever is bothering me into words is sort of like a distraction and a way of exhausting my brain.

By far, though, the most helpful thing for me has always been assistance in coming up with and assessing the effectiveness of practical strategies to address problems, and assistance in creating something like mental flowcharts to problem-solve on my own.

I think that, whether you are neurotypical or neurodiverse, there is really no one-size-fits all therapy....minds are too diverse no matter what category you look at.

 

[icesyckel]

So I have a theory that most traditional therapy might be more effective for neurotypical people compared to autistic people.

My psychiatrist actually told me that, once someone on the spectrum has developed sufficient coping mechanisms to function at a high level, there is no point to therapy because you cannot treat a neurological condition (i.e., state of being) with therapy. It's hard-coded.

I did a course of CBT late last year and I don't feel it did anything.

When he made the comments about therapy not being able to help me, I asked specifically about CBT, and my psychiatrist also told me that treatments like CBT work better on children or lower functioning adults who've never developed coping mechanisms that can be taught. He said that, basically, CBT is for those who have the potential to be high functioning but who have not yet reached that potential. Even with children, he said some will lack the ability or motivation to function at higher levels, and so CBT won't help them.

I miss this psych. I had to change because he is in a clinic that doesn't really do appointments in the traditional sense. Oh, you can sign up for one, but basically when you sign in, they will send you to see the first doc or PA available, in turn. Appointments just generally control who comes in the door at what time. I can't routinely wait 50-60 minutes to be seen, and I so I had to switch. My new psych isn't as talented or insightful, but since therapy can't help me any further, I really just needed someone with an Rx pad to renew what Psych #1 prescribed for my comorbid conditions. Still, I liked chatting with the first guy.

Seems logical that if one's behaviors and/or traits appear "hard-wired" to pursue that whatever motivates them may well be neurological in origin rather than psychological.

Yeah - that's precisely it Judge. Therapy can treat co-morbidities and can teach coping mechanisms/social norms, but it will never re-program your brain to not be autistic (excluding, potentially, some Manchurian Candidate sort of brainwashing - who knows if that crap is possible or if it would work on someone not neurotypical).

That makes me think - has anyone here been successfully hypnotized? I am going to theorize that it is not possible on anyone like me but would be interested if anyone's tried hypnotherapy and, if so, the results?

 

[icesyckel]

I found CBT useful for OCD.

OCD is a common co-morbid condition for ASD, but even those not on the spectrum struggle with it sometimes, so that makes sense. It would seem to be something treatable with therapy.

 

[Sabrina]

I've got through most of my issues by reading or writing. That's my actual therapy. Nevertheless, I go to therapy because I need someone to talk to, without having to measure what I say.

 

[icesyckel]

I've got through most of my issues by reading or writing. That's my actual therapy.

I find reading and writing to be therapeutic as well at times.

Nevertheless, I go to therapy because I need someone to talk to, without having to measure what I say.

This seems like a very good reason for therapy I had not considered - being able to speak freely without having to worry about how it will be received or potentially misconstrued.