HealingMama
MyPTSD Pro
Can we talk about autism and trauma? I'm having some new awareness that I might have high functioning autism. It's an area I don't know much about - especially how it impacts women vs men. I don't know what's from PTSD and what's from possible autism (with some exceptions).
Probably just PTSD:
Playing an adventure video game to decompress, having my character run around opening chests for rewards. The game has an ongoing thread of conflict with a powerful enemy and every so often he sends minions after your character. This attack sequence gets triggered. I feel myself go into a panic, like my body is screaming. I start crying because I'm overwhelmed. It doesn't happen every time I play or obviously I wouldn't play.
Thought it was from PTSD but could be from autism:
Visit family this weekend. Originally were going to have an outside picnic. Told at the last minute it was cancelled due to suspected rain. Day of the visit, my MIL says they decided to do the picnic after all. It's in the middle of nowhere with no buildings, no restrooms, temp is mid 90s with high humidity, there is a creek but we didn't bring swimsuits, and I'll be there for who knows how long without any way to leave if needed, no data to use my devices etc.
Usually my meltdowns in these situations are more ranty but because I felt so trapped and because I was around family that I am not super close with I just went into shutdown mode for several hours. I was very dissociated but not in a parts sense.
I often really struggle with last minute changes to plans where things won't meet my expectations. Apparently this can be from autism, but it can also be from PTSD making us control freaks.
Have you looked into how these conditions intersect? I guess my thinking is ultimately the approach to dealing it is different. If I have an autistic brain then EMDR may not get me to a point where my brain doesn't work like that. But if I'm triggered by control issues secondary to PTSD then continuing my EMDR should eventually clear that up.
Thoughts?
Probably just PTSD:
Playing an adventure video game to decompress, having my character run around opening chests for rewards. The game has an ongoing thread of conflict with a powerful enemy and every so often he sends minions after your character. This attack sequence gets triggered. I feel myself go into a panic, like my body is screaming. I start crying because I'm overwhelmed. It doesn't happen every time I play or obviously I wouldn't play.
Thought it was from PTSD but could be from autism:
Visit family this weekend. Originally were going to have an outside picnic. Told at the last minute it was cancelled due to suspected rain. Day of the visit, my MIL says they decided to do the picnic after all. It's in the middle of nowhere with no buildings, no restrooms, temp is mid 90s with high humidity, there is a creek but we didn't bring swimsuits, and I'll be there for who knows how long without any way to leave if needed, no data to use my devices etc.
Usually my meltdowns in these situations are more ranty but because I felt so trapped and because I was around family that I am not super close with I just went into shutdown mode for several hours. I was very dissociated but not in a parts sense.
I often really struggle with last minute changes to plans where things won't meet my expectations. Apparently this can be from autism, but it can also be from PTSD making us control freaks.
Have you looked into how these conditions intersect? I guess my thinking is ultimately the approach to dealing it is different. If I have an autistic brain then EMDR may not get me to a point where my brain doesn't work like that. But if I'm triggered by control issues secondary to PTSD then continuing my EMDR should eventually clear that up.
Thoughts?