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Lecks
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15 Jan 2010, 11:14 pm

I wonder if many people here do this, it's not necessarily related to autism but it's been bothering me lately.

Whenever I see a movie or read a story that catches my interest I automatically imagine myself in the corresponding universe. But it goes beyond simply talking to myself infront of a mirror or playing out scenes with legos. I adopt characteristics of a particular character that appeals to me in my everyday dealings.

An example:

Earlier this week I saw a movie about an autistic teenage boy, more severe than I. After the movie when I stepped outside to go to work I found myself besieged by sensory overloads so strong I had to fight the urge to go back inside, but I shrugged it off as best as I could.
When I arrived at work I went on as per usual, but when more people started showing up I started stimming like crazy. I tapped my feet, cracked every joint in my body repeatedly, even started rocking which I normally don't do.
My job entails serving and feeding physically and mentally impaired persons but that day I just couldn't go into that large, open room filled with people. I just sat in a corner, stimming more than I ever had.

When I got back home after a horrible day at work, and several coworkers asking me what was wrong and making it even worse, I reflected and realised this wasn't the first time I had acted out of character after watching a good movie. I remembered being more violent after watching a particular action movie, actually paying attention in class and engaging my teachers after watching a movie about some smart kid and several other instances where I exhibited behaviour I normally don't have.

This could all just be my imagination and maybe it's no big deal but it really disrupted my work that day and I thought I should share it to see if others have this tendency aswell.



buryuntime
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15 Jan 2010, 11:21 pm

May I ask what movie you watched?



Lecks
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15 Jan 2010, 11:23 pm

buryuntime wrote:
May I ask what movie you watched?

Ben X. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0953318/



Netish
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16 Jan 2010, 10:22 am

Lecks wrote:
I wonder if many people here do this, it's not necessarily related to autism but it's been bothering me lately.

Whenever I see a movie or read a story that catches my interest I automatically imagine myself in the corresponding universe. But it goes beyond simply talking to myself infront of a mirror or playing out scenes with legos. I adopt characteristics of a particular character that appeals to me in my everyday dealings.


I didn't know this was an aspie thing...but yeah I do it too. I don't imagine myself into their universe though, I adapt my attitude and mentality to a person I "clicked" with for a short period of time until I catch myself or someone "catches" me.



leejosepho
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16 Jan 2010, 10:43 am

Lecks wrote:
Earlier this week I saw a movie about an autistic ...
I found myself besieged ...


That happens to me. Sometimes right then and sometimes later on, I find myself feeling and acting just like someone else. And having discovered my own AS/HFA so late in life, I think that experience is one of being released from years of trying to be something, someone or anything else.


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leejosepho
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16 Jan 2010, 10:49 am

Netish wrote:
I didn't know this was an aspie thing...


I suspect this is not exclusively "Aspie". The same thing happened last night while I was watching a movie about some older men suddenly and unexpectedly finding themselves doing and accomplishing things younger folks could *not* do. So at least for myself, I think this is simply about self-recognition (awareness or discovery) and some overall validation.


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jul
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16 Jan 2010, 11:17 am

I've done this before, like being inside this other world and you just accept it as your own. I do that a lot with books, and movies will hang with me for a while like a shadow. I tend to imitate accents and conversations that I hear also, kind of where I learned to kind of talk to people and deal with the world, but it doesn't work for a very long time. If I hear an accent I can imitate it only for a few minutes. And shortly into a conversation I have to repeat myself because I'm out of material.



millie
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16 Jan 2010, 4:08 pm

We can have a marked capacity for mimicry and assuming other "personas" to the extent we fuse with them. I have experienced this profoundly in my life as have some others with ASD's.