Neural pruning & PTSD

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Thanks for all of your insights in this thread, they're really helpful for me as well. I was about to ask if anyone knew anything about polyvagal theory and how/if it pertains to autistics. You've given me another avenue to look at and it's greatly appreciated!



From what I understand, we autistics have trouble turning off our brain's processing. Our brains are constantly in a state of analysis and heightened sensitivity and we don't really have an "off" switch for that. Add PTSD on top of it and it's even harder to control our thoughts and thus emotions. Meditation/mindfulness is kind of the "brain hack" for NTs to hit that "off" switch, and I guess it does work for some with ASD too, but not for me. So, yeah, exactly as you suggest here, for now it looks like the answer is to try to redirect that awesome processing power away from the things that send us into dark spirals and toward something else. A "calming" activity isn't going to work if it gives our brains room to keep obsessing. You suggested some good ones to try, thanks!



Thanks so much for putting words to experiences I've had, too. It's comforting to know I'm not alone. I don't watch the news and I'm careful about what new shows/books/etc I consume for this reason as well. I used to have a much higher tolerance when I was younger, so I know my CPTSD must play a part and not just the autism. Your comment about calming the limbic system first is so helpful for understanding why CBT and DBT haven't really been helpful. My NT therapists have always just insisted I wasn't trying hard enough, which I knew wasn't true but didn't have the words to explain.

Have you tried the SSP? My intuition tells me it may have some merit for some but I'm noise sensitive which could go either be good or bad. Thanks for the link.

Exactly…… having all these folks ,( Docs) trying to hook me on meds , and warning me about weaning off of things well that makes sense anyhow. But am wondering what happened here, with this Covid thing , has me alittle scared , ? Off center? Oddly am not worried about self destructive thoughts. Am just trying to get balanced, back on my feet? Since the hospital stay. And do not seem to be able to do it . Am not sure if it’s my health still seems to be waffling . Then I wondered why did I survive and full grown men , who I was positive were much healthier than me .
Did not make it out of the hospital?
It’s like a part of brain is not participating in my thoughts . And there is a struggle in my head and with my health.
Still plagued by old experiences/ memories but it’s not well connected to my active thoughts.
Which is weird cause normally can be put on the edge of not wanting to be in this world rather quickly . And had to muddle through my day. Now it’s more just reactionary to circumstances, cause that’s all I can do. .
Sorry to digress about Covid.

I was just starting it and my OT moved clinics. Then chaos, Christmas and Covid.

I'll have to track her down and start again.

Are you in Australia? , I hope you can find her soon .

She always worked for two places - I just never bothered to look up the other one.

I'll let you know when I start again!

Seems like it. Hypersensitivity and hyperfocus. I can't stop nor forget the memories, thoughts and feelings, and no medication can stop them either; the most they'll do is make me sleep or get depressed as I see them in a darker light. At my worst, I was screaming in a hospital bed and the things used for severe agitation weren't doing much for me, so they had to twilight me so I could get some sleep; my brain wouldn't stop. This translates over to other things too, albeit the emotions there are different ones; the special interests would likely be part of this too IMO. I can avoid giving in to the physical symptoms of panic, which ameliorates them until it all builds back up again. This might be out of tolerance though. Time seems to help a bit, but it doesn't need much to bring it all back.

Yep. Distraction, and the more complex or focus needed the better that one is. I learnt to daydream in my dark[er] times to get through it all, which might be considered a poor coping mechanism as it took me away from life many times, but it was seen as alright in my case due to it helping me function better overall, i.e., look after myself as self-help is the first thing one needs. Reasonable levels of physical activity on its own can help against physical symptoms if one has an issue with those, but sometimes it can bother some, since it can feel similar, and bring back the thoughts.

the focus thing is such a key issue if you can manage it . intense distractive focus can help it seems that physical stuff was great for me as my mind kinda stayed on my physical activity.
speed walking with short jog at the end then a knee quit just before Covid.. It was a very bad
issue for me.

Put a horrible situation to try to overcome .,it was the better distraction i had once in a while.
Sm not inclined towards drugs, so been trying to keep my brain straight.But it has been pretty hard. Am getting better about not watching triggering things these days.( media) . That has helped.

I have CPTSD and have had episodes from the past come up in my mind and play over and over, forcing me to re live the fear, pain, anxiety repeatedly. Since my diagnosis I have been able to reduce these episodes a great deal by creating a mental file called "finished business". When a painful episode begins to play, I allow it to do that but examine how autism was working in the event behind the scenes. It has given me new perspective and once I understand better what actually happened, I am able to decide if there is anything I can do about it now or if it is strictly in my past. If I can't do anything about it, then I send it to my mental "finished business" file. If that particular memory tries to re play, I remind myself it is finished business and over forever. Then I send it right back to the file without allowing it to re play (when possible). I do this with each memory (and there are loads of them) that comes up - all the ones I have not filed. Some I might be able to do something about, and I can take actions. Others which are in the past and won't come back, I file and remind those memories to stay in "finished business" that I don't need them any more. It has helped and although it is not fool proof, it seems to have reduced the time I spend in anxious emotional pain of the past trying to solve a problem with no resolution. I mentioned this in a couple of other places and some people who have tried this have reported it works for them too. Allow your painful memory to re play if you can feel safe enough now to do so. Look at all the details and understand how autism played a part in misunderstanding, or how the whole thing came about. If you can not fix anything about it and you can not do anything from this place in time, Send that memory to "finished business" and don't allow it to come back. Stop the replay and remind that memory it is in the past and no longer useful to you today. Sending best wishes. Hope it works for somebody reading this who might need it.