Autism and the Psychotherapeutic Process

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Are there any people with AS who like myself have an interest in exploring their feelings and emotions within a Psychotherapeutic context?

By exploring feelings and emotions, I mean releasing them and finding freedom through creative expression.

In other words, are their others here who see the creative psychotherapies as an interesting and useful tool for self development and personal growth?

Chris

I was in therapies for decades. While they did zero for my AS, they certainly helped me break free of my abusive upbringing. I do not recommend it for improvement on AS symptoms but a (GOOD) therapist can help a lot with the by-products of AS: low self-esteem, insecurity, etc. And for those of us who don't have friends, it's a very good emotional support source.

Thanks Greentea.

When I was 1st dx last year, I was looking for a book about the spirituality of autism, and although I was very inspired by Temple Grandin and Donna Williams I ached for a book that would convey the interior landscape of a person in the spectrum.

In the end I decided to write one myself. 'It's called 'A Painful Gift' (Darton Longman and Todd) In the book I take the reader through my experience of abuse and subsequent hospitalization and my journey home to myself, which included 15 years of intensive therapy and group work.

I have found that psychotherapy played a great part in putting me in touch with memories and emotions that I had split-off from, and in so doing facilitated in a grieving process that enabled me to not only feel my feelings, but enabled me to have compassion and thus empathy for others. It seemed empathy for my self enabled me to experience empathy for others, in this sense Therapy has taught me how to overcome much of my AS empathy complexities.

I love the book title.

Chris Goodchild - interesting name for an abusive upbringing...

The book is unfortunately not available on Amazon

I define empathy as the intuition we Aspies lack to grasp another's unspoken motivations, feelings, thoughts, enough to interact effectively with NTs. What you call empathy I call compassion.

Agree with that part-and it was only after getting this (AS) dx a few years ago that I even feel like we're (my current counselor, whom I met after my dx) talking about same thing. Before, it ("therapy") was based on labels that didn't even feel proper/fitting for my subjective experiences/perceptions (and I'd never heard of autism in so-called "high-functioning" range).

Suppose, in a way, I do my own therapy merely by doing what feels good & that I'm good at-drawing & writing (those are how I spend majority of my time, along with reading). I enjoy reading & writing in nonfiction genre, so that might not be called creative-but I also draw original doodles & mazes, so those are definitely "imaginative"...

No, more analyzing/introspection for someone who already does is not good.

Well, unless it's functional. Like, somebody who analyzes themselves and comes out more enlightened and secure, rather than turning things over an over and never getting a new answer.

Ever heard of 'client-centered therapy'? It's supposed to be a way for the therapist to actually turn into more of a wall to bounce ideas off than an advice-giver or guide; a therapist doing that style of therapy tends to repeat what you said back to you, or ask for more information, or ask for your opinion about what you just said. Theoretically it could be done by a computer (and has been--Google "Eliza"). It isn't very helpful for severe problems, but it does seem to help with self-exploration... if you don't get annoyed by a therapist who refuses to give his own opinion!

Web-based version of Eliza:
http://www-ai.ijs.si/eliza/eliza.html

Hi Greentea.

The book will not be available until January the 26th, from that date it will be available on Amazon. Yes, Goodchild, and I was too, a very auti-not-naughty-child.

I have found it very useful helpful to see empathy in 3 different ways.

1 cognitive
2 emotional
3 natural

Because of the extensive therapy I have experienced my emotional empathy is very advanced, coupled with the fact that I have a right brain dominance (unusual for an aspie) I have a very feeling and intuitive nature. All of this contributes to advanced adaptive skills. Therefore I feel you are quite spot on to refer to the compassion link.

Joku Muko I do feel there is a world of difference between feeling one's feelings over analyzing/introspection. The mind always seeks to divide where as the heart is the place where conflicts and pain are resolved. Therefore you are wise I feel to point out the futility of what for me are the analyzing types of therapy such as the psychoanalytical approach. However, I believe many apsies rather like this approach as it resonates with there left brain dominance.

Hmm... "Client-centered therapy". That was the method that the last counselor I saw took.

I stopped it because the sessions were useless. I had thought, re-thought, and endlessly wrote about such things for years, and started seeing a counselor because mere introspection wasn't helping.

The sessions were almost entirely me giving background information, the counselor asking a question (almost always something I had already thought about) or making a stupid joke, and me talking some more. I didn't benefit at all from it, but it could be useful for those less prone to introspection.