A "radical" new autism spectrum disorder theory

Post Reply New Topic

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and- ... sm-theory/


LOL. I have *always* known this. Most aspies on here know this.

I was once put into a thing at school where I had a couple classes with about ten students including me. All but me had emotional and drug problems. They would get very very very angry. I would feel all of their emotions. It got so bad that I couldn't take it anymore. I actually started to get aggressive and angry like them. It was just too much to handle.

I don't think I lack empathy completely, but I also don't feel it so strongly that I can "feel other people's emotions when I walk in a room"

I think my empathy is just screwed up tbh, like I feel empathy for a teddy bear in the store, or a car that drives past.

I think that theory might describe what goes on with me. I feel that others' vibes tend to rub off on me very easily. Too easily. Other people tell me that I have a lot of empathy, but that I lack common sense, or that I have holes in my logic. Often, when I walk through a city I tend to get an impression of the social atmosphere of the city by observing the architecture and the way people dress. I'm unsure how related that is, though.

Yes, I'm definitely too sensitive to other people emotions, this is proving to be extremely distressing at my current job, where I have to interact with random people and it's just exausting, at the end, after 4 hours, I'm completely exausted and out of my mind, I just can't take it anymore, sorry I went I off topic

This really strikes a chord with me. I'll try my best to put my feelings into words so this may come out a little jumbled, please forgive me and bear with me.
I have an excellent memory. I can recall conversations that happened in infancy like it was yesterday. Therefore I have learned to avoid reading certain kinds of stories in the news. I simply cannot cope with the intensity of grief I feel and due to having this retentive memory the stories come back to haunt me again and again. I forget nothing and I do not wish to have these kinds of facts in my head. Did that make any sense? I worked with the elderly once and couldn't cope with seeing so much pain daily. I left the job quite quickly.

If my husband were to buy us tickets to see an orchestra perform Antonin Dvorák's New World Symphony then I would sit prettily on my little seat and clap politely. If I were listening to the same music at home I would most likely be sobbing on the floor or spinning round and round, trying my best to cope with the overwhelming sensations that come with a piece of music so beautiful. It's like I can feel all the emotion put into the music and I feel overwhelmed by it.

I cry at happy endings, I cry at sad endings...I cry a lot in fact!

I've given this as the main reason why I can't stand groups and crowded places all my life and I've only known I had an ASD for a few years. Why has it taken so long for the 'experts' to get a handle on this concept? We're not incapable of expressing it verbally, why is it so difficult to accept? Because it sounds too 'psychic' to be real?

Hey, I just remembered - being high does wonders to take the edge off those social anxieties. Can I get medical marijuana now?

I don't remember being overcome with emotion like that before the age of 17. One day I came down with a fever listening to and conducting along with Mozart's Requiem. My temperature stayed above 104 degrees for three days. I lost 25 pounds. Since then, as my empathic abilities have improved, I've found that I am more frequently overcome with emotions while listening to music, reading books, or watching movies.

This is an interesting theory. I am not personally sure if I am overtly empathic (I am not sure if I made that word up.... sorry) with people, however in the past I have had ridiculous amounts of empathy for inanimate objects including a sandwich, cuddly toys, a car, a lemon and a tomato. I also feel extreme empathy for animals, especially when I feel they may be suffering. I do sort of recall being very upset when the teacher told the class off (even though he/she told me it didn't include me) but I don't know if that has anything to do with this subject...

_________________
I have HFA, ADHD, OCD & Tourette syndrome. I love animals, especially my bunnies and hamster. I skate in a roller derby team (but I'll try not to bite )

I'm sure I posted this theory in the general autism discussion...