Visual Representation of a Meltdown

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This youtube video is from the new Disney movie Frozen, I thought I'd post it because I found (starting at time stamp 1:10 or thereabouts) that it is a fairly good visual representation of an aspie meltdown, or at least what mine look like at any rate. It obviously wasn't intended as such as the character in question is not autistic, but I found it interesting anyway. Thoughts? Anyone else relate? (as an aside, for those of you who haven't seen the film, Elsa, the blonde, is the one creating the flurries of snow through magic that's directly linked to her emotions.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9-rEEj-1uE

I did not really like watching this or even that it was filmed,
but this is real close to me having a meltdown (he even looks like me)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85zxRb-YpRU
im less animated now, but still pretty close.

Last edited by EzraS on 18 Jan 2014, 8:43 am, edited 1 time in total.

My meltdowns when I was a child (from age 3 to age 9 or 10 more or less) looked pretty much like the one in the video ErzaS posted. I used to squeeze stuff, throw it, scream that way and move convulsively.
But now I'm not like that anymore. Now I just scream a lot, kick/punch stuff and fight against anyone who tries to approach me and then I might shut down. At times I throw stuff but not much anymore.
The gal having a meltdown in the video StarTrekker posted acts too calmly to look like me when having a meltdown.

I find it sort of interesting if you put it this way:

The character froze everything and was requested to unfreeze it, therefore the ice would need to 'melt'. I guess you could say.. a meltdown is involved, but of the wrong kind. =)

*Puts on posh accent*: Classic, classic jokes. -Chuckles and proceeds to smoke cigar, looking fancy


In all seriousness I'm not sure whether or not I've ever had a meltdown, at least not one where I scream for 10 minutes at what appears to be nothing. Then again.. that person has a severe case of autism. I'm fairly certain that I've had a great amount of shut downs based on what I've read, but the majority from when I was younger.

ugh...why did they have to do all that singing!!

i wanted to see this movie...but not if there is all that singing.

Yeah, I think Elsa's "snow powers" work well as one possible metaphor for meltdowns. I ended up relating to Elsa when I went to see Frozen , especially during the scene where she tells everyone to leave the coronation after-party and shoots icy spikes out of her hands to keep everyone away. You get to see everyone reacting with fear and judgment, and it just hit really close to home for me for what it's like to "lose it" in front of everybody and be subject to their criticism and ridicule.

Tantrums.

That's it.

I grew out of those.

Yeah, that thought occurred to me too, I guess it's more like a "freezedown"

I related to her too; I'm not usually big on the whole girly princess movies thing, but I really liked this one because Elsa reminded me so much of myself; her shame over behaviour she couldn't control, behaviour which had both good and bad elements to it depending on the circumstances, and the way no one understood her, not even her own sister, who, while trying to help and be supportive, still didn't fully understand what it was like to be her and live with the simultaneously remarkable and destructive power she was born with.

To be honest, I don't get it. I watched it twice to try and grasp the connection, but I just can't see an Autistic meltdown being represented by people singing duets and drifting snowflakes.

Well, it's not supposed to be taken that literally. Yeah, it would be better without the singing, but the point is the snowflakes start falling, indicating an emotional spike, and as the intensity of that emotion rises, the snowflakes fall harder and turn into violent flurries, finally exploding into shards of ice that can hurt those standing too close, which then culminates into fear and regret.

yeah, but in my case thats like asking a fish not to swim

Yeah, "freeze down" makes more sense to me too.

I LOVE Frozen!!
Sorry, I had to say it :p one of my obssessions right now

Frozen is not like ordinary princess movies, I don't like them either.

I'm going to say something you guys will probably find very weird, but for me meltdowns are like orgasms, when you're about to have it the tension grows grows and grows then suddenly it explodes and your mind goes blank

I can't access this video

Yeah, that's common for people who aren't autistic. I hear there is a trend among sociopaths to pose as autistic these days, though. They generally have excellent self-control.