Mindfullness and ASD

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I have heard a lot about how good mindfullnes is. I really wish people would talk how bad it can be.
How will eating a rasin slowly help anyone? It sure makes things worse for me.
And the recording you can download with a speaker saying "feel how relaxed you are". What if I am not relaxed?
I call it the terror of mindfullness. It is so bad for me. I cannot supress all my feelibg/emotions ad thoughts. It just makes things worse.
Perhaps mindfullness does'nt work for people with ASD?
I rather just sit in silence for a moment than do some dangerous mindfullnes exercices.

Has it worked for you?

I found this video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SPNgKv0ckTI
I really liked how he said that mindfullness forgets to mention "conscience".

I also found a video about the people who should not use it: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BVLW-3k_9tI

Do you think mindfullness can be dangerous for people with ASD?

Last edited by Dandansson on 09 Dec 2021, 10:10 am, edited 2 times in total.

Eating a rasin slowly in a room full of people doing the same was not a mindful experience for me.

Why would it help anyone?

Strange ... I had to look up the word; and in doing so, I learned that what most people call "mindfulness" I have been calling "Being in the Here and the Now" since my single-digit childhood (without all the religious overtones and associations).  The internal monologue goes something like this:

"This is happening right now.  Nothing bad; only good.  I am at my desk with no one else around.  The radio is playing Brubeck's 'Take Five'.  The coffee is still warm and the temperature is comfortable.  I am at peace.  This is happening right now. ... ... ..."

When I was trying mindfullness - "just be only here and now, no unnecessary movement", etc. and my daughter came to me to ask for something, I snapped at her quite badly before I could think... I guess it's not good for me in my current life situation.
And of course I don't become relaxed just because I took a couple of deep breaths and did something slowly, lol!

I can't do mindfulness because of ADHD. It's counterproductive to leave me alone with my thoughts.

When I relax I strive for mindlessness, instead.

It is actually a program. 8 weeks long, I think.
People often just try some of the exercices.

Why?

The above quote is from a mindulfness website. Sounds like the opposite of what some people who have ASD/comorbids do. It does take a lot of practice for it to be effective.

Ahh ... I see ... and I have little doubt they charge people money to learn their "secret" techniques.

So according to the Professor in the video it is not advisable to use mindfulness for exactly the reasons I was sent on a mindfulness course.

My mind is always hyperalert from ADHD, trauma, sleep disorders, and anxiety so bad it's considered a significant clinical risk to my health.

I also have Aphantasia (I can't do guided imagery), and poor Interoception (I can't feel bodily sensations very well).

I know what mindfulness is. I know the theories and the goals. I've worked hundreds of hours with OT and thousands of hours with psychologists for mindfulness and CBT therapy. I've even tried hypnotism and meds. They don't work.

My therapists all threw in the towel long ago and changed course, so I can work on mindlessness instead.

Did the course help or make things worse?

In other words, it can be helpful as long as you're already in pretty good shape.

Before I knew I was autistic I tried to do a 12 week course on mindfulness. I practiced starting at 5 minutes a day until I could meditate for 40 minutes without interruption.

I often cry during mindfulness meditation and couldn’t find a good answer for why. I think I’m always trying to suppress my emotions, especially the uncomfortable ones. And the relaxation allows them all to come to the surface. This put me off meditating for a while but I found that sitting through the discomfort, accepting the feelings and letting them work their way out improved my mental state.

Nope....can't do "mindfullness."

Can't really do yoga, either.

I almost got thrown out of a yoga class in high school because I was being a silly arse in the class. Because I was so darn hyper!

Maybe if I was a wolf, I could be a better grasshopper

Mindfulness is part and parcel of my special interests. I believe that I am still alive as a result of my mindfulness practice. That said, listening to someone try to coach me into mindfulness is going to send me into a spiral. And, despite a daily mediation practice and over 10,000 hours on my meditation cushion, a guided meditation will have the same destabilizing effect on me. Mindfulness is a solitary activity for me. I can discuss it with people or I can be mindful - but I can't do both at the same time.

For me, and I mean this seriously, your mileage may vary - mindfulness allows me to experience the sensory stimuli that is coming at me slowly and one at a time. It also is the only effective counter I've found to habitual masking. Funny you should mention eating a raisin as the most powerful mindfulness moment I've ever had was while eating a raspberry - but someone mentioned something in this thread about eating that raisin in a room full of people and yeah, that wouldn't have worked for me.