anxiety in those with autism

[Guest guest]

Sondra in particular because you talk about feeling so anxious. At DAN they were

talking about how those with autism it's not so much an overactive fight-flight

response as it is the parasympathetic nervous system doesn't work. The

parasympathetic system is what calms down the fight-flight response. It's what

tells the body everything is okay and lowers the blood pressure, relaxes

breathing, etc.

I've also been learning a lot in school about the stress response in the body.

I'm not talking about when we're worried about something so much as the

physiological response when the body is sick, injured, etc. It seems to me the

more I study about autism, the more it is a physiological stress response. It

sounded so much like autism to me.

I don't know enough to know how to revv up the parasympathetic system though.

Seems all I've found so far is how to suppress the sypathetic system which

doesn't really fix why the parasympathetic doesn't turn on, unless the body is

so stressed it won't overcome the trigger.

Just brainstorming. Any thoughts?

Debi

[Guest guest]

For me I want to go inward and yet outward stimulation brings me outward… I want

to be in my thoughts but outward stimulation takes me away from my inward

thoughts and I'm anxious about this… That's why I struggle so much in the

hearing world; sounds takes me outward, and I feel anxious when I want to remain

inward in my thoughts; it's difficult for me to tune out outward stimulations so

I then feel anxiety and then want to hit myself…

Eventually I hit myself; it's as if a release for me, from all the anxiety I

feel; but I end up hitting my head mostly and I'm an adult still doing this…

Another thing I notice is I can't take it in being around people; yet I crave to

write; why do I crave to write; and I crave to rock;

I read a book on autism that I try using the tools: let me go get the book….

Awe here it is have you heard of this book, the sound of a miracle. A Child's

triumph over autism. By bel Stehli um, its about tuning out sounds;

so I been practicing tuning out sounds on my own by figuring how to apply this

book; but it seems for me, I have my ups and downs; and eventually I end up

hitting myself;

so I read somewhere on line to instead of hitting; which I've done sense a very

young child; have my wild tempers; so wild that I was so out of control; but to

still hit myself as an adult;

but anyways, I read on line as I was trying to figure how to over come all this;

that this advice to squeeze that area that is hitting;

so instead of hitting squeeze that area; well this morning I had problems and I

was about to hit myself and I squeeze my head instead and that really help and I

was so proud of myself for not hitting myself.

Hope

>

> Sondra in particular because you talk about feeling so anxious. At DAN they

were talking about how those with autism it's not so much an overactive

fight-flight response as it is the parasympathetic nervous system doesn't work.

The parasympathetic system is what calms down the fight-flight response. It's

what tells the body everything is okay and lowers the blood pressure, relaxes

breathing, etc.

>

> I've also been learning a lot in school about the stress response in the body.

I'm not talking about when we're worried about something so much as the

physiological response when the body is sick, injured, etc. It seems to me the

more I study about autism, the more it is a physiological stress response. It

sounded so much like autism to me.

>

> I don't know enough to know how to revv up the parasympathetic system though.

Seems all I've found so far is how to suppress the sypathetic system which

doesn't really fix why the parasympathetic doesn't turn on, unless the body is

so stressed it won't overcome the trigger.

>

> Just brainstorming. Any thoughts?

>

> Debi

>